Childish Truffaut with his own sorrows

Sabrina 2022-03-12 08:01:02

If it is an American noir film, it will never be so scattered and trivial, and it will not be so scattered and trivial that a clue will suddenly follow a certain character. Only in Truffaut's film world can it be so unrestrained and break through all the shackles of convention. Unlike a well-polished film that doesn't leave anything that doesn't support the narrative, Truffaut is shooting people and environments, not just stories.

The other side of the iconoclast is that each character is atypical.

The protagonist pianist is indecisive and will be at a loss when facing the girl he likes. Driven by his inner demon, he lies and protects himself. He tries to start a new life with the pain of the past, and he falls into repeated reincarnation. Under the heavy blows again and again, his body and mind have become like broken mirrors, which can no longer be restored, and can only be split infinitely downward.

The atypical of the robbers is comedy. They seem to be vicious and use guns to hold hostages to achieve their goals, but they eagerly talk to the hostages, share their proud objects, and even stop obediently after being detained by the police for speeding. , let the hostages go. This is impossible to see in traditional film noir.

The brother of the robber, who was also the robber, bumped into a pillar while escaping and chatted eagerly with strangers. The younger brother was not surprised when he returned to his hometown after being involved in a murder case. Facing the protagonist's sudden request for separation, his girlfriend calmly walked away without hesitation.

In Truffaut's films, these characters, which do not appear in traditional film noir, become necessary to constitute a living person. It is precisely the collision of such interesting souls that makes the film a little more interesting. Truffaut never hesitated to show his humor in the movie, and then described the three circular frames that the shopkeeper stood by when he betrayed the information, the montage of the robber's mother when he was talking, etc. There are many movie fans in the film, the protagonist It is not difficult to see the influence of Hitchcock in the fragment of the fight with the owner in the tavern. The protagonist's recitation is also a clever setting, and with his subsequent actions, an interesting picture is formed.

But behind such humor, Truffaut still can't hide his slightly melancholy temperament. He let the protagonist recycle his own experience: trying to hide in the tavern to escape his identity as a pianist and the loss of his wife, the protagonist, unable to bear the attraction of music, returned to the life of dancing with the keys, and even fell in love with a A waitress like her deceased wife. After experiencing the death of his lover again, he returned to the tavern again, met a new waitress again, and played the piano that appeared in the opening film again.

Life is like an endless vicious circle, and the protagonist is always spinning in place.

Childish Truffaut has his own grief.

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Extended Reading
  • Elwyn 2022-03-21 09:03:26

    Nouvelle Vague Truffaut second. The piano keys suddenly became a very conspicuous and beautiful existence in my eyes. The texture of the black and white film makes the night seem endless. Love is so sad.

  • Vinnie 2022-04-23 07:05:19

    This is too romantic. There are so many female characters that it is a bit cumbersome. While exploring the classic Hollywood narrative mode, Truffaut is afraid of breaking the sign of Bazin, the mentor he has respected all his life. It's the same male protagonist who oscillates between crime and love. In contrast, it is not surprising that "Psycho", which was released on the other side of the ocean in the same year, is more favored by audiences and film history.

Shoot the Piano Player quotes

  • Passerby: When we met... I met her at a dance... I had a real hard time getting acquainted with her. She was very naive. And you know how things are in Paris. Yet I'd swear you can find more virgins there than... than any place else. At least, proportionally. But, don't get me wrong, that's not why I married her.

  • Passerby: I don't know you; I'll probably never see you again. I might as well be frank. It does one good to make a clean breast of it sometimes... to a total stranger.