Noir City 2026: Round Midnight

USA | 1986 | 133 min. | Bertrand Tavernier

February 19, 2026

A troubled saxophonist (Dexter Gordon) cleans up his act in 1950s Paris, but finds temptation lurking on every street corner when he returns to reestablish his life in New York. Co-starring Herbie Hancock, 1987 Academy Award winner Best Music, Original Score for the film.

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Thursday, February 19, 2026

Round Midnight is a devastating chronicle of addiction inspired by the lives of jazz legends Lester Young and Bud Powell. The film blends the struggles of these real men into a composite musician who ditches 1950s New York for a clean start at the Blue Note club in France. The change of scenery works, but things take a turn for the tragic when the musician returns home and finds himself sucked back into the same lurid environment that forged his substance abuse. Round Midnight is the rare film noir that casts a musician in a leading role, and “Long Tall” Dexter Gordon delivers a performance as textured and intimate as his tenor sax solos. Featuring a cameo by Martin Scorsese and a soundtrack by co-star Herbie Hancock.

  • Director: Bertrand Tavernier
  • Principal Cast: Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker, Sandra Reaves-Phillips
  • Country: USA
  • Year: 1986
  • Running Time: 133 min.
  • Producer: Irwin Winkler
  • Screenplay: David Rayfiel, Bertrand Tavernier
  • Cinematographers: Bruno de Keyzer
  • Editors: Armand Psenny
  • Music: Herbie Hancock
  • Format: DCP
  • US Distributor: Warner Brothers