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Paris Blues

Play trailer Poster for Paris Blues 1961 1h 38m Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Despite being far from home, American jazz musicians Ram Bowen (Paul Newman) and Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) are content living and working in Paris. Ram knows it's the best place for him to develop his musical reputation, and Eddie is far away from the racism that once greeted him on a regular basis. But after meeting and falling in love with American tourists Lillian (Joanne Woodward) and Connie (Diahann Carroll), the pair must decide whether their artistic integrity is worth abandoning.
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Paris Blues

Critics Reviews

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Stanley Kauffmann The New Republic 01/27/2016
Four writers have adapted Harold Flender's novel, whose sole asset was the idea they have minimized ... Go to Full Review
Melissa Anderson Artforum 07/31/2014
Despite how square this movie about hepcats seems -- if only from the admittedly unfair vantage point of more than five decades on -- expressions of raw emotion stir Paris Blues to life. Go to Full Review
TIME Magazine 02/09/2009
All it lacks is something to pull these parts into a sensible whole. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Jul 25
3.5/5
Whether or not one is interested in jazz music and beyond the acting performances, Paris Blues is worth checking out for Duke Ellington’s Oscar-nominated score. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 06/18/2024
3.5/4
Paris Blues feels strikingly original in its ambience, relationships, and dialogue. Go to Full Review
Isabel Quigly The Spectator 07/16/2018
Paris Blues has something of his old intelligence and liking for authenticity. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Troy C Jan 20 Disclaimer: This review is deeply biased. I love this movie, can't believe I haven't even heard of it before. I love it because Paul Newman is so good and so gorgeous. See more Leah R Feb 20 I love Paris. I love jazz and blues, and I LOVE PAUL NEWMAN. Great to see these 4 amazing actors when they were young... not much of a story, but a must see nonetheless. See more Claudia T 08/23/2023 One of my favorite movies I've watched maybe twenty times since I was young. I saw someone describe it as plotless. I mean if you want to watch a really blatant thriller then there are plenty crap high plot films on netlfix now, but this is subtly full of meaning and existential dread, creativity, bigotry, love, desire, music. Oh the music. Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, it's absolutely brilliant, and the cast is brilliant including one of the few films with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward together, the love of a lifetime. The ending isn't Hollywood perfect room though, it's real and it's deeply touching. Watch it. See more Steve D 07/17/2023 the music parts just aren't interesting. See more Steve S 06/05/2022 This film sets an incredible mood. The jazz filled clubs and Paris back drop makes for one cool movie. Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier are jazz musicians working the clubs in Paris. They meet to American girls on vacation, played by Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll. Even Louis Armstrong is around for good measure. The four people pair off and begin to build relationships. The film is good drama, but I feel it stops just short of being an exceptional work. The performances are top notch, as you might expect. There is a great scene where everyone jams out. There's a moment close to the end of the film where one of the characters shows reveals ho bad his addiction to drugs is. It's a great moment, that could have elevated the film more if thee plot had expanded this theme. See more 02/20/2022 Gave up after 40 minutes. I have a lot of time for the leads, and for Louis and Ellington for that matter. But there seemed to be no plot whatsoever and nothing to sustain interest in terms of character. I've read other reviews stating that the shots of Paris were lovely, yet a lot of the street scenes I saw were clearly filmed in a studio with unconvincing painted backdrops. Considering the pedigree of the acting talent, the heady sense of place Ritt was able to evoke in both Edge of the City and The Long, Hot Summer, and the fact that À bout de soufflé came out a year earlier, this should have been so much better. See more Read all reviews
Paris Blues

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis Despite being far from home, American jazz musicians Ram Bowen (Paul Newman) and Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) are content living and working in Paris. Ram knows it's the best place for him to develop his musical reputation, and Eddie is far away from the racism that once greeted him on a regular basis. But after meeting and falling in love with American tourists Lillian (Joanne Woodward) and Connie (Diahann Carroll), the pair must decide whether their artistic integrity is worth abandoning.
Director
Martin Ritt
Producer
Sam Shaw
Screenwriter
Walter Bernstein, Harold Flender, Irene Kamp, Lulla Rosenfeld, Jack Sher
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Diane Productions, Monmouth, Monica Corp., Jason Films, Pennebaker Productions
Genre
Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 27, 1961, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 7, 2021
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Mono
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