MovieChat Forums > 'Round Midnight (1986) Discussion > The way they talk in the movie

The way they talk in the movie

posted 18 years ago by epatten67
4 replies | jump to latest

This really is one of my favorite films but I don't get why they all refer to each other as "Lady". Like Dexter Gordon will walk into the apartment building and Ace is standing there in his robe and slippers with a bowl of something he just cooked up and Dex will go "Hey, Lady Ace! Whats happenin'?"
Another thing too... Whats up with that part of the film where they ask "Do you like basketball?" What does that have to do with anything? It just seems really random and they don't explain it.

[–] jazz_man1 18 years ago

I read the book this film is based on ('Dance of the Infidels by Francis Paudras which is an excellent book BTW) and Paudras said that the saxophonist Lester Young used to refer to everyone he knew (including men) as Lady so on so. The character Dexter Gordon played is a composite of Lester Young and Bud Powell, so I guess that's why they used it in the film.

As for 'Aimez-vous basketball?' I think it was the first thing Dale said to Berengere and one of the few things he knew how to ask in French. Berengere repeats it at the end when she's older and her father is watching the old movies he made of Dale. I guess they did it to be poignant. I thought it was a nice touch.

[–] stephan-128 15 years ago

another persective: i am a musician and i play many sports. of the sports i play, the one that feels the most like music is basketball. i came to basketball later than the other sports after i'd been a musician for years, and i felt as i played a certain sense of "flow" that was very pleasing and very similar to playing good music.

just a thought.

[–] steveco3 15 years ago

Good point. I love jazz and basketball as well. Two of my favorite things in life.

[–] eelb 10 years ago

Yes, Lester Young had his own vocabulary.

"Can lady burn?" Can they cook.

"We was bruised." The job didn't go well, a small audience, or we didn't play well.