Paris Blues *** (1961, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier, Louis Armstrong, Diahann Carroll, Serge Reggiani, Barbara Laage) – Classic Movie Review 6853

Director Martin Ritt’s interesting, underrated 1961 movie stars Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier as Ram Bowen and Eddie Cook, American ex-pat jazz players in Paris who cuddle up to two American tourists, Lillian and Connie (Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll). Duke Ellington was Oscar nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.

The admirable actors and impeccably liberal-minded director Ritt do their very considerable best to bring atmosphere and style to the unsurprising, slim tale with a message, though Newman and Woodward get the best of what is going, while Poitier is left to dignify a role that seems underwritten, sometimes sidelined and can be accused of being slightly tokenist as scripted. The drug references are interesting for the time.

The Duke Ellington score is a real distinction and jam sessions from Louis Armstrong (playing Wild Man Moore) are a precious highlight of the film.

The screenplay is by Jack Sher, Lulla Adler, Walter Bernstein and Irene Kamp, taken from Harold Flender’s novel.

Also in the cast are Serge Reggiani, Barbara Laage, André Luguet, Marie Versini, Moustache and Aaron Bridgers.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6853

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