EFF: Shoot the Piano Player (1960)

Tirez sur le pianiste

New 4K Restoration

“A masterpiece of the Film Noir genre. Not to be missed” – The New York Observer

In an inspired casting, French crooner Charles Aznavour plays pianist Charlie Kohler. When Charlie’s two older brothers steal money from a pair of gangsters, the mild-mannered pianist finds himself embroiled in the criminal underworld, simultaneously dragging a lovelorn bar waitress into the calamity.

Truffaut wanted to move away from the themes of The 400 Blows and explore his other passion, American gangster films. Finding inspiration in David Goodis’s American crime novel “Down There”, he gave the noir genre a delightfully Nouvelle Vague makeover in what is now considered one of his quintessential masterpieces.

Rating

Unclassified 15+

Duration

80 min

Country

France

Language

French (English Subtitles)

Cast

Charles Aznavour, Nicole Berger, Marie Dubois

Director

François Truffaut