'Round Midnight

It is perhaps telling that the two greatest non - American jazz musicians(Django Reinhardt and Michel Petrucciani)were both French because of all the European nations,France was the quickest to "get" jazz and recognise its validity as an art form,laud and... Full review

This movie is about an aging, venerable jazz musician and composer, but it could be about any artist, particularly a musician, be he a classical, country western or blues artist. But the real star of the movie is the performing of... Full review

This is jazz-fan's delight: tons of jazz, featuring tenor saxophone with some bebop thrown in. Most of the music is nice mellow stuff and interesting to hear, even to a non-jazz buff like me.The music and interesting story made me... Full review

In the Existentialist '50s, bebop jazz expanded beyond Manhattan and became all the rage in Paris. French intellectuals such as Sartre (in his pro-American hotdogs-and-bourbon phase) applied their knowledge to the music of poorly-educated African-Americans and discovered that this too,... Full review

A vivid portrait of a Bud Powell/Lester young type who, like the vast majority of American jazz artists, receives more appreciation and love for his art overseas than here in the U.S. even though this is where Jazz was born.It... Full review

I never write or read these comments because I don't care much what others think of a movie and I sure as heck can't stand reading a pointless review by someone pretending to be the NY Times movie critic using... Full review

I had never heard of this movie before, when I purchased the laser-disk by impulse. I like jazz and the title of it "Round' Midnight" grabbed my attention (also, it was on the bargain bin for only $7.99!).Wow...was this a... Full review

What a wonderful movie! A musical drama about two men from different worlds who share their love of jazz music, circa late 1950's. I would have to admit that the film slows down a bit so that the audience/viewer can... Full review

Dexter Gordon plays Dale Turner, an aging tenor sax player at the end of his days. Beaten but unbowed by years of drug and alcohol abuse Turner arrives in Paris (1959) for a gig at a small, smoky, jazz club.... Full review

The one thing I remember about this film is Dexter Gordon's voice. Weary, sad, and wry. It's a voice that has played a lot of sad songs and smoked a lot of cigarettes, and it's a beautiful instrument in its... Full review

One of the best things to emerge from the film version of Dreamgirls is the release of an even better movie, 1976's Sparkle , now on DVD for the first time. McKee's character is initially the film's focus, but once she descends into addiction and leaves, Sparkle takes the group to the top, and Cara's thin but lovely voice carries the rest of the movie. ... Full Review

VIDEO: The anamorphic video on 'Round Midnight is terrific. Bertrand Tavernier's 'Round Midnight (1986) takes as its source the rich social and musical lives of some of the finest, most volatile jazz legends of the be-bop era. ... Full Review

One of the great jazz tenor sax players, Dexter Gordon is best remembered by filmgoers for playing fictional sax player Dale Turner in Bertrand Tavernier's 'Round Midnight (1986). His realistic portrayal of a burned-out American jazz man who finds refuge in the cellar clubs of Paris earned Gordon an Oscar nomination -- making him the first instrumental musician to be so honored. ... Full Review

Director Bertrand Tavernier pays great attention to the visual and aural details of the jazz world, with outstanding musical supervision provided by Herbie Hancock. Round Midnight's greatest asset, however, is Gordon's Academy Award-nominated performance, informed by his own life experiences. ... Full Review

Just as unmistakably, "Round Midnight" is a piece of nostalgia, but in a complex way -- it's not seen with the dewy eyes of the present, but from the vantage of a past alive with memory, the point of view of characters who are aware they are creating history. ... Full Review

If you're a huge Miles Davis fan with an extensive collection, Cool & Collected wasn't meant for you. You might pick it up anyway, either to sate your curiosity or so that you can say you own every Miles-related release... ... Full Article

Tavernier, who directed " 'Round Midnight" and "A Sunday in the Country," debunks the chivalric dream with this brutal, grueling period piece.Cortemare (Bernard Pierre Donnadieu) is a hugely tragic figure -- wailing, ranting and generally carrying on. ... Full Article

By Jeffrey M. Anderson Buy 'Round Midnight on DVD. Considered the equal of Clint Eastwood's Bird , Bertrand Tavernier's jazz film 'Round Midnight stars real-life jazz legend Dexter Gordon in a brilliant Oscar-nominated performance. ... Full Article

Would have made an amazing concert film, as Tavernier really captures the down-and-out-mood of the jazz underworld, but I was distracted by the fact that its an actual film, and that theres actually an attempt at subplots and intellectual substance. ... Full Article

In 1986, director Bertrand Tavernier turned his attention to... the growth of jazz in 1950s France, courtesy of black American expatriates? An odd choice for the director of Coup de torchon -- and featuring Martin Scorsese in a supporting role... ... Full Article