Shoot the Piano Player (Tirez Sur La Pianiste)

Part of the BAMcinématek series 1962: New York Film Critics Circle

Thu, Nov 5 at 4:30, 6:50*, 9:30pm
*Intro by NYFCC member David Fear (Time Out)

Directed by François Truffaut
With Charles Aznavour

(1960) 92min

Truffaut’s second film, one of the key works in the French New Wave, is a delirious pastiche of moods and genres that pays homage to American gangster pictures. Aznavour is perfectly cast as the hangdog pianist with a past who errs in falling in love, and then into the depths of the criminal underworld. Truffaut’s visual inventiveness and speedy pacing create one of his most surprising, entertaining films.

Time Out New York on Shoot the Piano Player
"Though it seems almost cruel that Aznavour never sings in the film, he most poignantly conveys profound sadness—stemming from a crazy family, betrayal, loss and squashed hope—during those moments when he never opens his mouth." More

The Village Voice on Shoot the Piano Player
"Shoot the Piano Player is the essence of a drizzly autumn afternoon in some shabby arrondissement." More