| | | The Criterion Collection
Features: DVD
Francois Truffaut is drunk on the possibilities of cinema in this, his most playful, anarchic film. Part thriller, part comedy, part tragedy, Shoot the Piano Player relates the adventures of the mild-mannered piano player Charlie (Charles Aznavour, in a triumph of hangdog deadpan) as he stumbles into the criminal underworld and a whirlwind love affair. Loaded with gags, guns, clowns, and thugs, this razor-sharp homage to the American gangster film is pure nouvelle vague.
"Four stars...Aznavour is Terrific." Leonard Maltin
"Nuttiness, pure and simple." New York Times
Editor's Note
A former concert pianist, now the piano player in a seedy Parisian bar, is surrouned by gansters and hoodlums. He is befriended by a woman who tries in vain to restore him to his former glory, but his own timidity and inability to act lead to tragic consequences for both.
Plot Summary
Francois Truffaut's second feature is a tender, playful but ultimately tragic story of a man who has never recovered from a past betrayal.| Charlie, once a renowned concert pianist, now plays background music in a run-down bar. A sympathetic waitress there loves him, but Charlie can neither forgive nor forget his former wife's infidelity. His simple life takes a turn for the violent, however, when his brother comes into the bar one day with two gangsters in tow -- gangsters bent on getting even with Charlie for a past offense.
| Features | "The Music Of George Delerue," An Illustrated Essay | | A New Essay By Film Critic Kent Jones | | Audio Commentary | | Audio: French Dolby Digital Mono | | Dubois' Screen Test For The Film | | Excerpts From A 1965 Episode Of The French Television Program "Cineastes De Notre Temps" Dedicated To Truffaut | | Exclusive New Video Interviews With Actors Charles Aznavour And Marie Dubois | | Interactive Menus | | New And Improved English Subtitle Translation | | New, Restored High-Definition Digital Transfer, Supervised By Director Of Photography Raoul Coutard | | Rare Interview With Francois Truffaut Collaborator Suzanne Schiffman, From 1986 | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English | | Theatrical Trailers | | Video Interview With Coutard, Conducted In 2003 | | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16:9 TVs |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Image |
| Release Date: 12/6/2005 |
| Running Time: 81 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1960 | | Catalog ID: 140 | | UPC: 00037429212721 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: French | | Available Audio Tracks: French | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"Sophomore outings by major directors don't get much riskier or more playful than this....He'd never again get so experimental..." -- Grade: A- 12/09/2005 p.72-73Premiere
"Truffaut suffuses the film with humor. Aznavour, in a career-defining role, is wonderful..." 03/01/2006 p.114 |
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