Paris Blues

Dir. Martin Ritt. 1961, 98 mins. 35mm. With Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Joanne Woodward, Diahann Carroll. Poitier and Paul Newman are a pair of American ex-pat jazz musicians living la vie boheme in Paris in this intoxicating, music-filled romance. Amidst the beatnik cool of Left Bank jazz clubs, the two men each find romance with American girls on holiday—but music is their real passion. The highlight is a joyous jam session between Poitier, Newman, and none other than Louis Armstrong. Another jazz legend, Duke Ellington, composed the evocative, Oscar-nominated score, which includes classics like Take The A Train and Mood Indigo.