Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player

[Gamblour.]

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.

400 Blows is my favorite.

[tpfkabi]

ok. i watched this again tonight and my opinion has totally changed. i guess i still haven't learned my lesson with New Wave: You've got to see them at least twice before making a decision on them!

<<big time spoilers>>





some things i liked about it:
-the tri-split screen of the boss selling Edward and Lena out.
-the little brother is also in the 400 Blows, i believe
--i think one of the gangsters must also be in another New Wave film
(maybe Godard) because he looks so familiar
-the funny song in the bar after the bad guys come after Chico
-when Lena is shot and slides down the ice
-aforementioned mom shot
i- saw more strong possible influences on PDL
-the middle section that is actually a prequel
-when Edward goes to Lena's apartment and they kiss and this is overlapped(is this the right term) with the camera spinning around the room (this made me think of the Vertigo kiss)

to So Now Then,
can you give me an example of the cutting style you meant?
i was thinking "this is what you might have meant" when Edward goes to reach for the buzzer at Lars Schmeels office

[Fernando]

Last week I saw for the first time The 400 Blows, and my god was I blown away, having seen in december Jules et Jim also for the first time and not liking it too much (I'll give it a second chance of course) I didn't know what to expect, I wish I could find the proper words to praise this film, sadly I can't elaborate as many here can, I just know that I loved every second of it and the camera work was superb and so was the cinematgraphy, perfomances, etc. This film deseves every bit of praising that has ever received, I'll be moving forward to see the entire Doinel collection.
BTW, the transfer made by criterion was flawless, great work as usual.

[modage]

And it has one of the funniest most stupid gags ever put on film 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.

haha, yeah that was the best part!  it was pretty light, and totally american crime drama, but i enjoyed it a lot actually.  it was weird how the film was widescreen at the top of the frame so the subtitles could fit underneath without obscuring the picture.  it was actually pretty cool, why dont more dvds do that?  (or does anamorphic totally ruin the whole thing?)