Elevator to the Gallows

1958 Drama

The feature-film debut of famed director Louis Malle is an interesting, modern film noir with the classic theme of lovers plotting to kill the husband and make it look like suicide (reminiscent of The Postman Always Rings Twice). Jeanne Moreau, as Florence Carala, gives an astonishing performance, perverse but naive as she leads her young lover down a path that can only lead to doom for both of them. Malle and his cinematographer Henri Decae make extensive use of Paris at night, giving the film the feel of claustrophobia and desperation reminiscent of the classic noir films. The excellent score by Miles Davis adds to the entire effect of this mystery thriller.

Director:

Starring: Maurice Ronet,Jeanne Moreau, Jean Wall, Georges Poujouly

Reviews

  • A consummate entertainment rich with the romantic atmosphere of Paris in the 1950s. Coming at a turning point in French cinematic history, it drew upon several major talents - director Louis Malle, star Jeanne Moreau, cinematographer Henri Decaë, musician Miles Davis - and achieved near-legendary results with all of them.

    Kenneth Turan - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • As French crime thrillers go, this is about as good as it gets.

    Walter Addiego - The San Francisco Chronicle

    19 January 2013

  • A plan for a perfect murder goes wildly wrong in this 1958 melodrama by one of France's great filmmakers.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    19 January 2013

  • Malle, only 25 when the film was released, bounces confidently among several threads -- classic French policier, juvenile delinquent film, doomy tale of tragic love, clock-ticking thriller.

    Shawn Levy - Portland Oregonian

    19 January 2013

  • Superb.

    Stephen Hunter - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Louis Malle

    Prix Louis Delluc (1957)