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Dexter Gordon,
Dexter Gordon,
François Cluzet,
more...
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Bertrand Tavernier,
Bertrand Tavernier
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: Warner Home Video
: Drama, Foreign, France
: 131 min.
: English
: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
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A French music lover befriends a once-great American jazz artist and attempts to save him from self-destruction in this moody drama. Saxophonist Dexter Gordon portrays Dale Turner, a fictional musician inspired by a number of famed jazz figures, including Bud Powell and Lester Young. Largely forgotten in his home country, Turner has moved to Paris in search of a more appreciative audience. He finds it in the form of Francis Borler (Francois Cluzet), a bebop aficionado who befriends the expatriate player. Borler soon becomes familiar with Turner's darker side, including his struggles with alcoholism, drug addiction, and depression. Fearing for the musician's life, the fan becomes his caretaker, an arrangement that leads to a brief improvement in Turner's health and fortunes but places great emotional strain upon them both. Director Bertrand Tavernier pays great attention to the visual and aural details of the jazz world, with outstanding musical supervision provided by Herbie Hancock. 'Round Midnight's greatest asset, however, is Gordon's Academy Award-nominated performance, informed by his own life experiences. His naturally fascinating presence combines with the film's obvious love of the music and its milieu to provide what many have hailed as one of the more authentic and affectionate presentations of the jazz world on the silver screen. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
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| Superior to "Bird"
by randomcha
May 8, 2006 - 6:42 AM PDT
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| Whereas in "Bird," no matter how fine an actor Forrest Whitaker is, he's still an actor. Dexter Gordon IS Dale Turner. And Tavernier is simply a better director than Clint Eastwoood when it comes to atmospherics and subtle character rendering. The story is extremely tender and touching, and if you're watching the film on a great sound system the music is flat-out amazing. A once in a lifetime assemblage of incredible musicians (almost a who's who of Blue Note Records) makes this essential viewing for any music lover. |
| A Glimpse into the Jazz World
by squad
August 8, 2004 - 8:54 PM PDT
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4 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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| I choose this film because it has been rated as one of the best jazz films, and because of its Paris location. I am not a jazz fan, and I don't sympathize much with self-destructive musicians, but I do seek out films which are considered the best no matter what the topic. It took quite awhile to get past my biases and to stay with the film, but ultimately I learned something new about jazz (the use of complex chords including: sixths, augmented fifths, major sevenths, 10ths, 13ths). And gradually some very engaging characters began to appear. I was most taken by the illustrator's daughter, a crystal-clear adolescent. The locations expanded beyond the dank alley of the jazz club to the French countryside and cityscapes and finally spanned the Atlantic. So there is plenty here in terms of a quiet little story about people caring for each other. The film "Diva" also explores the relationship between a dedicated fan and a famed musician for those who think they may enjoy "Round Midnight". |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.29)
24 Votes
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