User reviews

This is jazz-fan's delight: tons of jazz, featuring tenor saxophone with some bebop thrown in. Most of the music is nice mellow stuff and interesting to hear, even to a non-jazz buff like me.

The music and interesting story made me purchase the DVD, which I have subsequently watched three or four times and always enjoyed. The story is pretty laid-back, a simple tale of an American alcoholic sax great playing in France who reforms because of a French fan who cares about him.

Dexter Gordon's unique voice makes helps him become an interesting character to hear and the real-life jazz great proves to be a decent actor, too. Francois Cluzet plays the admirer who goes out of his way to help his idol. Gabrielle Haker is pleasant to watch as Cluzet's young daughter. She always seems to have a beautiful smile on her face.

I don't why this film was rated "R" because there is no sex, no nudity, little profanity except for a couple of "f-words," which must be the reason for the rating. Nevertheless, it's a pretty tame movie.

I found it a different and nice, gentle story.

Dexter Gordon plays Dale Turner, an aging tenor sax player at the end of his days. Beaten but unbowed by years of drug and alcohol abuse Turner arrives in Paris (1959) for a gig at a small, smoky, jazz club. Acknowledged as one of the greats he is joined by other stellar musicians as he quietly struggles to quell his demons and make great music. For a while, at least, he succeeds at both. Gently constructed without much plot this movie is a treat for all, and a grand slam home run for jazz fans.

'Round Midnight (1986)

If you love jazz, and especially if you love bebop and the 1940s and 50s music carried on by the real Dexter Gordon (who stars here), you ought to like this movie a lot. Or at least like and love the music.

And the music is great, with Herbie Hancock taking the Oscar that year for original score. Gordon is excellent, too, playing the fictional character, Dale Turner, not so different from his real life, as Gordon lived in Paris for years because the jazz scene was still alive there for him. The movie is based on a book loosely based on two earlier jazzmen, however: the great and troubled Bud Powell who played piano and of course the legendary Lester Young who played, like Dale Turner, the tenor sax.

And so do I, sort of. I love this stuff, the music and even the lore a bit, the individuals that make up that fifty years or so of classic jazz.

But the music is not entirely the movie. As a plot, a series of meaningful events and conversations, this is meandering (which can be wonderful in a better film) and sometimes poorly acted and poorly written. It's full of stupid clichés, frankly. And in fact it seems like what it probably is: an outsider's rosy-eyed vision of the American jazz scene as it was transplanted in Paris. It's filled with inevitable smoky rooms, quirky characters, tough but marginalized woman, alcoholic men, and dark nights. I'm sure that's accurate in the outline, but it comes off as naive and pre-packaged. Add the final element, that the music is played for a bunch of White Europeans who really love it but don't actually get it (sorry to say) the way it was "gotten" here in America, or was back in the day. It all rings false. Increasingly.

I'd love to know what other insider jazz people think of this portrayal. Watching the Ken Burns documentary of jazz series with all the clips and comments gives another kind of false view, aggrandizing as it is, but is has all the elements of truth built in to know something of the honesty and difficulty of the scene in the States. Director and writer Bertrand Tavernier is trying something noble, and probably coming from a love of jazz, but it's almost unwatchable as a movie.

In fact, it's almost insulting with all the clichés—the troubled French man who loves it all in a wide-eyed way and is supposed to show a rare empathy for the poor unappreciated Americans at the top. And that's the core of the movie. He says, more than once in different ways, "Your music changed my life." Yeah, yeah, of course! That's still not going to fill two hours on the screen.

Take these comments with some salt—the movie got lots of nominations for awards. And Dexter Gordon is terrific in his acting (if not always his somewhat stiff playing), which is a kind of revelation. And it might be enjoyable for the lack of glitz here, for all the quiet (a.k.a. boring for some) conversations. You'll get the feel in the first twenty minutes.

And love the music. That's a good full half of this troubled movie.

In the Existentialist '50s, bebop jazz expanded beyond Manhattan and became all the rage in Paris. French intellectuals such as Sartre (in his pro-American hotdogs-and-bourbon phase) applied their knowledge to the music of poorly-educated African-Americans and discovered that this too, like the cinema of Jerry Lewis, was something they could like about America.

Director/scenarist Bertrand Tavernier, a veteran of the St. Germain des Pres scene, crafted "Round Midnight" as a nostalgic tribute to a now-vanished European musical scene. (The Blue Note Club is a studio set, the original having been pulled down). Melding the life stories of pianist Bud Powell and sax man Lester Young into a memorable character called Dale Turner, Tavernier benefited from the fortunate casting of real-life musician Dexter Gordon to play this role.

Gordon spent much of his working life in Copenhagen and in 1963 made a record with Powell in Paris. The two were part of a large group of black American jazzmen who gigged across Western Europe as the 52nd Street scene back home began to wane. Essentially, Gordon played himself, for which he deservedly received an Oscar nomination on his first try.

Musicians are not necessarily actors, but "Round Midnight" is bolstered by strong performances from a number of U.S. and French jazz players paying tribute to their own. As pleasant as the film's musical score is, "Round Midnight" succeeds because the cast of music professionals shows what they can do away from the bandstand.

The one thing I remember about this film is Dexter Gordon's voice. Weary, sad, and wry. It's a voice that has played a lot of sad songs and smoked a lot of cigarettes, and it's a beautiful instrument in its own way. Gordon plays Dale Turner, an expatriate jazz musician in Paris and a recovering heroin addict. This film is the story of his time in Paris and his eventual return to New York City. This film slightly parallels Gordon's own life - he too was a former heroin addict who spent much of his career in Paris, eventually returning home to New York City. A very touching and lovely ode to the beauty of jazz music, and a film that gave Dexter Gordon a deserved career comeback late in his life. Not to be missed.

A vivid portrait of a Bud Powell/Lester young type who, like the vast majority of American jazz artists, receives more appreciation and love for his art overseas than here in the U.S. even though this is where Jazz was born.

It saddens me every time I watch it because jazz is still so under-appreciated in this country. And we can largely thank commercial radio for that.

Jazz and blues are probably the two types of music that are truly native to the United States, at least since the US got established. Due to the racism here, both types of music found larger audiences outside the country (note how it was often British rock bands who reintroduced US audiences to the blues singers previously ignored in the US).

Bertrand Tavernier's Oscar-winning "Round Midnight" is a fictionalized look at a bebop musician seeking his fortune in 1950s Paris. It looks like a hard life. This is the sort of deliberately slow-moving picture that will appeal to jazz fans more than anyone. The music is among the best that cinema has to offer. Not a masterpiece, but you gotta love the soundtrack. Watch the movie for that, if nothing else.

I never write or read these comments because I don't care much what others think of a movie and I sure as heck can't stand reading a pointless review by someone pretending to be the NY Times movie critic using words like "iconoclastic" and otherwise taxing their thesaurus. But being a musician and avid fan myself, I felt I owed this to Dexter Gordon, an excellent musician whose work (I would have said "oeuvre" if I was pretentious, but I say what I mean and I don't need to impress you to make me feel better) was nothing short of legendary. Yes, Dexter Gordon is not an actor, but he did a good job and apparently the folks who hand out the Oscars thought the same, not that I would necessarily use them as a barometer, mind you, but they do pick more winners than losers. Although Dexter did spend about 15 years on/off in Paris, this story is NOT autobiographical, but the storyline of dealing with addictions, mental pain and physical suffering while honing a great talent can be applied to the lives of many jazz greats like Charlie Parker, Lester Young & Bud Powell just to name a few. It's a "dark" movie indeed, but the life of a musician can be very dark. This movie shows how 2 people can work together to overcome their fears, regrets and troubles, and how they interact with the various people and situations in their lives, a true character study revolving around music. The movie is actually more about Francois' character than Dexter's as it's seen from his point of view. It's about the frailty of the human soul and it's about compassion for supreme artistry. Most importantly, regardless of your impression of the movie, you get to see some real legends perform some wonderful jazz. Yes, Dexter Gordon was certainly beyond his prime and you will hear a few clunkers and pitch variance, but you will appreciate his talent nonetheless if you understand or enjoy jazz music at all. If you want to hear him really shine, go listen to his music from the late 40's & also the 60's during his first comeback; Dexter had 3 great comebacks --- and they say Sinatra was a genius at reinvention. That will give you a true sampling of his talent before he got old and started losing his wind. Even though he didn't play to perfection, he still played damn well in this movie and you can hear the experience in his phrasing and choice of notes --- for instance, at the very end of "Body & Soul", where he formerly played a very long ending like a virtuoso in an earlier recording (something you probably expect from someone like Kenny G, who plays about 40 notes where only 10 fit comfortably), Dexter now plays a single, beautifully-placed note. That one single note blew me away! You have to understand and appreciate the fact that most players (and most people) say way too much with their music or words when a carefully placed note or word can say volumes with its understatement, like a single picture with no caption. To play that one note in that one spot was pure genius. Bob James has been known to do the same --- less is more sometimes. Francois Cluzet does a heckuva job as protector and friend and the cameo by Martin Scorsese is priceless. The ending always leaves me wanting more and that's the mark of an excellent movie --- one so good you don't want it to end; you want to be within the movie yourself and you feel you're a part of it. The only reason I gave this a 9 instead of 10 was because it's not a great classic movie like Casablanca or The Godfather, but it touched me as much or more than those movies ever had. But this wasn't meant to be a piece of cinematic history and achievement, it is what it is, a period film about life of a jazz legend and in that respect it does everything possible and them some. This movie deserves your respect, your time and your admiration of a great jazz saxophonist, Dexter Gordon, and kudos to all the musicians involved, especially Herbie Hancock. Actress Lonette McKee does an excellent job on the vocals as well. It also gives you a good feel of a real urban jazz club in the early 60's and how life was for these jazz legends. If you get hooked on this stuff you'll never listen to anything else as it will never measure up, but jazz is very cerebral and it takes someone with a passion for aesthetics to appreciate it. Chess is great too, but you don't see many kids playing Chessmaster on their computers. This movie is an acquired taste and an excellent one at that. Thanks for the memories, Dexter.

"'Round Midnight" the song is a jazz standard by pianist Thelonious Monk. It is thought that Monk originally composed the song sometime between 1940 and 1941. However, Harry Colomby claims that Monk may have written an early version around 1936 (at the age of 19) with the appropriate title of "Grand Finale". "'Round Midnight" is the most-recorded jazz standard composed by a jazz musician. On the website allmusic.com it is listed on over 1000 separate albums.

The FILM 'Round Midnight, was inspired by the lives of real-life jazzmen Bud Powell and Lester Young, combined into the character of tenor sax player Dale Turner, played by Dexter Gordon. The character of Francis Borler, a Parisian man obsessed with Turner's music who befriends him, is based on Francis Paudras who wrote Dance of the infidels: a portrait of Bud Powell about his friendship with Powell.

It is director Bertrand Tavernier's audio-visual lament for the impending death of jazz.

In 'Round Midnight, real-life jazz legend Dexter Gordon brilliantly portrays Dale Turner, a musician slowly losing the battle with alcoholism, estranged from his family, and hanging on by a thread in the 1950's New York jazz world. Turner gets an offer to play in Paris, where, like many other black American musicians at the time, he enjoys a respect for his humanity that is not based upon the color of his skin. There he meets an admirer who befriends him and tries to save Turner from himself. Although for Dale the damage is already done, his poignant relationship with the man and his young daughter re-kindles his spirit and his music as the end draws near.

Considered one of the world's greatest tenor saxophonists, jazz legend Dexter Gordon (1923-1990) was once quoted as saying, "Jazz to me is a living music. It's a music that since its beginning has expressed the feelings, the dreams, hopes, of the people." Gordon Dexter's height was 6 feet 6 inches and his nickname was Long Tall Dexter and because he was so large, so was his sound. He was known for his tendency to play behind the beat. Growing up, his doctor-father introduced him to his patients Duke Ellington & Lionel Hampton. Dexter joined Lionel Hampton's band in 1940 and then went on to play for Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Billy Eckstine and Lester Young. During the late 1950s he spent time in and out of jail and in the early 1960s recorded some landmark albums for Blue Note Records before moving to Paris for 15 years. Gordon found Europe in the 1960s a much easier place to live, saying that he experienced less racism and greater respect for jazz musicians. Upon his return to the states in the 1970's he was rediscovered and claimed a genius. Near the end of his life he turned actor and made the film ROUND MIDNIGHT that captured some of the similarities of his life story. He was Oscar nominated for the role. Gordon died of kidney failure on April 25, 1990, at age 67. He was voted musician of the year by Down Beat magazine in 1978 and 1980, and in the latter year was inducted into Down Beat's Jazz Hall of Fame.

Back in 1986 I managed a small art theater in Dayton, Ohio and we played this film, ROUND MIDNIGHT. That's when I first discovered this amazing slice of life film that took me to a world I had only heard of. And this too is what film preservation is about, sharing the past of others… So sit back and enjoy this tribute to a by gone music, film and musician… in ROUND MIDNIGHT!

Filmmaker/jazz buff Bertrand Tavernier's story of an aging, alcoholic tenor sax man living in Paris works best when sticking to the music and steering clear of the jazz lover's anguished adulation. At the heart of the film is a compelling amateur performance by Dexter Gordon, a jazzman himself just doing what comes natural, playing a musician grown "tired of everything except the music." Gordon's ragged, melancholy voice and lazy mannerisms hold the episodic non-plot together, providing a measure of quiet relief from the histrionic outbursts of his number-one fan François Cluzet, who is forced to pour his heart and soul into lines like, "He is a great musician! A genius!" and, "Your music changed my life!" It may not hold much interest to anyone not already inclined toward the music of Bud Powell and Lester Young (to whom the film is dedicated), but die-hard aficionados will (like François) find it a small slice of jazz heaven.

This movie is about an aging, venerable jazz musician and composer, but it could be about any artist, particularly a musician, be he a classical, country western or blues artist. But the real star of the movie is the performing of the music--how it makes ineffable beauty, brings people together, touches the individual soul, creates love. The story shows how jazz and, in particular, this jazz musician (a composite of real jazz musicians and composers) inspires a young Frenchman whose life has been changed by this jazz artist's music. The plot is simple and transparent, but digs deep into the soul of a viewer who yields himself up to the movie, whether he likes jazz or not. I highly recommend this movie that shows the ups and downs of life in several aspects, but is really a tribute not merely to jazz musicians, but actually to the beauty of life that is found in personal experience and, more importantly, in inspiring works of art. The director Bertrand Tavernier is French and has made many movies, on a wide variety of subjects. This film is almost all in English, but his French films are well worth watching, even if you have issues with subtitles. This film made me cry and other of his films have similarly moved me. I hope readers will see this film and perhaps venture to watch some other films by director Tavernier. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

"Round Midnight" is a movie that is self-selecting. After all, if you don't adore this sort of jazz, you're likely never to see the film in the first place. I'm certainly no fan of freeform jazz (like they have in the picture), but I saw it because I heard so many good things about it. In hindsight, I just don't think I'm the best person to see and review a film like this...unless you are looking for a review by someone who doesn't like this style of jazz!

The film is a French product...even though most of the dialog is in English. With a French director, writer, actors and French setting, I assumed it would be in French. So, if you are worried about reading subtitles, you won't have to during most of the story.

The plot involves the life of jazz sax player Dale Turner (Dexter Gordon) during his time in Paris. This jazz great has left the States for work there and whether or not he can actually perform is in doubt, as he's an alcoholic. One of his French admirers, Francis (François Cluzet), has taken it upon himself to help Dale through this terrible time and Dale spends much of the film living with Francis and his sad daughter. But the trip also heads to police arrests, involuntary hospitalizations and more. Is it just too late to help this musical genius?

Dexter Gordon's performance is good but also very muted. He speaks in a raspy whisper and shows little energy in his delivery. This, combined with a very slow and deliberate pace, make this a tough film for the average viewer. It's not an easy movie to lose yourself in...unless you love this sort of music. For me, it just never piqued my interest...though I do think the movie was generally well made.

For lovers of freeform jazz, 10. For most non-freeform jazz lovers, a 4. Overall, I'd give this one a 6.

I don't know how anyone could rave about this film. I thought it was excruciatingly long, slow and very, very boring. I gave it two stars out of ten.

I must say that Dexter Gordon is one of my least favorite players of his generation and what fame he was able to garner probably comes more to do with his having outlived the rest of his contemporaries than it does with his musical accomplishments, but to focus so much attention on him and to have to listen to him hoarsely whisper or mumble his lines for over two hours was torture. And here was yet another example of "Ray" or "Walk the Line" syndrome - a biopic about a one-time talent who had become a derelict begging for drinks. Why are we supposed to find this kind of behavior interesting or entertaining? I was not touched and found it impossible to care about what happened to his character.

I thought the music was very disappointing, and mostly because of Dexter Gordon. It seemed like he was holding everyone else back. He was appearing alongside a bunch of other guys, all known hotshots, who all looked like they came to play and Gordon could barely squawk out a few notes. In general, all the music was too slow, it barely held together and it was pretty much lifeless and dull. I was so disappointed, especially after the build-up this film got. I don't see how anyone with even the most cursory and superficial interest in jazz can call the music in this film "great jazz".

I don't know what kind of a fetish or obsession this director had with jazz, but I thought all of the discussion on screen about the music sounded completely sophomoric and pretentious. It also bugged me greatly to hear Dexter Gordon's character speaking of the evolution of advanced harmony and some of the players who helped usher it forward with new technical and theoretical innovations and placing himself in the time line alongside the likes of Basie, Charlie Parker, etc. Of course, this was not Dexter Gordon talking, but his character, but it was irksome for me to hear Gordon, who is a second class jazz man, talk like he was the Son of God or something.

The story line was tedious, what little plot that there was. Why this Francis character would ever get so worked up over the Dale Turner character didn't wash for me. Okay, if this was about the real-life relations between Bud Powell and Francis Paudras, I could see why he'd basically give his life over to help the guy, but from what was shown in this film, it landed like a lead turkey. I fault the director and also the whomever it was that made the terrible casting decision to use Dexter Gordon who, at 63, was way too old for the part. Powell would have been 34, Lester Young would have been 50 in 1959. Gordon seemed too physically challenged and barely able to speak so that it was painful to have to sit through his performance. Watching Gordon was like watching an old dog trying to get up the stairs.

In a perverse irony, seeing Martin Scorcese on screen as the oily manager of Dale Turner was strangely humorous.

For a film that is supposed to be anthemic and give a definitive view into the jazz world, 'Round Midnight misses the beat.

I had never heard of this movie before, when I purchased the laser-disk by impulse. I like jazz and the title of it "Round' Midnight" grabbed my attention (also, it was on the bargain bin for only $7.99!).

Wow...was this a pleasant surprise! It has become one of my favorite movies to watch (and listen to). I find that this is not so much a story, but an experience. You experience this movie & its atmosphere.

If you have a good sound system, turn off the lights. Pour yourself a drink, Light up a cigar and turn the volume up! It's an experience that will move you. The music is the lead character here. It's a great movie about jazz for jazz lovers and I would now gladly pay five times what I bought it for!

While not particularly fast moving, the strength of this movie is the way it portrays and captures the atmosphere of the authentic jazz scene. Very enjoyable, and music is good too.

What the previous reviewer failed to mention is that this great movie is about BUD POWELL's life after he moved to France in 1959 due to his continuing health and mental problems. Powell, next to Monk, was the greatest jazz pianist in history, and is portrayed perfectly by tenor sax great Dexter Gordon. By the end of the film, I was left wondering what could have been for Powell. How much more of a brilliant career could we have seen ? Miles Davis always claimed that the electro-shock treatments that Powell received in the 1950s during his various stints in mental sanitariums, robbed the great pianist of his creativity and musical genius. Whatever the case, Powell joined the long list of sad endings to great, great jazz careers. Charlie Parker, Brownie, Lee Morgan, Eric Dolphy -- the streak of tragedy and greatness cut short runs like a bright orange thread throughout the history of this fine music.

If you are a jazz fan, this movie truly is required viewing. If you are music fan, I suggest you give it a try. A moving piece.

Fiction, but said to be inspired by events in the lives of commercial artist and jazz aficianado Francis Paudras and the musician Bud Powell, (with a touch of Lester Young thrown in), Bertrand Tavernier's "'Round Midnight" is one of the great movies about jazz, (just take a look at the jazz alumni in the cast), and at its very large heart is the relationship between the great tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon in the central role of Dale Turner, (Oscar-nominated for Best Actor), and Francois Cluzet as Francis Borier, (the Paudras role).

Of course, being a movie about jazz it's also a movie about drugs and alcohol and all the things that can destroy a great talent but unlike say, "Lady Sings the Blues" director Tavernier doesn't fashion it as a conventional biopic. This is in every respect a much looser kind of film, more in keeping with its subject, (which is jazz rather than just jazz musicians), and he styles it like a reverie from the past with a Paris more in keeping with an MGM musical than from any kind of reality. Of course, if you don't like jazz, (and I've heard it said some people really don't), you might not 'get' the movie but if you do you just might feel as if you've died and gone straight to heaven.

This movie should have been a jazz documentary. The music is excellent but the acting and the script are disappointing. Overlong, unnecessary characters (Francis' daughter, parents). Buy the soundtrack and listen to it but you might skip this movie.

You don't have to be a jazz fan to love this film, but it helps! Seeing so many jazz greats was a pleasure, and hearing them jam was inspiring. Short on plot but long on carefully crafted acting -Dexter Gordon was magnificent.

This is a really excellent film if only for the masterful and genuine performance of Dexter Gordon or the music itself which features other amazing jazz artists like Herbie Hancock.

Gordon's performance is as good as any great character actor. The supporting cast is also excellent.

The story is told in this really impressionistic and laid back way. It feels as though it takes its cue from the quality of hard bop jazz and the mindset of the main character.

I don't want to spoil the ending but its beautifully restrained. You know what is coming and you figure out how it the end ultimately resolves but the filmmaker doesn't hit you on the head with the precise details of how.

My only criticism is that the street sets looked a bit contrived and artificial but given the strength of the story, the commitment of the actors, especially Gordon and the amazing music, it really doesn't matter.

Dexter Gordon said to Bertrand Tavernier long after they finish the movie that He was so involved in the role of Dale Turner that could hardly forget it.

This beautiful film, (almost documentary) is quite simple. The relationship between the music and a french man jazz lover. All surrounded by a nightly jazzy atmosphere. The wishes, fears, issues of two men linked by music.

The Cinematography by Bruno de Keyzer is amazing, and portrays perfectly the night jazz bar ambient.

8/10

It wasn't Dexter Gordon's alcoholism that was the issue in this movie, it was heroin addiction. The movie portrayed Gordon just being himself in his addiction. He ultimately died of it and not that long after the movie was filmed. The music was haunting and sad and correlated with Gordon's addiction in real time. It was a cautionary tale.