Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

Original title

Ascenseur pour l'échafaud

Directed by

Louis Malle

Genre

drama film, film noir

Country

France

Runtime

1h 28m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.6 of 10 from 708 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A couple plots to murder the woman's husband, but their plan goes wrong when one of them gets stuck in an elevator. The other spends a long night wandering Paris as the police investigate.

tensemelancholicromanticsuspensefulstylishnoirishslow-burntragic

What happens

Elevator to the Gallows (French: Ascenseur pour l'échafaud) is a 1958 French crime thriller tragedy film directed by Louis Malle in his directional debut. The film stars Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet as lovers whose murder plot starts to unravel after one of them becomes trapped in an elevator. The screenplay by Roger Nimier and Malle is based on the 1956 novel of the same name by Noël Calef. Associated by some critics with film noir and introducing new narrative, cinematographic, and editing techniques, the film is considered an important work in establishing the French New Wave and the New Modern Cinema. The improvised soundtrack by Miles Davis and the relationship the film establishes among music, image, and emotion were considered groundbreaking. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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