Shoot the Piano Player (1960)

Charlie is approached by his crook brother Chico, who is chased by two gangsters. Charlie helps him to escape, but he upsets the criminals, so when his brother Fido is kidnapped, Charlie has to take an attitude with tragic consequences.

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

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

Stars:

Charles Aznavour, Marie Dubois, Nicole Berger

1 nomination.

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:

Francois Truffaut, Brilliant Director Who Gave You the Award Winning "The 400 Blows", Now Brings to the Screen a Fascinating New Work That Plays in Many Keys...All of Them Delightful!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was released in France under the title, "Ne tirez pas sur le pianiste" ("Don't Shoot the Piano Player"), or the exact opposite of the title in the United States.

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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

Passerby: I don't know you; I'll probably never see you again. I might as well be frank. It does one good to make a clean breast of it sometimes... to a total stranger.

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Connections

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

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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.

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,206, 25 April 1999

Gross USA:

$21,124

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,124

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