Shoot The Piano Player (DVD)

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If "Shoot the Piano Player" has any major flaw, it is the ending which I find to be a contrivance that does an injustice to one of the film´s major characters. This is a minor complaint, however, in a film which amply demonstrates Truffaut´s easy, naturalistic command of film language. I have never quite warmed to Truffaut the way I have to Godard and Resnais, but I have no reservations regarding my fondness for "Shoot the Piano Player," his breezy, free-form masterpiece which combines the best features of classic Hollywood with the very best qualities of the most vital and exciting film movement in cinema history.

Video

The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. "Shoot the Piano Player" is actually shot in Dyaliscope rather than Cinemascope, but as far as I can tell there is no meaningful difference between the two. Perhaps someone will correct me on that. No DVD or television screen can do justice to this format, but the transfer gives you a taste of the power of long takes and compositions actually designed to take advantage of the entire field of vision. Criterion´s high-digital restoration is superb, as usual.

Audio

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Georges Delerue´s score sounds great, and all hisses and pops have been buffed out in the audio restoration. Optional English subtitles support the French audio.

Extras

This two-disc set from Criterion offers a variety of extras.

Disc One includes the restored transfer of the film along with a feature-length audio commentary by film scholar Peter Brunette and Annette Insdorf.

Disc Two includes a bevy of interviews:

-Two interviews with François Truffaut: The first is an excerpt from the 1965 French television show "Cinéastes de notre temps" (9 min.) in which the director answers a standard set of questions. The second is from a 1982 program called "Pour changer étoiles et toiles" (12 min.) in which Truffaut discusses his adaptation of the David Goodis novel.

-Interviews with Charles Aznavour (24 min.) and Marie Dubois (10 min.): Both of these were recorded in August 2005 especially for this Criterion release.

-An interview with Raoul Coutard (14min.): Recorded in Paris in 2003, this is the most interesting of all the interviews. Coutard is always a fascinating speaker.

-An interview with Suzanne Schiffman (15 min.): Recorded in April 1986, this interview with Schiffman, who worked with Truffaut in many capacities throughout his career, was originally intended for a separate documentary but went largely unseen. Criterion acquired the original footage and edited the interview down to its current form.

Disc Two also includes a short audio essay (15 min.) about composer Georges Delerue who scored eleven films for Truffaut and more than 200 in his career. The final extra is Marie Dubois´ Screen Test (3 min.).

While each of the features here is of some interest, the collection is missing a real meaty feature which provides analysis or context for the film like Babette Mangold´s documentary on Criterion´s "Pickpocket" or the numerous stellar features on Criterion´s re-release of "M."

Closing Thoughts

As the 2002 Sight and Sound voting shows, "The 400 Blows" and "Jules and Jim" (1962) are Truffaut´s most critically praised films. I beg to differ. "Shoot the Piano Player" stands head and shoulders above the rest of Truffaut´s work, but I also recommend both "Day for Night" (1973) and "The Bride Wore Black" (1968). "Bride" will be of particular interest to Tarantino fans. Jeanne Moreau plays a woman known only as "the Bride" who seeks revenge on the men who killed her husband; she crosses their names off a list after she dispatches each one. Sound familiar?

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