‘ROUND MIDNIGHT
“If star power is the ability to make oneself the irresistible center of viewers’ attention, filling the whole frame with one’s aura, Gordon is a movie star.
Essentially, Gordon is the movie.”
—New Yorker Magazine (Richard Brody, Round Midnight Revisited, Feb 15, 2024)
THE FILM
Legendary tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon (1923-1990) made his cinematic debut in the leading role of the French film Round Midnight (Warner Bros. 1986), directed by Bertrand Tavernier.
Dexter plays Dale Turner, the fictional character of an expatriate jazz musician seeking resolution to the sorrows of his past through friendship and rekindled musical meaning in Paris, France, during the final years of his life and musical journey. The character of Dale Turner is loosely based on the lives of jazz luminaries Bud Powell, Lester Young, and Billie Holiday, all of whom Dexter Gordon knew personally and drew inspiration from for his seminal role in this historic film.
Dexter Gordon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in Round Midnight. He is the first jazz musician, and the fifth African American actor in film history ever to be nominated for an Oscar.
Original Screenplay
Library of Congress, USA
Dexter Gordon
Dale Turner
François Cluzet
Francis Borier
Gabrielle Haker
Berangere
Sandra Reaves-Phiillips
Buttercup
Lonette McKee
Darcey Leigh
Christine Pascal
Sylvie
Herbie Hancock
Eddie Wayne
Martin Scorsese
Goodley
Bobbie Hutcherson
Ace
John Berry
Ben
CAST
CREDITS
Director:
Bertrand Tavernier
Written by:
David Rayfiel, Bertrand Tavernier
Produced by:
Irwin Winkler
Director of photography:
Bruno De Keyzer
Production designer:
Alexandre Trauner
Editor:
Armond Psenny
Costume designer:
Jacqueline Moreau
Music composed, arranged, and conducted by:
Herbie Hancock
Bass:
Ron Carter, Pierre Michelot,
Mads Vinding
Percussion:
Cheikh Fall
Piano:
Herbie Hancock, Cedar Walton
Drums
Billy Higgins, Tony Williams
Trumpet:
Freddie Hubbard, Éric Le Lann, Palle Mikkelborg
Guitar:
John McLaughlin, Michel Perez
Soprano and tenor saxophone:
Wayne Shorter
Vibraphone:
Bobby Hutcherson
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
11 WINS & 13 NOMINATIONS
Above: TV broadcast of Oscar nominees for Best Actor at the Academy Awards ceremony, 1987. Presented by Bette Davis.
Academy Awards, USA
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Dexter Gordon
Best Music, Original Score
Herbie Hancock
Bodil Awards
Best European Film (Bedste europæiske film)
Bertrand Tavernier (director)
BAFTA Awards
Best Score
Herbie Hancock
César Awards, France
Best Music (Meilleure musique)
Herbie Hancock
Best Production Design (Meilleurs décors)
Alexandre Trauner
Best Editing (Meilleur montage)
Armand Psenny
Best Sound (Meilleur son)
Bernard Le Roux
Claude Villand
Michel Desrois
William Flageollet
David di Donatello Awards
Best Foreign Actor (Migliore Attore Straniero)
Dexter Gordon
Golden Globes, USA
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Dexter Gordon
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Herbie Hancock
Image Awards (NAACP)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Sandra Reaves-Phillips
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Dexter Gordon
Outstanding Motion Picture
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
Best Foreign Director (Regista del Miglior Film Straniero)
Bertrand Tavernier
Best Foreign Actor (Migliore Attore Straniero)
Dexter Gordon
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
Best Music
Herbie Hancock
Dexter Gordon
Best Actor
Dexter Gordon
Best Cinematography
Bruno de Keyzer
National Board of Review, USA
Top Ten Films
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Best Foreign Language Film
Tied with Vagabond (1985).
Venice Film Festival
Best Film
Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier
Sant Jordi Awards
Best Foreign Actor (Mejor Actor Extranjero)
Dexter Gordon
(Source: iMDB.com)
ROUND MIDNIGHT
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION IN 4K
CRITERION COLLECTION
NEW CONTENT:
New 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
New conversation with music producer Michael Cuscuna and author Maxine Gordon, widow of Dexter Gordon
Before Midnight, a 1986 behind-the-scenes documentary by Jean Achache
Panel discussion from 2014 featuring Cuscuna, Maxine Gordon, director Bertrand Tavernier, and jazz scholar John Szwed, moderated by jazz critic and broadcaster Mark Ruffin
Performance from 1969 of “Fried Bananas” by Dexter Gordon, directed by Teit Jørgensen
New English subtitle translation and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
SCREEN ROUND MIDNIGHT
AT A VENUE NEAR YOU
Contact us to schedule a film screening and/or panel discussion in a city near you. Present Round Midnight at your venue of choice, such as a local university, art gallery, festival or social gathering. Contact us with your plan and schedule a screening today.
