Shoot the Pianist

Sandwiched between The 400 Blows and Jules and Jim, François Truffaut's frequently neglected second feature is only marginally less essential than these definitive statements of the French New Wave.

A wildly irreverent work, with which the former critic sought to confound domestic audiences by paying homage to vintage Hollywood, Shoot the Pianist is a particularly handsome grab-bag of broken genre conventions. For all its pastiche, however, the movie remains a characteristically personal work from the auteur.

Bilingual polymath Charles Aznavour exudes shabby charm as the fallen piano virtuoso who finds himself unwillingly drawn back into the world of petty crime from which his talent once saw him escape. The bickering criminals on his trail are frequently cited as inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s most memorable creations, while an infamous cutaway gag in the film’s final act may have unwittingly laid the foundation for Seth MacFarlane’s entire career.