Paris Blues

Celebrities should stick to what they do best. Movie stars do movies, musicians do music, and sports stars stick to sports. Of course, as the people watching those celebrities, we're not always so lucky as they make crossovers into other ventures. They're not all bad though depending on the talent involved and the right situation. An iconic musician known for his gift to play the jazz trumpet and his instantly recognizable raspy singing voice, Louis Armstrong was first and foremost a musician, but even he made some ventures into film with 14 credits to his name. I was genuinely surprised to see him pop up in 1961's Paris Blues where he has small part as a jazz trumpeter and band leader. Obviously quite a stretch for Armstrong. It's a good example of how the right script and character can work for a non-actor in a movie that pleasantly surprised me.

Aired recently as part of TCM's day-long tribute to Joanne Woodward in the Summer Under the Stars festival, this is a movie that has several individuals working together in collaborations that obviously worked for everyone involved. Director Martin Ritt made five movies with star Paul Newman over a 10-year span with Ritt also working with star Sidney Poitier several times. Throw in Newman's marriage to Woodward -- the husband and wife were in 10 movies together -- and you've got a feeling of familiarity and comfort all over the picture...in a good way. It has the feel of a film noir from the late 1940s with its black and white filming but with a stylish, artsy feel to the proceedings thanks to the Paris setting. In general, 'Blues' plays more like a French movie than a U.S.-produced film, relying more in realism and honesty than everything ending up wrapped nicely with a bow. For me, always a fan of realism in a movie over sugary goodness, that's always a good thing.

Living in Paris, Ram Bowen (Newman) is following his dream, trying to make it big as a jazz musician with his band. He's written a jazz piece with one of his band members, the very talented and versatile Eddie Cook (Poitier), and hoping he signs a deal somewhere to rise to stardom. He's living life completely devoted to music, void of basically anything else meaningful. One night after a show, Ram meets Lilian (Woodward) and her friend, Connie (Diahann Carroll), two American women on vacation from America. Ram gets off to a rocky start with single mom Lilian, not showing much interest in her at all, but he comes around and hits it off with her. Both Ram and Lilian and Eddie and Connie start seeing each other every day, the relationships developing quicker than any of the four ever imagined happening. But this short vacation romance, is it doomed to failure? Ram is driven by his music, and Eddie has no interest in returning to the U.S. where he's judged by his skin color, not his musical ability. What will win out in the end?

This 1961 romantic drama is a prime example of a time gone past when romance and/or a love story in a movie didn't mean cheesy, over the top romantic comedy. It is stylish and low-key without a lot of ridiculous theatrics or cliched plot devices. I liked the movie that much more because it didn't try to be anything ridiculously unique. Ritt and his script are quite content to focus on two relationships -- both with their good and bad features -- that develop quickly but with an end in sight. All four individuals are looking for a feeling of right in their lives, whether they know it or not. They want to be happy in their day-to-day lives and have to figure out what that means. Is it a long-term relationship with someone you love, or is it a goal and a dream down the road that you must continue to work at? The decision isn't an easy one, including an ending that surprised me in its honesty, especially because it makes sense. A different ending that was more tidy would have been easier, but it would have rang false. Not the case here.

In general, I watched this movie because of its two leads, Newman and Poitier.  The story itself -- which I ended up getting sucked into and really liking -- didn't jump out at me right away, the cast did.  Issues I have with the movie had little to do with the performances from those two acting heavyweights either. Newman was in his roguish period where he played moody, temperamental a-holes who you don't necessarily like, but they're interesting to watch. He has a great chemistry with Woodward -- good thing considering their marriage -- and his character in general is interesting. A talent who hasn't quite hit the big time even as he so desperately wants to. That half of the story was the one I was much more interested in. Poitier and Carroll don't quite have the same interest level. Poitier is underused, and the character isn't given much to do, but that's not his fault. He brings his typical charm and professionalism to the role. Carroll's character is the problem, a  pretentious, manipulative individual who I didn't like from the get-go. Whenever her character is on-screen I found myself wishing she wasn't. That's never good.

There are few cities as perfectly suited for setting a movie as Paris, one of the most gorgeous cities anywhere.  Unfortunately, the movie is undone at times by back projection shots where the cast is "inserted" into Paris via a background shot.  Other shots have studio sets filling in for the City of Lights.  Still, there is enough actual shots of Paris to keep it interesting.  The setting ends up becoming another character by the end. It is a city full of cultures and individuals with their own unique, Bohemian lifestyles. It was a time in the 1960s where people gathered in smoke-filled bars and listened to jazz bands just go to town.  'Blues' certainly brings that atmosphere to life. As for the cast, Armstrong is basically playing himself, but it's what his character represents -- success and popularity on a grand scale -- that is important. Barbara Laage plays Marie, Ram's casual love affair, the resident and necessary sexy French woman while Serge Reggiani is a scene-stealer as Gypsy, a member of Ram's band, a supremely talented guitarist struggling with a drug addiction.

As I try to wrap this review up, I'm seeing that I'm painting a more negative picture of the movie than I'm intending to. Other than Carroll's shrill character, my only real complaint are a handful of scenes that push Duke Elllington's jazz score to the forefront of the movie. There are long scenes of jazz musicians going crazy on their solos, adoring fans and crowds staring at them taking it all in. I'm not a jazz fan so these scenes are probably lost on me. Jazz music just seems like freestyle to me, a lot of long, tedious songs that don't really go anywhere or do anything. The exception is a cool three-way song between Armstrong (actually playing) and Newman and Poitier (pretending to play). So over-reliance on those jazzy scenes aside, I liked the movie, the positives outweighing the negatives. A pleasant surprise overall.

Paris Blues <---TCM trailer/clips (1961): ***/****