Film Review
This is a film which is not just about the pleasure of reading but also about the power
it has to alter our perception of the world, offering us new experiences which can be
as profound as anything in real life. It is a bizarre thing to say, but watching
this film is strangely like reading a book. The way in which the film draws its
viewer into its subject is as subtle and effective as if it were a well written novel.
One peculiarity of the film is the way in which the viewer is led to identify him or herself
with the reader, Constantine, who identifies herself with the reader Marie, who, in turn,
identifies herself with her clients. This Russian doll nesting of world within worlds
provides an unsettlingly unfamiliar yet ultimately pleasurable cinematic experience.
Michel Deville's quirky brand of comedy is helped along with a captivating performance
from Miou-Miou, providing some moments of genuine hilarity. There are some splendid
contributions from Patrick Chesnais and veteran actress Maria Casarès, whose O.T.T.
performances provide a perfect foil to Miou-Miou's subtle yet far from innocent portrayal
of Marie.
© James Travers 2000
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Michel Deville film:
Nuit d'été en ville (1990)
Film Synopsis
Jean listens attentively as his attractive girlfriend Constance reads to
him a book about a young woman, Marie, whose greatest passion is reading.
Marie's love of the printed word leads her to take up a career as a professional
book reader, and she has no shortage of clients after she has placed an ad
in the newspaper. Her first customer is Éric, a young man who
is confined to a wheelchair. Marie's reading of Guy de Maupassant and
Baudelaire fires the young man's erotic fantasies and reawakens his zest
for living. Then there is the strange old widow, the former wife of
a Hungarian general, who thrives on Russian literature, in particular Marx
and Tolstoy. With Marie's help, a little girl named Coralie is transported
to join Alice in her adventures in Wonderland and an old magistrate gets
his pornographic kicks from Sade's more lubricious passages. Much as
Marie enjoys her work, it inevitably brings her into conflict with her jealous
boyfriend Pierre and a suspicious police officer, neither of whom understand
the nature of the service she is providing. Having finished reading
her book, Constance makes up her mind to follow Marie's example...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.