Shoot the Piano Player (1960)

Directed by François Truffaut. Charles Aznavour, Marie Dubois, Nicole Berger, Albert Rémy, Michèle Mercier, Claude Mansard, Serge Davri, Jean-Jacques Aslanian, Daniel Boulanger, Claude Heymann.

Exhilarating Truffaut trifle is a French New Wave noir-melodrama that finds room for a little romance, a little humor, and an astonishingly versatile sense of improvisation. Aznavour’s titular pianist abandoned his previous life as a renowned musician following a tragedy; now plays at a dive bar, slow to strike up a romance with pretty waitress Dubois. Meanwhile, his brothers try to rip off a pair of pathetic gangsters, leading to kidnapping and fatalities. Aznavour’s persuasive performance is a highlight, as are the shot compositions and pace established by editors Claudine Bouché and Cécile Decugis. Adapted from David Goodis’ novel “Down There.” Initially released in France as Ne tirez pas sur le pianiste, which translates to Don’t Shoot the Piano Player; who’s to say its countrymen surrender so easily?

91/100