Shoot the Piano Player

Shoot the Piano Player by François Truffaut is a film that is filled with both noir and new wave qualities. Staying true to the new wave with the typical elements such as extremely long tracking shots, harsh cutting and out-of-context scenes, Tirez Sur Le Pianiste uses noir characteristics such as low-key lighting, shadows, and a character narrating during a scene. The film is also extremely fast paced. The plot of the film is extremely fast moving with very little throwaway action and dialogue.

On the more entertainment side of things, this film is more humorous than any of the other films I have seen this semester. The two thugs in particular are especially entertaining. Their conversations with the other characters in the film all center on women in short skirts, how they rob other people, and how to deal with relationships with the opposite sex. More specifically, when it comes to women, they “lay ‘em and leave ‘em.” One of the thugs even shared an experience he had when he tried on his sister’s panties. One other scene that sticks out is the fight scene between Charlie and his boss from the restaurant. It is a cross between a scene from the Three Stooges and a second-grade-schoolyard-slap-fight that ultimately leads to the boss getting stabbed in the back, literally. Go figure.