Round Midnight (Criterion) 04/23 Blu-ray (Rental)

’Round Midnight is a love letter from director Bertrand Tavernier to the heyday of bebop and to the Black American musicians who found refuge in the smoky underground jazz clubs of 1950s Paris. In a miraculous, sui generis fusion of performer and character that was nominated for an Oscar, legendary saxophonist Dexter Gordon plays Dale Turner, a brilliant New York jazz veteran whose music aches with beauty but whose personal life is ravaged by addiction. Searching for a fresh start in Paris, Turner strikes up an unlikely friendship with a struggling single father and ardent jazz fan (François Cluzet) who finds his life transformed as he attempts to help the self-destructive musician. Herbie Hancock’s evocative, Oscar-winning score sets the mood for this definitive jazz film, a bittersweet opus that glows with lived-in, soulful authenticity. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, supervised by composer Herbie Hancock and presented in DTS-HD Master Audio New interview with jazz and cultural critic Gary Giddins New conversation with music producer Michael Cuscuna and author Maxine Gordon, widow of musician Dexter Gordon Before Midnight, a 1986 behind-the-scenes documentary Panel discussion from 2014 featuring director Bertrand Tavernier, Cuscuna, Maxine Gordon, 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 PLUS: An essay by scholar Mark Anthony Neal