Shoot the Piano Player

As I continue to watch French New Wave movies, I seem to only continue to grow in love for them. I really do find these types of movies to be very interesting and unique. I can definitely see why so many people have admired these movies over the years; the one thing I can't seem to figure out is why the French New Wave movement didn't last longer. Shoot the Piano Player only helped the above come more true. In a great attempt to take extremely unique thing and bring them together resulted in a great movie for cinema of all times.

I must say while I wasn't disappointed in Shoot the Piano Player, The 400 Blows was a better movie to me. With both by Truffaut, though, you aren't bound to go in a wrong direction. Again, it was hard for me to find something that truly irritated me or that I didn't like. A few things I found interesting about the movie were centered around the characters and their development. I like how the camera really gives a true form of the development of the characters, each playing a crucial role in the story. No, it doesn't necessarily show them developing from one type of person to another but it certainly shows us how they affect the story and develop within the story, especially Charlie. And then while we see him develop through the camera, we see him develop (and express himself) through his piano. It's almost like a triple effect. While mentioning Charlie, I think he (Charles Aznavour) did an excellent job in playing his role and acting, along with the several other actors and actresses in the film.

Without knowing this movie was a French New Wave movie, I would've probably guessed it was one by the way the movie was directed and put out to the audience. I clearly saw many aspects of what a French New Wave movie is all about: expression through the camera and film on a topic close and dear to the director. We see the total expression of many things through Shoot the Piano Player. The main point I saw and got from it was a clear show of the relationships of a human's life, in this case to his art, significant others, family, and all the relationships he endured and had to accomplish things within. When researching the movie a little, I found what I thought I would - the explanation for the movie stated as one which a man hides from his crazy life by doing the only thing he knows how to do, which allows him to escape the past. I don't think the movie completely shows us about how we, as people, can be affected and fall into what Charlie did in the movie. I think it also opens up the other side of the view as we can see what being the people influencing others is like, sometimes good and sometimes bad. This was certainly an eye opener for all stages of our personal and daily lives.

In a way, I wish we could spend the rest of the year on the French New Wave unit, especially Truffaut, but I look forward to seeing some other types of movies, as long as they compare in greatness to Shoot the Piano Player and other French New Wave movies.

-Kevin