'Round Midnight (1986)

A troubled, but talented musician flees the US to escape his problems, finding refuge and support in Paris.

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

David Rayfiel (screenplay), Bertrand Tavernier (screenplay)

Stars:

Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker

Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dexter Gordon	...	Dale Turner
François Cluzet	...	Francis Borler
Gabrielle Haker	...	Berangere
Sandra Reaves-Phillips	...	Buttercup
Lonette McKee	...	Darcey Leigh
Christine Pascal	...	Sylvie
Herbie Hancock	...	Eddie Wayne
Bobby Hutcherson	...	Ace
Pierre Trabaud	...	Francis's Father
Frédérique Meininger	...	Francis's Mother
Hart Leroy Bibbs	...	Hershell
Liliane Rovère	...	Madame Queen
Ged Marlon	...	Beau
Benoît Régent	...	Psychiatrist
Victoria Gabrielle Platt	...	Chan Turner

Storyline

In 'Round Midnight, real-life jazz legend Dexter Gordon brilliantly portrays the fictional tenor sax player Dale Turner, a musician slowly losing the battle with alcoholism, estranged from his family, and hanging on by a thread in the 1950's New York jazz world. Dale gets an offer to play in Paris, where, like many other black American musicians at the time, he enjoys a respect for his humanity that is not based upon the color of his skin. A Parisian man who is obsessed with Turner's music befriends him and attempts to save Turner from himself. Although for Dale the damage is already done, his poignant relationship with the man and his young daughter re-kindles his spirit and his music as the end draws near.

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Plot Keywords:

jazz | musician | alcoholism | jazz score | jazz music | 

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Taglines:

The music and the magic come together...

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English French

Release Date:

3 October 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Round Midnight

Filming Locations:

Lyon, Rhône, Rhône-Alpes, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,384, 5 October 1986, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,272,600

Company Credits

Production Co:

Little Bear, PECF

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Francis Borler is based on Francis Paudras, who died in 1997. The character of Dale Turner is a combination of real-life jazzmen Bud Powell and Lester Young. The real-life friendship between Paudras and Bud Powell has been the subject of several books.

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Goofs

Although the film takes place in the 50s, one shot of New York near the end shows several mid 1980s Chevrolet Caprice Taxis, along with some cars from the late 1960s and 1970s.

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Quotes

Dale: Berangere... that's a big name for a little girl.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: 'Round Springfield (1995)

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Soundtracks

Body and Soul
Written by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton and Johnny Green

User Reviews

French Connection

In the Existentialist '50s, bebop jazz expanded beyond Manhattan and became all the rage in Paris. French intellectuals such as Sartre (in his pro-American hotdogs-and-bourbon phase) applied their knowledge to the music of poorly-educated African-Americans and discovered that this too, like the cinema of Jerry Lewis, was something they could like about America.

Director/scenarist Bertrand Tavernier, a veteran of the St. Germain des Pres scene, crafted "Round Midnight" as a nostalgic tribute to a now-vanished European musical scene. (The Blue Note Club is a studio set, the original having been pulled down). Melding the life stories of pianist Bud Powell and sax man Lester Young into a memorable character called Dale Turner, Tavernier benefited from the fortunate casting of real-life musician Dexter Gordon to play this role.

Gordon spent much of his working life in Copenhagen and in 1963 made a record with Powell in Paris. The two were part of a large group of black American jazzmen who gigged across Western Europe as the 52nd Street scene back home began to wane. Essentially, Gordon played himself, for which he deservedly received an Oscar nomination on his first try.

Musicians are not necessarily actors, but "Round Midnight" is bolstered by strong performances from a number of U.S. and French jazz players paying tribute to their own. As pleasant as the film's musical score is, "Round Midnight" succeeds because the cast of music professionals shows what they can do away from the bandstand.