A former concert pianist, now the piano player in a seedy Parisian bar, is surrouned by gansters and hoodlums. He is befriended by a woman who tries in vain to restore him to his former glory, but his own timidity and inability to act lead to tragic consequences for both.
Francois Truffaut's second feature is a tender, playful but ultimately tragic story of a man who has never recovered from a past betrayal.
Charlie, once a renowned concert pianist, now plays background music in a run-down bar. A sympathetic waitress there loves him, but Charlie can neither forgive nor forget his former wife's infidelity. His simple life takes a turn for the violent, however, when his brother comes into the bar one day with two gangsters in tow -- gangsters bent on getting even with Charlie for a past offense.
The print used for the Home Vision Cinema VHS version is from the Janus Collection. It is fully restored, with new translation and subtitles.
DVD Features:
Keep Case
Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Mono - French
Subtitles - English - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary: Annette Insdorf, Peter Brunette - Film Scholars
Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
Interviews:
1. Charles Aznavour & Marie Dubois - Stars
2. Raoul Coutard - Cinematographer
3. Suzanne Schiffman - Truffault collaborator
Bonus Footage:
1. French TV program, ETOILES ET TOILES
2. 1965 episode of French TV program, CINEASTES DE NOTRE TEMPS
3. Dubois' screen test
Text/Photo Galleries:
Essays:
1. THE MUSIC OF GEORGES DELERUE, illustrated essay
2. New Essay by film critic Kent Jones
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Review 1:
"Truffaut suffuses the film with humor. Aznavour, in a career-defining role, is wonderful..."
Source: Premiere
p.114 03/01/2006
Review 2:
"Sophomore outings by major directors don't get much riskier or more playful than this....He'd never again get so experimental..." -- Grade: A-
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.72-73 12/09/2005
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