4 stars
Every once in a while, you get lucky enough to watch a film that takes your breath away.
When I hit play to watch They Shot the Piano Player, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know the story, who was in it, or who directed it. I didn’t realize it was an animated feature. The title intrigued me, primarily because I’m a big fan of the 1960 François Truffaut film Shoot the Piano Player, and I usually enjoy the movies Sony Pictures Classics puts out. So I decided to give it a try.
I’ve watched it twice and plan to own it when it’s available. Click here to watch the trailer and get a taste of what you are in store for.
They Shot the Piano Player is directed by Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba, who, along with Tono Errando, created the magical, Oscars-nominated animated feature Chico & Rita in 2010. And while 14 years is a long time to wait, even for a meticulously crafted animated film, They Shot the Piano Player is worth it.
The film tells the story of Jeff Harris (voiced by Jeff Goldblum), a journalist hired to write a book about the Bosa Nova movement of the 1950s and its influence on jazz music worldwide. While researching, Harris uncovers a mystery surrounding the disappearance of pianist virtuoso Tenorio Jr, one of the most influential musicians of that time. It’s a fascinating story that the directors let unfold slowly, almost gently, on the screen. They Shot the Piano Player is not a pulse-pounding thriller, although the story could easily play to that genre, especially given the political nature of the events it covers. The mystery is important, but the music anchors the experience: the music and the art.
Musically, They Shot the Piano Player is mindblowing, or at leats it is to a Latino jazz neophyte like myself. These aren’t imaginary character playing music written especially for the film; each of the musicians in the movie are real. Just ask your Alexa device to play Tenorio Jr and enjoy. And although he’s playing a character in a film, you can hear the enthusiasm that Goldblum, a fine jass pianist himself, fas for themusic. Feel free to keep notes while watching, too, so you have plenty of sounds to explore on your device. Be sure to add Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra to that list. The name is silly, but the music isn’t.
As for the art, it’s dazzling, especially the vibrant color palette and bold outlining the directors use to capture the emotional feel of the music and the time and place the musicians are living in, past and present. They Shot the Piano Player is the kind of movie that would be just as absorbing to watch with the sound off if not for all the great music you’d be missing,
