SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

rodrig58 If you love jazz music, Paris, Paul Newman, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Poitier and Joanne Woodward, then this movie is perfect. The story is very simple and very stylish and ingeniously filmed. All the merit of Martin Ritt, the director, and Christian Matras, cinematographer. Music by Duke Ellington, who is the true pianist, along with eight other non-credited musicians.

The_Movie_Cat Handsomely shot on location in Paris, Sidney Poitier appears as second player to Paul Newman's tense jazz musician Ram Bowen. Like a jazz piece, the film meanders at times, content to get where it's going without overt dramatic flourish, something which both helps and harms the film. Containing relatively sophisticated themes for Hollywood cinema, it nevertheless falls into the trap of being a serviceable film rather than a great one, a string of incidents in need of a more rigid plot.The tagline for the film promised "A love-spectacular so exciting you feel it's personally happening to you", whereas the reality is, you'll probably just think it's happening to Newman and Poitier, who both had more significant and historically lasting films that same year. (The Hustler/A Raisin In the Sun). All this said, the cinematography by Christian Matras is beautiful, Louis Armstrong adds fun playing Louis Armstrong (called "Wild Man Moore") and Newman-Poitier is a pretty good screen pairing, even if Sidney does tower over the film's top billed star by five inches. Amusement can be gleaned by the film's conclusion, which sees both dump their girlfriends to be with each other.

Nazi_Fighter_David The story is about two young jazzmen Newman and Poitier who live in Paris…Newman is after a serious musical career… Poitier enjoys the tolerant atmosphere and the freedom from U.S. racial tensions… They work at a Left Bank cub owned by Barbara Laage who is having a casual affair with Newman… Serge Raggiani a gypsy guitarist who is a narcotics addict, and Louis Armstrong a trumpeter, are among their friends… Newman and Poitier meet a couple of American tourists, Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll who are visiting Paris on a two-weeks vacations… A romance develops between Poitier and Carroll… Woodward and Newman also find that a feeling is growing between them… Woodward wants him to return with her to the U. S., but Newman believes that marriage would interfere with his career, and decides to remain… As in "The Hustler," Newman plays a man whose devotion to making his talent better than second-rate prevents love… But he was natural as the pool player, and convinced us—through his movements, dialog and expressions—of his feelings for the music…Woodward is more aggressive than Newman… Moved by his music, she displays genuine emotion, but Newman is so defensive, egocentric and selfish that he becomes hostile, stubborn, unpleasant and offensive… Woodward is determined to make something more of it, but he remains uninfluenced—willing to show slight affection but incapable of being sincerely tender… In their final bedroom scene, the two superb1y perform a progression from spontaneous domestic affection, to growing alienation, to his indifferent rejection of her love… Legend Louis Armstrong shines in one flamboyant jazz interlude

MARIO GAUCI Interesting drama with jazz interest (music by Duke Ellington – whose contribution even garnered an Oscar nod – and the appearance of Louis Armstrong) filmed on location (by Christian Matras, cinematographer for Jean Renoir, Max Ophuls and Luis Bunuel, no less).These two elements prove the film’s mainstay, offsetting the plot’s inherent heaviness (including the perennial struggle between Commerce and Art – popular American trombonist Paul Newman wants to branch out into composition – and its destructive impact on his relationship with tourist/divorcée-with-kids Joanne Woodward, racial intolerance – the reason behind Sidney Poitier’s relocation to Europe, which puts a strain on his affair with Woodward’s companion Diahann Carroll – and drug abuse, which is ruining the career of guitarist Serge Reggiani); two of the film’s best sequences are those in which Newman and Reggiani come across a junkie erratically strumming on his guitar in the marketplace – a man whom Reggiani previously idolized, and the eventual falling-out in public between the two over Reggiani’s continuing intake of drugs. Incidentally, it was amusing to note the epithet “introducing” before the latter’s name during the opening credits since he had already been well established in his native land for about 15 years (with even a couple of moderate profile English-speaking films in his resume')! I’d say that the film – Newman’s fourth with spouse Woodward and second with frequent director Ritt – is very underrated within the actor’s filmography and is also notable for being the sole collaboration between the late star and fellow Method actor Marlon Brando (this was co-produced by the latter’s company, Pennebaker). Similarly, Newman’s teaming with Poitier here would have ‘repercussions’ two years later when both found themselves competing for the Best Actor Oscar (though the former was the hands-down favorite for one of his best roles in Ritt’s own HUD [1963], it was the latter who emerged the winner with LILIES OF THE FIELD [1963]); this ironic turn-of-events would occur three more times throughout Newman’s long career: he appeared with David Niven in LADY L (1965) – the latter won for SEPARATE TABLES in 1958 when Newman was nominated for CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, he appeared with (and directed) Henry Fonda in SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION (1971) – the latter won for ON GOLDEN POND in 1981 when Newman was nominated for ABSENCE OF MALICE (1981) and, finally, he appeared with Tom Hanks in ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) – the latter won for FORREST GUMP in 1994 when Newman was nominated for NOBODY’S FOOL!!