Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player

Started by tpfkabi, November 27, 2003, 02:57:19 PM

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tpfkabi

November 27, 2003, 02:57:19 PM
not too long ago i bought Godard's My Life to Live on DVD. it was only 9 or so bucks. i was really pleasantly surprised. so, i also figured i would check out some Truffaut. (so far i've only seen 400 Blows and Day for Night). i believe eBeaman recommend STPP before......and it was only 9 bucks, so i got it.

i don't know. at this point i'm kinda disappointed. i'm going to wait to say anything else hoping someone else has some comments first.
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

SoNowThen

#1
November 27, 2003, 02:59:10 PM
I've seen it twice and each time thought it was totally blah. lots of our favorite directors seem to love it for the camerawork, but I find everything else in the film highly overrated...
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

SHAFTR

#2
November 27, 2003, 04:26:10 PM
It's a fun play on the film noir genre conventions.  I enjoyed it, it's a fast 90 minutes.  It doesn't have the emotion of The 400 Blows but it is probably one of the funnest french new wave films.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

ElPandaRoyal

#3
November 27, 2003, 06:21:15 PM
And it has one of the funniest most stupid gags ever put on film...

SPOILER:

... when some guy says something like "may my mom drop dead right now, if I'm lying" and then we get a quick cut and see a woman walking around in a house and then dropping dead, just like that. Funny, funny shit.
Si

AK

#4
November 27, 2003, 09:04:09 PM
I think it's naive and light (as truffaut wanted it to be) and considering I saw for the first time some weeks before PDL, it was funny to compare some semelhances - the scene of holdind hands as an exemple- except i liked PTAs version more.

But no movie can beat  his Jules et Jim ...

tpfkabi

#5
November 27, 2003, 09:58:52 PM
what great camera work? could you give me examples?
it seemed to be shot/edited very boringly to me. compared to what Raoul Coutard did with My Life to Live, etc around that time......it's not funny to me either......the cut to the mom was funny and unexpected though.

(i guess i'm ruined by My Life to Live because i was blown away by it in every aspect.......my first sight of Anna Karina, great camerawork, inventive editing, etc......maybe i need to start a thread on it sometime)........but put your thoughts back to STPP.....
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

AK

#6
November 27, 2003, 10:06:46 PM
Quote from: bigideasit seemed to be shot/edited very boringly to me. compared to what Raoul Coutard did with My Life to Live, etc around that time.......

Its a shame try to compare Truffaut and Godard -mainly this two movies...(it's not even fair to truffaut in my opinion)...STPP is a simple film...cute...just that...vivre sa vie is a masterpiece.

ElPandaRoyal

#7
November 28, 2003, 05:38:49 AM
Quote from: AKBut no movie can beat  his Jules et Jim ...

Actually, I love the editing and camerawork and the pace of the movie. I think it's an amazing film. However, I have a soft spot for his "Une Belle Fille Comme Moi", a noir comedy that I find absolutely delicious. Simple shots, simple editing, not that great production values... a very very good movie.
Si

SoNowThen

#8
November 28, 2003, 09:54:30 AM
Quote from: AK
Quote from: bigideasit seemed to be shot/edited very boringly to me. compared to what Raoul Coutard did with My Life to Live, etc around that time.......

Its a shame try to compare Truffaut and Godard -mainly this two movies...(it's not even fair to truffaut in my opinion)...STPP is a simple film...cute...just that...vivre sa vie is a masterpiece.

Exactamundo.


However, Bigideas: Scorsese loves the editing in Shoot...., as in that cut to the dead mom. Also, in every Marty movie he uses this 3 shot pattern, usually for establishing shots. Wide, Medium Wide, Close, basically jump cuts, getting closer. He turned this on its head in Gangs, when he introduced Bill, and went closer, then wider, then closer again. He says he got that cutting pattern from Shoot. Also, when PTA says on the deleted scene in Boogie, where Dirk fishes in his drawer to get drugs to go save Becky, that its very "Scorsese", he also uses this kind of cut to go close on the coke vial, and essentially do a double take (or was it triple, I can't remember?).

Also, Truffaut favored dolly shots and freeze frames, also much pinched by Marty, most famously in Goodfellas. Which, in turn, was pinched for Boogie Nights, as well as the shots previously mentioned that PTA direct referenced in PDL.

...whew.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

Duck Sauce

#9
November 28, 2003, 01:11:43 PM
Quote from: bigideas

i don't know. at this point i'm kinda disappointed. i'm going to wait to say anything else hoping someone else has some comments first.


i agree. This was probably my least favorite of his films.

SHAFTR

#10
November 28, 2003, 01:21:35 PM
When the brothers are chasing Barry in PDL, isn't that shot/edited the same as the opening of Shoot the Piano Player?
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

SoNowThen

#11
November 28, 2003, 01:25:26 PM
yep
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

tpfkabi

#12
November 28, 2003, 02:17:55 PM
it doesn't remind me of the chase sequence in PDL, except that they're both chase sequences........when someone said he ripped the shot, i was always assuming that he ripped the whole "shadow on the wall thing" off from that
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

classical gas

#13
November 28, 2003, 10:24:43 PM
I guess I'm the only one who really likes this movie.  I do love Jules and Jim more, but I think this one was funny and sad and interesting, etc.  I could explain myself better, but I haven't seen it in a while.  I just remember really enjoying it.

I usually don't have a problem keeping up with subtitles, but I remember the ones from this movie move by quickly and I miss a lot of what was said.  I don't know if anyone else had this problem.

anakin_e

#14
November 30, 2003, 01:10:16 PM
I loved this movie, i've been doing a project on the French New Wave for media class and having never seen any New Wave films before i was having some trouble getting into them, i didn't like Breathless, and i was so so on Alphaville, and then i watched Shoot The Piano Player, and it was a revelation, i am totally obssessed with Truffaut now, having seen three other of his films (haven't been able to track down 400 Blows yet) but this is still my favourite of his. The comedy, the characters, the camera work, loved it.
"So ya, Thought ya, Might like to go to the show. To feel the warm thrill of confusion, That space cadet glow. Tell me is something eluding you sunshine? Is this not what you expected to see? If you'd like to find out what's behind these cold eyes? You'll just have to claw your way through the Disquise - "
- Pink Floyd "The Wall"
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