Round Midnight (film)
9.2 /10 1 Votes
100% Rotten Tomatoes Duration Language English | 7.4/10 IMDb 4/4 Roger Ebert Genre Drama, Music Initial DVD release January 30, 2001 Country United StatesFrance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date September 12, 1986 (1986-09-12) (TIFF)October 3, 1986 (1986-10-03) (United States) Based on Dance of the Infidels by Francis Paudras Writer David Rayfiel (screenplay), Bertrand Tavernier (screenplay), Colo Tavernier (French translation) Initial release September 24, 1986 (France) Cast (Dale Turner), (Francis Borler), Gabrielle Haker (Bérangère), (Sylvie), (le père de Francis), Frédérique Meininger (la mère de Francis)Similar movies Birdman , Pitch Perfect 2 , Frozen , The Wolf of Wall Street , Straight Outta Compton , Aladdin Tagline The music and the magic come together... |
Round midnight trailer
Round Midnight is a 1986 American-French musical drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and written by Tavernier and David Rayfiel. It stars Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet and Herbie Hancock. Martin Scorsese, Philippe Noiret and Wayne Shorter appear in cameos.
Contents
- Round midnight trailer
- Round midnight 1986 trailer
- Synopsis
- Production
- Soundtrack
- Reception
- Awards
- References

The protagonist jazzman, "Dale Turner", was based on a composite of real-life jazz legends Lester Young (tenor sax) and Bud Powell (piano). While the film is fictionalized, it is drawn directly from the memoir/biography Dance of the Infidels written by French author Francis Paudras, who had befriended Powell during his Paris expatriate days and on whom the character "Francis" is based. The film is a wistful and tragic portrait that captures the Paris jazz scene of the 1950s.

Gordon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and won a Grammy for the film's soundtrack entitled The Other Side of Round Midnight in the category for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Soloist. Hancock won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score. The soundtrack was released in two parts: Round Midnight and The Other Side of Round Midnight.
Round midnight 1986 trailer
Synopsis
Dale Turner, a famous tenor saxophone player in Paris in the 1950s is befriended by Francis, a struggling French graphic designer specializing in film posters, who idolizes the musician and who tries desperately to help him to escape alcohol abuse. As he succeeds, the budding friendship they develop changes their lives forever.
Production
Round Midnight was filmed in Paris and New York City. It was produced by Irwin Winkler.
Tavernier defied the movie studio by insisting that real-life jazz tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon play the role of Turner. Gordon, who himself played with Bud Powell in Paris in the early 1960s, helped to revise and rewrite the script. The supporting cast is likewise composed of jazz musicians (mainly from the generation which followed Gordon and Powell) such as Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, John McLaughlin, and Wayne Shorter, among others who play the music live throughout the film. The musicians are joined by actors François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker, Sandra Reaves-Phillips, Lonette McKee, and Christine Pascal.
Soundtrack
The score for the film was composed by Hancock. The soundtrack was in two parts – Round Midnight and The Other Side of Round Midnight – released under Dexter Gordon's name and featuring his last recordings, although he does not appear on all tracks. Both albums were produced and arranged by Hancock.
Reception
Round Midnight received a 100% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Awards
Gordon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Hancock won the award for Best Music, Original Score.
References
Round Midnight (film) WikipediaRound Midnight (film) IMDbRound Midnight (film) Rotten TomatoesRound Midnight (film) Roger EbertRound Midnight (film) themoviedb.org