Paris Blues

1961 "A love-spectacular so personally exciting, you feel it's happening to you!"
6.7| 1h38m| en
Details

During the 1960s, two American jazz musicians living in Paris meet and fall in love with two American tourist girls and must decide between music and love.

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Reviews

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
The_Movie_Cat Handsomely shot on location in Paris, Sidney Poitier appears as second player to Paul Newman's tense jazz musician Ram Bowen. Like a jazz piece, the film meanders at times, content to get where it's going without overt dramatic flourish, something which both helps and harms the film. Containing relatively sophisticated themes for Hollywood cinema, it nevertheless falls into the trap of being a serviceable film rather than a great one, a string of incidents in need of a more rigid plot.The tagline for the film promised "A love-spectacular so exciting you feel it's personally happening to you", whereas the reality is, you'll probably just think it's happening to Newman and Poitier, who both had more significant and historically lasting films that same year. (The Hustler/A Raisin In the Sun). All this said, the cinematography by Christian Matras is beautiful, Louis Armstrong adds fun playing Louis Armstrong (called "Wild Man Moore") and Newman-Poitier is a pretty good screen pairing, even if Sidney does tower over the film's top billed star by five inches. Amusement can be gleaned by the film's conclusion, which sees both dump their girlfriends to be with each other.
mmunier Grabbing a bite at lunch time I clicked the remote control to my digital TV (our last kitchen appliance!) the TV was on "gem" channel 90, one of the recent channels added to Australia free to air TV that more or less has grown from 5 to may be 15 such channels... Ah yes Paris Blue! So the TV splashed a black and white movie... Oh well, but then there was that Trombone player with such a familiar face, Paul Newman! One of my favourite actor and one I can't think has done any lousy movie. Then what? at the other end of that shinny saxo, Sydney Potier, and a glimpse of Louis Armstrong! I'd swear I also seen JC Vandam pushing a cart in the market scene. Thank you IMDb for being the vehicle to remind me J Woodward was P Newman real wife, I had forgotten. I'm not a jazz aficionado but enjoy it just the same, I love romance and take racial discrimination at heart. I also found the dilemma career vs love a worthwhile exploration. But being born in Paris and having lived 27 years there, that I really took for granted, gave me a different outlook on what other people see in it.Movies can be criticised to kingdom come for their artistic and professional quality, but often I think they should be evaluated to what they have to offer an audience. In this film I was in the company of elements I liked a lot. Paris, good actors, enjoyable music, I don't know about you but this was good for me!
Nazi_Fighter_David The story is about two young jazzmen Newman and Poitier who live in Paris…Newman is after a serious musical career… Poitier enjoys the tolerant atmosphere and the freedom from U.S. racial tensions… They work at a Left Bank cub owned by Barbara Laage who is having a casual affair with Newman… Serge Raggiani a gypsy guitarist who is a narcotics addict, and Louis Armstrong a trumpeter, are among their friends… Newman and Poitier meet a couple of American tourists, Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll who are visiting Paris on a two-weeks vacations… A romance develops between Poitier and Carroll… Woodward and Newman also find that a feeling is growing between them… Woodward wants him to return with her to the U. S., but Newman believes that marriage would interfere with his career, and decides to remain… As in "The Hustler," Newman plays a man whose devotion to making his talent better than second-rate prevents love… But he was natural as the pool player, and convinced us—through his movements, dialog and expressions—of his feelings for the music…Woodward is more aggressive than Newman… Moved by his music, she displays genuine emotion, but Newman is so defensive, egocentric and selfish that he becomes hostile, stubborn, unpleasant and offensive… Woodward is determined to make something more of it, but he remains uninfluenced—willing to show slight affection but incapable of being sincerely tender… In their final bedroom scene, the two superb1y perform a progression from spontaneous domestic affection, to growing alienation, to his indifferent rejection of her love… Legend Louis Armstrong shines in one flamboyant jazz interlude
MARIO GAUCI Interesting drama with jazz interest (music by Duke Ellington – whose contribution even garnered an Oscar nod – and the appearance of Louis Armstrong) filmed on location (by Christian Matras, cinematographer for Jean Renoir, Max Ophuls and Luis Bunuel, no less).These two elements prove the film’s mainstay, offsetting the plot’s inherent heaviness (including the perennial struggle between Commerce and Art – popular American trombonist Paul Newman wants to branch out into composition – and its destructive impact on his relationship with tourist/divorcée-with-kids Joanne Woodward, racial intolerance – the reason behind Sidney Poitier’s relocation to Europe, which puts a strain on his affair with Woodward’s companion Diahann Carroll – and drug abuse, which is ruining the career of guitarist Serge Reggiani); two of the film’s best sequences are those in which Newman and Reggiani come across a junkie erratically strumming on his guitar in the marketplace – a man whom Reggiani previously idolized, and the eventual falling-out in public between the two over Reggiani’s continuing intake of drugs. Incidentally, it was amusing to note the epithet “introducing” before the latter’s name during the opening credits since he had already been well established in his native land for about 15 years (with even a couple of moderate profile English-speaking films in his resume')! I’d say that the film – Newman’s fourth with spouse Woodward and second with frequent director Ritt – is very underrated within the actor’s filmography and is also notable for being the sole collaboration between the late star and fellow Method actor Marlon Brando (this was co-produced by the latter’s company, Pennebaker). Similarly, Newman’s teaming with Poitier here would have ‘repercussions’ two years later when both found themselves competing for the Best Actor Oscar (though the former was the hands-down favorite for one of his best roles in Ritt’s own HUD [1963], it was the latter who emerged the winner with LILIES OF THE FIELD [1963]); this ironic turn-of-events would occur three more times throughout Newman’s long career: he appeared with David Niven in LADY L (1965) – the latter won for SEPARATE TABLES in 1958 when Newman was nominated for CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, he appeared with (and directed) Henry Fonda in SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION (1971) – the latter won for ON GOLDEN POND in 1981 when Newman was nominated for ABSENCE OF MALICE (1981) and, finally, he appeared with Tom Hanks in ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) – the latter won for FORREST GUMP in 1994 when Newman was nominated for NOBODY’S FOOL!!