This film (FAUTEILS D'ORCHESTRE being its original title) was also released as ORCHESTRA SEATS. It is a marvellously entertaining and amusing comedy with romantic overtones. Cécile de France is brilliant as the lead character, Jessica. She plays a naïve and under-educated provincial girl from Macon who comes to Paris with a guileless sprite-like personality and a captivating smile, and during a brief period as a waitress in a café manages to become embroiled in the lives of a series of highly sophisticated people. The main thrust of the film is really the contrast between simplicity and complexity in human personalities. The humour is gentle but also profound. The film is directed by Danièle Thompson, whose light directorial touch makes the film a success, and whose ability to tease the best out of her excellent cast makes the film glow with genuine humanity, pathos, and charm. Certainly it is one of the finest French comedies in many years, The film features Sydney Pollack as an American film director, Brian Sobinski, and is one of his last roles on screen before his death two years later. I believe I saw him credited as an executive producer, but that is not recorded under his entry in IMDb. The film was an Alain Sarde production, always a sure sign of quality. The actual producer was Christine Gozlan, so the film was really made by two women, which explains its sensitivity and gentleness. The screenplay was jointly written by Ms. Thompson and her son Christopher Thompson. There is an outstanding comic performance by Valérie Lemercier, and everyone else does very well also, including the small stone statue 'The Kiss' by Brancusi, which although silent, is nevertheless effective in a cameo appearance, inspiring a live couple to emulate its embrace, which would have amused the old peasant and made his beard shake with laughter.
Review of Orchestra Seats
