Denis Dercourt both wrote (with Jacques Sotty) and directed this very low key but very devastating tale of concentrated revenge. It has a tight script, a cast of very fine actors, and a pacing that holds the audience to the story wondering how the 'plan' will work out in the end. 10-year-old Mélanie (Julie Richalet) is a gifted piano student, the daughter of a butcher and his wife, whose studies provide her with the opportunity to enter the academy if she is successful in winning an audition. At the audition the chief judge is the accomplished pianist Ariane Fouchécourt (Catherine Frot) who allows an autograph seeker to disrupt Mélanie's audition, a disruption that results in breaking Mélanie's concentration: she does not win the audition and moreover she gives up the piano altogether. 10 years later Mélanie (the very beautiful Déborah François) works as an intern in a wealthy lawyer's office - M. Fouchécourt (Pascal Greggory) - who happens to be married to Ariane, now with a terrible stage fright because of an accident. When M. Fouchécourt needs a nanny to care for his young son Tristan (Antoine Martynciow), Mélanie ask for the job and moves to the mansion in the country where she tends after Tristan and admires Ariane's practicing. Ariane is preparing a concert in a trio with violinist and cellist wife and husband (Christine Citti and Jacques Bonnaffé). Ariane fears the performance but finds security when Mélanie offers to turn pages for her. A strong bond forms between the two, a bond that appears to go beyond music, and the concert results in success. The manner in which Mélanie works her way into Ariane's need and her response to advances made by the married cellist begin to divulge the intention of Mélanie's involvement with the Fouchécourt family. How she choreographs her revenge for her childhood disappointment is the direction the story takes to its end. Aside from the obvious fact that this film is in many ways an intense psychological thriller, the other joys offered are some excerpts from the music of Shostakovich, Bach, and Schubert. Each of the actors is superb and the manner in which director Dercourt leads us through this maze of belated revenge is truly fine filmmaking. Grady Harp

The Page Turner was directed by Denise Dercourt, who won awards for his other film Lise et Andre. It starts off with Melanie, a little girl who has hopes to getting a full scholarship to an esteemed music school by playing piano. She is passionate and it shows in the way that she plays. The audience has no doubts that she will make it in. Her dreams are tarnished when one of the judges, Ariane Fouchecourt, disrupts her concentration by accepting an autograph in the middle of her recital. She never plays piano again. We see her later as a teenager, who is working as an intern for a successful lawyer. The secretary who she works under tells her that the lawyer needs someone to watch his son, so Melanie takes the job. His wife? The judge who made her lose her dreams. In the beginning we are not sure what Melanie's intentions are, but then we soon realize that it is revenge.The movie dragged, and I kept waiting for the pace to pick up. The interaction between the two main characters could have been a little bit emotion than what we are shown. I understand that it was suppose to be an escalating suspense, but I feel that it lacked a climax. If it were a book, I would have already put it down waiting for "AHA" moment. It seems that too many movies are lacking good scenes until the end. Also, many people seem to have short memories, so they ignore how bored they were for the past 95 minutes, and are happy because the ending was good. The movie did have a denouement, and I was happy for that. Another thing that I liked about the film is that it showed that in revenge, the avenger and the avengee have their good and bad points. My parents loved this film, and I can see why. However, it wasn't for me.

Where should I begin? This movie is overloaded with errors.Seventy minutes seemed like two hours. The characters of this movie are cold and dry,the movie is very slow and the plot is recycled and unrealistic. I liked the music in the movie and the opening scenes where the girl was playing piano and her parents were butchering the meat, it was a good way to foreshadow how the girl was going to butcher her examiner's life, but that was about it. The first error that appeared in the movie was when the main character's (10-year-old Melaine who dreams of becoming a pianist) entrance examination to a music school was disrupted by someone coming in to get an autograph from one of the judges(Ariane). No such disturbances are allowed during such an examination, but the director of this film, completely ignored this fact. Then ten years later, after failing the entrance exam due to getting disrupted at the exam and therefore giving up on her dream as a pianist, Melaine gets revenge on the judge who disturbed her by ruining the judge's life and the life of her family. Before Melaine met Ariane again, Ariane was involved in a car accident which made her very nervous at all her future concerts. This is unrealistic, because professional musicians never get this nervous, otherwise they would not have been allowed to perform. One of Melaine's evil plots involves making Ariane's son practice a piece of music faster and faster every day, so that his hand would hurt. In real life practicing music at faster pace each time is a way to improve your skills and does not do damage.Mealaine's evil plots are not realized by Ariane or her husband until the end of the movie, when Meline returns Ariane her thank you note. Then suddenly Ariane and her husband realize what Melaine had done. It is impossible to believe that this note made everything clear.The plot is recycled, since this type of revenge is typical in movies. Why couldn't the director think of a movie where instead of giving up piano, Melaine would get so good at piano that she would beat Ariane at her own game and get revenge by becoming better and more popular than her?

"LaTourneuse de pages" aka "The Page Turner", (2006) directed by Denis Dercourt is a clever, elegant, entertaining French psychological drama/revenge/thriller, short but satisfying. It was made by a writer/director who has been a professional musician, both a performer and a teacher, who knows and loves classical music and makes it a very important part of all his movies. Prélude en ré mineur by Johann Sebastian Bach and Shostakovich's opus 67, trio in E minor that sound in "The Page Turner" are marvelous.The film brings to mind such excellent and diverse films as "The Piano Player ", "Notes on a Scandal", and "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" but it is very good on its own terms thanks to the pitch perfect performances by two main characters and supporting cast and exquisite subtlety in exploring the familiar subject of long awaited and perfectly executed revenge. 19 years old Belgian actress Déborah François gives an absolutely stunning performance as Mélanie Prouvost, a self-possessed, attractive, efficient, and well mannered young woman with a sweet quiet smile, refined soft voice, graceful movements, impeccable taste and appreciation for fine quality of things. Mélanie is very observant, smart, and it did not take her long to become an indispensable asset, a trusted page turner for her new boss, Ariane Fouchecour (Catherine Frot). Ariane is a renowned concert pianist who now performs in a trio and is vulnerable and fragile after having survived an auto crash. Little did Ariane know that the girl who had charmed the whole family with her tactfulness, efficiency, and loyalty, has a long memory that goes as far as ten years back when young Melanie (Julie Richalet also gave memorable performance as young Melanie) dreamed of becoming a famous pianist, tried to pass the Conservatory entrance exam with Ariane as a president of the jury. Melanie got distracted by Ariane having signed an autograph for a fan during her performance and failed the exam. She never touched the piano again and she never forgot the day and the person that had changed her life ...Both actresses were outstanding, and François was a revelation in her only second role which is also her second award winning performance in the row. One of the reviewers mentions that she "almost out-Hupperts Isabelle Huppert" as the page turner. The gifted young actress justly deserves this praise. I hope that she has a great future ahead of her and I will be waiting for her following movies.