Paris Blues (1961)
wiki: Paris Blues (1961) is an American feature film made on location in Paris, starring Sidney Poitier as expatriate jazz musician Eddie Cook, and Paul Newman as trombone-playing Ram Bowen. The two men romance two vacationing American tourists, Connie Lampson (Diahann Carroll) and Lillian Corning (Joanne Woodward) respectively. The film also deals with American racism of the time contrasted with Paris's kinder treatment of African Americans. The film was based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Harold Flender.
The film also features trumpeter Louis Armstrong (as Wild Man Moore) and jazz pianist Aaron Bridgers; both play music within the film. It was produced by Sam Shaw, directed by Martin Ritt from a screenplay by Walter Bernstein, and with cinematography by Christian Matras. Paris Blues was released in the U. S. on September 27, 1961.
The soundtrack, by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington, features performances by Ellington's Orchestra with Louis Armstrong guesting on two tracks.
Ellington was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.
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I love this movie. Watched it many times - a musician friend of mine sent me the link - and he's younger than me - so it's also "a musicians' movie."
Hulu has another great movie from that era that I love... in glorious B&W... Bob Le Flambeur. Directed by Jean Melville, an original gangster of French New Wave.
Can anyone name that tune the vibraphonist is playing?
http://www.hulu.com/watch/225002
Also, the original Les Diaboliques (1955) is on YouTube.
wiki- French black-and-white psychological thriller feature film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse and Charles Vanel. It is based on the novel Celle qui n'était plus (She Who Was No More) by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. The story blends elements of thriller and horror, with the plot focusing on a woman and her husband's mistress who conspire to murder the man; after the crime is committed, however, his body disappears, and a number of strange occurrences ensue.
It was remade as an American film in color, but I never saw it. This original, however, is formidable.
