Jeanne Moreau,
Maurice Ronet,
Georges Poujouly,
Lino Ventura,
Jean Wall
... see more 
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... read more
Many elements of this film were breakthroughs - and it is a wicked cool film. But... I can't help thinking it was a little slight and really relied on those very elements - Jeanne Moreau's haunting performance, the brilliant camerawork and Miles' genius score to carry it. Wh... read more
Elevator to the Gallows is a solid French thriller, that is very similar to Hitchcock movies. There's a lot of suspense, but no twists and turns. We are told everything that it is going on, but there's still a lot of suspense. All of the performances are very good especially Jean... read more
a hitchcockian thriller that was not only malle's first film but an anomaly in that he never touched the genre again. what he accomplished with this film at 24 years old is remarkable in that so few other crime stories have ever touched the flawless execution and tension buildin... read more
Louis Malle's debut marked the start of new wave cinema in France. Lift to the Scaffold is Hitchcock meets Godard, soaked in pure unadulterated cool. A classic thriller and an important historical film. Brilliant!
Exquisite crime drama that kept me in suspense from beginning to end. It's really three stories seamlessly interwoven and simultaneous, topped off by a Miles Davis score that's just fantastic.
One of the craftiest films in the history of cinema, Elevator to the Gallows marked the start of the French New Wave.
This film is just cool, not only visually but in the sound department. The legendary score was composed by none other than Miles Davis. The sound of his tru... read more
If you like "Breathless", you'll like this. A very similar feel to it. And if you like looking at Jeanne Moreau, even better. She's prominent in this and she's gorgeous. A couple of things made me scratch my head and go "Huh?", but for the most part a well-done film, and it gets ... read more
I liked a lot about Elevator to the Gallows despite the suspension of disbelief some elements of the story required (a military badass forgetting his rope and leaving his car running? Come on!) but I really liked the interrogation scene and Miles Davis' score (lots of great extra... read more
Very stylish film with a very intriguing premise. Watching this film reminded me of the feeling I had when I watched Godard's Breathless. The cool protagonist and a seductive blonde as his partner, accompanied by a classy score, this is a film that epitomizes the French noir film... read more
A suspense thriller with a tense, jazzy score and a rich undercurrent of fatalistic irony. Full Review
Henri Decaë's black-and-white cinematography brings out the melancholy mystery of Paris' boulevards and cafes, and Ms. Moreau, shot with natural lighting and without make-up, is like a mournful goddes... Full Review
The plot crackles with energy and misdirection, while the black-and-white film sharpens angles and amplifies the shadows lurking in every hallway. Full Review
The movie's most compelling element of all is Moreau, wandering the nighttime streets trying to find her lover. It's as if she's blown from one cafe to the next on a blended wind of passion, dread and... Full Review
These 1950s French noirs abandon the formality of traditional crime films, the almost ritualistic obedience to formula, and show crazy stuff happening to people who seem to be making up their lives as... Full Review
What turns it fabulous, indeed mythical, is the presence of another entity: Paris at night in the '50s, to the tune of Miles Davis's score as realized in the dappled hues of Henri Decae's gorgeous poe... Full Review
As French crime thrillers go, this is about as good as it gets. It's also an important film historically, and to top it off, the jazz score, by Miles Davis, is famous in its own right. Full Review
A consummate entertainment rich with the romantic atmosphere of Paris in the 1950s. Full Review
The tasty 1957 noir thriller that introduced the world to French filmmaker Louis Malle, who at the time was a 24-year-old assistant director for Jacques Cousteau. Full Review
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