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Round Midnight

Round Midnight

Movie · 1986 · 15 people

Counted among the best films about jazz, the 1986 American-French musical drama Round Midnight from Bertrand Tavernier takes its name from Thelonious Monk's classic composition, which plays in the film in Herbie Hancock's arrangement. Having first been shown at the Toronto Film Festival, it brought Hancock both the Oscar and the César for Best Original Score in 1987, and it also won the César for Best Sound.

The story is set in 1950s Paris and centres on Dale Turner, an African-American tenor saxophonist. This fictional character is drawn from the lives of the tenor saxophonist Lester Young and the pianist Bud Powell, and Tavernier dedicated it to both. The screenplay is by Tavernier and David Rayfiel and draws on the memoir Dance of the Infidels by the French author Francis Paudras, Powell's friend in Paris and the model for the film's Francis. Dale Turner is played by Dexter Gordon, himself a jazz legend, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The cast includes François Cluzet, Lonette McKee, Bobby Hutcherson, Christine Pascal and Eddy Mitchell, with Martin Scorsese and Philippe Noiret in small roles.

Irwin Winkler produced. Gordon won a Grammy for the soundtrack album The Other Side of Round Midnight. It runs about 133 minutes.

DirectorBertrand Tavernier
Production companyLittle Bear

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Cast

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Eddy Mitchell Eddy Mitchell Television actor · 84 years old Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau Actor · 59 years old Dexter Gordon François Cluzet Lonette McKee Bobby Hutcherson Herbie Hancock Christine Pascal Martin Scorsese Philippe Noiret Alain Sarde Benoît Régent Ged Marlon John Berry Liliane Rovère

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Tavernier's boldest decision is to give the lead not to an actor but to a real jazz legend, Dexter Gordon. The choice deliberately blurs the line between fiction and documentary, and it earned Gordon a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Treating the music as the centre of the story rather than decoration pays off in Herbie Hancock's Oscar- and César-winning score. Yet making Dale Turner a fictional composite of Lester Young and Bud Powell risks a synthesis that smooths the sharp edges of two real lives. And since the drama leans on atmosphere more than plot, it slackens in places over its long running time.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

By building 1950s Paris through the eyes of an African-American jazz musician, the film recalls a time when many Black American artists sought in Europe the respect they could not find at home. Its real social weight, though, lies in the friendship between the musician and Francis. Drawn from Francis Paudras's memoir of his friendship with Bud Powell, the relationship invites thought about the fine line between admiration and friendship, and about what a bond across cultures can achieve. Tavernier's dedication to Lester Young and Bud Powell openly acknowledges that the story of a real generation stands behind the fiction.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

This isn't one for small children; it's for music-loving adults or high-school-age teens curious about jazz. The story lives in a grown-up world, the pace is slow and it runs long, so little ones will lose interest quickly. Even adults who don't care for jazz may find it asks for patience. But if there's a young musician in the house, its award-winning score and a cast that includes real musicians make it worth watching together.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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