Shoot the Pianist

A nightclub pianist conceals a secret past in Truffaut’s second feature - a breezy New Wave concoction of genre pastiche, playful stylistic tricks and romantic reverie.

Based on David Goodis’ novel Down There, Truffaut’s second feature is a breezy New Wave concoction of genre pastiche, playful stylistic tricks and romantic reverie. Aznavour is charismatic as the nightclub pianist concealing a secret past who’s tempted to abandon his solitary ways when he falls for a colleague. Sadly, however, his brothers have angered local mobsters... A strain of melancholy pervades the constant narrative invention.