Shoot the Piano Player (1960)

Charlie Kohler is a piano player in a bar. The waitress Lena is in love with him. One of Charlie's brother, Chico, a crook, takes refuge in the bar because he is chased by two gangsters, ... See full summary »

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

David Goodis (novel), François Truffaut (adaptation) (as F. Truffaut)

Stars:

Charles Aznavour, Marie Dubois, Nicole Berger

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Aznavour	...	Charlie Kohler / Edouard Saroyan
Marie Dubois	...	Léna
Nicole Berger	...	Thérèse Saroyan
Michèle Mercier	...	Clarisse
Serge Davri	...	Plyne
Claude Mansard	...	Momo
Richard Kanayan	...	Fido Saroyan (as Le jeune Richard Kanayan)
Albert Rémy	...	Chico Saroyan
Jean-Jacques Aslanian	...	Richard Saroyan
Daniel Boulanger	...	Ernest
Claude Heymann	...	Lars Schmeel
Alex Joffé	...	Passerby
Boby Lapointe	...	Le chanteur
Catherine Lutz	...	Mammy

Storyline

Charlie Kohler is a piano player in a bar. The waitress Lena is in love with him. One of Charlie's brother, Chico, a crook, takes refuge in the bar because he is chased by two gangsters, Momo and Ernest. We will discover that Charlie's real name is Edouard Saroyan, once a virtuose who gives up after his wife's suicide. Charlie now has to deal wih Chico, Ernest, Momo, Fido (his youngest brother who lives with him), and Lena...

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Plot Keywords:

pianist | piano player | french new wave | female nudity | nouvelle vague | 

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Taglines:

A Film for Adults

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 July 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shoot the Piano Player

Filming Locations:

Avenue de la Porte de Villiers, Paris 17, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films de la Pléiade

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 82 min (1963)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (Dyaliscope)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening chase scene is so dark because the rain kept blowing the bulbs of the lights cinematographer Raoul Coutard was using to light the scene. Due to budgetary restrictions and the fact he was making a film noir, Truffaut simply decided to continue shooting with minimal lighting, resulting in moments of almost total visual obscurity at points throughout the scene.

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Goofs

When Lena and Charlie walk home after work you can see the shadow of the camera on their coats.

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Quotes

Léna: If you want to be an angel, go and buy me a pair of stockings. Afterwards, we'll go and tell that dirty pig Plyne a thing or two. Get me "Scandal" stockings. Light tangerine, that's my shade.

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Connections

Featured in The Truth About Charlie (2002)

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Soundtracks

Dialogue d'Amoureux
Written by Félix Leclerc
Performed by Félix Leclerc and Lucienne Vernay

User Reviews

A charming, inventive film-noir-homage.

With singer/actor Charles Aznavour in the lead (his expressive face is priceless), "Shoot the Piano Player" is one of Truffaut's most charming and inventive works. Aznavour plays Charlie/Edouard -- a former concert pianist who becomes an anonymous piano player in a dive bar in order to escape his past. After his brother (Remy, who Truffaut also used wonderfully in "The 400 Blows") gets in trouble with some borderline inept gangsters, chaos ensues.

Truffaut's winsome camera and editing techniques blend perfectly with Aznavour's performance. A must for fans of the French New Wave.