Ciné Blues #05 : Green Book

For this fifth episode of Ciné Blues, we head to the American South in the early 1960s. With Green Book, Peter Farrelly follows the tour of pianist Don Shirley, moving between prestigious venues and everyday segregation, in a film where music is not used to recreate an era but to build a character.

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Released in 2018, the film quickly established itself as both a critical and commercial success, winning three Academy Awards including Best Picture. Unlike many music-driven films, Green Book relies primarily on an original score centered on the piano, rather than a compilation of period tracks. We discuss it in this new episode of Ciné Blues.

The film

The story takes place in 1962. Don Shirley, an African American pianist trained in classical music and based in New York, agrees to tour the Midwest and the Deep South at the height of segregation. This decision is deliberate: he chooses to perform in states where racial laws are still enforced, in front of predominantly white audiences unaccustomed to seeing a Black musician in this context.

To drive and handle logistics, he hires Tony Vallelonga, known as Tony Lip, an Italian American bouncer from the Bronx. Before leaving, he is given a copy of the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide listing places where Black travelers could move safely.

The film follows the tour step by step. Concerts, receptions, hotels refusing entry, restaurants denying service, police checks and daily humiliations. And in between, a working relationship that evolves without ever escaping its context.

The soundtrack

The soundtrack of Green Book stands in contrast to films like American Graffiti or Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, where existing music structures everything. Here, the backbone is an original score composed by pianist and composer Kris Bowers.

The piano is central, almost constantly present. The writing draws inspiration from the style of Don Shirley, a real musician on whom the film is based. It blends classical music, jazz and touches of gospel. The music serves less to situate 1962 than to define a character: control, precision, distance.

Kris Bowers worked from archives and recordings of Don Shirley, without attempting to replicate his repertoire. The goal was to create a score that feels true to his spirit while serving the narrative. The result is a restrained composition, centered on the piano, with minimal orchestration and a significant use of silence.

A few period tracks appear occasionally, such as So Long Lovers Island by The Blue Jays, heard on the radio. These songs mainly serve to place the story within the musical landscape of the early 1960s and to highlight the gap between Don Shirley and the popular music expected at the time.

A piano as a stake

One element of the film is based on real events. During certain tour dates, venues did not always provide an instrument deemed acceptable. According to accounts attributed to Tony Vallelonga, he would then insist that a Steinway piano be found or delivered before the performance, even if it meant sourcing it from miles away.

In the film, this requirement becomes central. Don Shirley plays on a Steinway, presented as a non-negotiable condition. Transporting such an instrument involves heavy logistics, but in a context of segregation, it is also a matter of respect and working conditions.

The film achieved major success, winning three Academy Awards including Best Picture, as well as two Golden Globes. The soundtrack, however, remained more discreet. It does not stand out through identifiable hits, but through its coherence and its role in shaping the character.

📻 Ciné Blues is available on Blues Actu Radio and on all podcast platforms: Spotify | Deezer | Amazon Music | Apple Podcast | Podcast Addict. The show is also broadcast on FM via several partner radio stations.
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