
François Truffaut is drunk on the possibilities of cinema in this, his most playful film. Part thriller, part comedy, part tragedy, SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER relates the adventures of mild-mannered piano player Charlie (Charles Aznavour, in a triumph of hangdog deadpan) as he stumbles into the criminal underworld and a whirlwind love affair. Loaded with gags, guns, clowns, and thugs, this razor-sharp homage to the American gangster film is pure nouvelle vague.

Noah Baumbach on SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER

Cinéastes de notre temps: François Truffaut ou l’esprit critique

“Pour changer étoiles et toiles”: François Truffaut

Raoul Coutard on SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER

Marie Dubois on SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER

Suzanne Schiffman on SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER

SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER Screen Test: Marie Dubois

Jeff Smith on Georges Delerue

Widescreen Composition in SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER
via Criterion Collection
French New Wave
Position 8