''The Reader'' (french: La Lectrice) is a 1988 French film directed by

Michel Deville Michel Deville (born 13 April 1931) is a French film director and screenwriter. Deville started his filmmaking career in the late 1950s, paralleling the emergence of the French New Wave directors. He never achieved the level of critical and int ...

. The film won that year's

Louis Delluc Prize The Louis Delluc Prize (french: Prix Louis-Delluc ) is a French film award presented annually since 1937. The award is bestowed to the Best Film and Best First Film of the year on the second week of each December. The jury is composed of 20 members, ...

, and was nominated for nine

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

including Best Supporting Actor, won by Patrick Chesnais.

Plot

Constance is a young French woman who is dissatisfied with her mundane life but has a talent for reading stories to others. As the movie opens, she is reading a book called ''La Lectrice'' to her boyfriend, in which the main character, a woman named Marie, reads literature to others for a living. She becomes engrossed in the book to the point that she begins imagining herself as Marie: Constance and Marie are played by

Miou-Miou Sylvette Herry (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Miou-Miou (), is a French actress. A ten-time César Award nominee, she won the César Award for Best Actress for the 1979 film ''Memoirs of a French Whore''. Her other films incl ...

, and the movie weaves back and forth between their stories. Marie embarks on her new profession with gusto. As she reads to her clients, all of whom are seeking a little more than the solace of literature, she works a fantastical transformation on them. Her clients include the widow of a Marxist general ( María Casares), a nervous businessman (

Patrick Chesnais Patrick Chesnais (born 18 March 1947) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Life and career Patrick Chesnais was born in La Garenne-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine. He was educated at the '' Lycée Pierre Corneille'' in Rouen. In 198 ...

), a retired magistrate, and a handicapped teenage boy. Soon the clients' friends and families become involved, as does her professor ( Christian Blanc). The general's widow's maidservant and the boy's friends from school become affected by the readings, and Constance has an affair with the businessman. Books read include '' The Lover'' (by

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film '' Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) e ...

, read to the sexually frustrated businessman), and the works of Marquis de Sade (read to the judge and his libertine friends).

Cast

as Constance / Marie * Régis Royer as Éric *

Maria Casarès Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

as The General's widow *

as The CEO *

Pierre Dux Pierre Dux (21 October 1908 – 1 December 1990) was a French stage director, stage actor, and film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1932 and 1990. Filmography References External links * * 1908 births 1990 deaths Burials ...

as Magistrat * Christian Ruché as Jean / Philippe *

Brigitte Catillon Brigitte Catillon (born 20 July 1951) is a French actress and screenwriter. She was nominated for the César Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1993 for ''A Heart in Winter'' directed by Claude Sautet Claude Sautet (23 February 1924 – ...

as Éric's mother *

Marianne Denicourt Marianne Denicourt (née Cuau; born 14 May 1963) is a French actress, director and screenwriter who has appeared in more than 50 films and television productions since 1986. She studied under Patrice Chéreau in 1985-86 at the Ecole du Thé� ...

as Bella B. * Charlotte Farran as Coralie * Clotilde de Bayser as Coralie's mother *

Jean-Luc Boutté Jean-Luc may refer to: In politics: * Jean-Luc Bennahmias (born 1954), a French politician and Member of the European Parliament * Jean-Luc Dehaene (1940–2014), a Flemish politician * Jean-Luc Laurent (born 1957), a French politician * Jean-Luc ...

as The Inspector *

Simon Eine Simon Eine (8 August 1936 – 30 September 2020) was a French actor. He studied at CNSAD under the direction of Jean Yonnel. He was once honorary secretary of the Comédie-Française. Filmography Cinema *''Le Roi Lear'' (1965) *''Au théâtre ce ...

as The professor *

Maria de Medeiros Maria Esteves de Medeiros Victorino de Almeida, DamSE (born 19 August 1965), known professionally as Maria de Medeiros (), is a Portuguese actress, director, and singer who has been involved in both European and American film productions. Ear ...

as The nurse * André Wilms as The man of the Saint-Landry street *

Sylvie Laporte Sylvie may refer to: * ''Sylvie'' (novel), an 1853 novel by Gérard de Nerval * Sylvie (actress) (1883–1970), French actress * Sylvie (band), a Canadian rock band from Regina, active in the 2000s * ''Sylvie'' (album), a 1962 album by Sylvie Va ...

as Françoise *

Léo Campion Léo Campion (born ''Léon Louis Octave Campion''; 24 March 1905 in Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165 ...

as The grandfather

Awards and nominations

(France) **Won: Best Actor – Supporting Role (Patrick Chesnais) **Nominated: Best Actress – Leading Role (Miou-Miou) **Nominated: Best Actress – Supporting Role (María Casares) **Nominated:

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

(Michel Deville) **Nominated: Best Editing (Raymonde Guyot) **Nominated:

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

**Nominated: Best Poster (Benjamin Baltimore) **Nominated: Best Production Design (Thierry Leproust) **Nominated: Best Screenplay (Michel or Rosalinde Deville) *

(France) **Won: Best Film *

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

(U.S.) **Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 61st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

References

External links

*
La lectrice at filmsdefrance
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reader, The 1988 films 1980s French-language films 1988 comedy-drama films French comedy-drama films Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor César Award-winning performance Louis Delluc Prize winners Films directed by Michel Deville 1980s French films

Plot

Cast

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links