Paris Blues: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack [Enhanced CD]

 (26 customer reviews)

Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier are two expatriot jazz musicians living in Paris; Newman is there to compose serious music and Poitier to escape from racial prejudice in the US. Along come Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll on vacation, and in a flash they're paired off and in love. Carroll wants Poitier to return to the US ("life is better there now for blacks," she says). Newman wants to go back to America with Woodward, but realizes that music is his whole life and must pursue it further in Paris on his own. Since it's a jazz movie there's the obligatory drug scene with one of the other musicians. The plot and the writing are not that strong, but Newman (in only his second featured role) is pretty good. And when things start to sag, on comes Louis Armstrong for a swinging jam session (can't beat that!). Duke Ellington is responsible for the great musical score. Murray MacEachern dubbed Newman's trombone work, and Paul Gonsalves did Poitier's tenor sax dubs.

A fabulous movie all around: great plot,acting, music, and cinematography. Moody and atmospheric, it wonderfully captures the Paris '50-'60 jazz scene. BUT CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE FIND A WAY TO GET THIS ONTO DVD!!!

I moved to Paris in 2003. I am retired, black and american. Friends always asked ... why Paris? I kept saying, I vacationed in Paris but never found the moment until today...

I finally can identify when I first fell in love with Paris. It was when I was 10

years old and saw the movie Paris Blues. It starred Paul Newman and Joanne

Woodward but what struck me was it also starred Sidney Poitier and Diahann

Carroll, that was unheard off back then but I was too young to know. I still

remember a scene with Diahann Carroll wearing this coat. It was then that a quiet seed was planted inside me to love Paris. I don't recall who was with me that day, I just remember the film and I remember wishing it would come on television; I have no memory of seeing it again.

What made it standout was that they Poitier and Carroll were featured in

roles equal to Newman and Woodward. I never forgot that movie, it is truly...Read more