Product Details

• Actors: Miou-Miou, Christian Ruché, Régis Royer, María Casares, Patrick Chesnais
• Directors: Michel Deville
• Writers: Michel Deville, Rosalinde Deville, Raymond Jean
• Producers: Rosalinde Deville
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• VHS Release Date: January 27, 1993
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301536045
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,542 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

A multi-faceted film based on Raymond Jean's novel "La Lectrice".

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing movie about the power of words December 10, 2005

By Bomojaz

Format:VHS Tape

A baffling, funny, sexy - and unique movie about a young woman who advertises to be a reader and her encounters with her clients. It starts out with her in bed with her lover and at his request she begins reading a book to him, called LA LECTRICE (The Reader). As she reads it's obvious she becomes the character, and we join her in her exploits.

One "client" is a 15-year-old boy in a wheelchair who is full of adolescent love (sexual longing) for her; another is a man looking for sex; another an old blind woman infatuated with Communist Russia; another a little spoiled girl who'd rather go out and play than be read to; another an old retired judge who wants her to read Sade to him.

It doesn't sound like there could be anything promising in any of this, but some of the scenes are hilarious and much of what she chooses to read is sexy and erotic. The movie comes full circle with it ending as she finishes reading the book to her lover in bed. It's all of a piece, although there is no story line and some of the things that happen make no sense (the maid with the spiders, for instance). Technically it's interesting, too, with good fast cutting and the splicing of scenes together seamlessly. Different and fascinating, and all about the power of words (sort of).

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars French spoof dealing with one of the most serious problems March 4, 2004

By cvairag VINE™ VOICE

Format:VHS Tape

The gist of the story line is this: a beautiful, unemployed woman with no vocational training or professional credentials decides to "create her own business" by placing a classified ad in the local paper as a "reader", i.e., she will come to your home and read to you from the book of your choice for a fee. Of course, this offer opens up itself to all the consequences of the naivity and vulnerability implied, and therein the lighthearted farce. The comedy, however, is played off against more serious commentary, under-, or more generally, unstated: a rather brutal expose the inherent limitations in human relations created by our ongoing obsession with sex. This interfacing of the evidently silly, with the inescapably tragic is what gives a film a bit of bite. Mioux-Mioux is perfectly cast, her talent has never shown more brilliantly, and again proves the truth of Cezanne's claim that the beauty of women grows only more profound with age.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars video order went well September 18, 2005

By T. Landon

Format:VHS Tape

The packaging on the tape was slightly beat up, but I guess that's to be expected with a 10 year old video from a video rental place. It played great and arrived promptly. I'd recommend buying from this seller