“A magnificent picture” (James Monaco), Shoot the Piano Player is one of Truffaut’s most important and impressive works. A concert pianist (Aznavour) who, recovering from his wife’s suicide, takes refuge from his life in a Paris café-bar, finds himself embroiled in kidnapping and murder. High on the possibilities of cinema, Truffaut mixes moods, swipes devices (comic strips, split screen), and steals from here, there and everywhere (including from Melville), and forges it all into a strange and singular vision of the absurdity of life. “A brilliant and original French movie. . . . a completely satisfying piece of work. . . . The movie busts out all over – and that’s what’s wonderful about it” (Pauline Kael). Though Truffaut adored Melville’s Les Enfants terribles, which he saw dozens of times, Piano Player draws more on the style and atmosphere of such Melville works as Bob le Flambeur and Deux hommes dans Manhattan.

Rated PG.