Elevator to the Gallows (The Criterion Collection)
by Louis Malle
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Actor: Georges Poujouly, Jean Wall, Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Yori BertinDirector: Louis Malle
Brand: Image Entertainment
Cinematographer: Henri Decaë
Writer: Louis Malle
Editor: Léonide Azar
Producer: Jean Thuillier
Writer: Noël Calef
Writer: Roger Nimier
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 88 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-04-25
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
DVD Reviews of Elevator to the Gallows (The Criterion Collection)
DVD Review: Elegant Mixture of Music and Film
Summary: 4 Stars
Like Faulkner's 'As I Lay Dying', 'Elevator to the Gallows' has that morbidly entrancing sort of title impossible for me to resist. Something unhealthy there, I suppose, but no matter - I only mention it as that's what initially drew me to the feature. Actually, the Miles Davis soundtrack of the same name did the trick - but what's surprising is that I'd never heard of either until only a year or so ago. Considering their quality, that makes them entirely too obscure.
Obscure, but likely to remain that way, as what may have been fantastically ultra-cool in 1950's French cinema has a way of dissipating like 4 A.M nicotine clouds in the brightly lit morning of an ADD-addled new century. It isn't that flaws to the film have appeared over the years, but that even its imitators have imitators now. This kind of generational influence once removed might be tedious for the majority nowadays - in the fifty years since the release of 'Elevator to the Gallows', we've seen similar enough storylines resuscitated again and again, dressed up, cosmetically enhanced, and trotted out along with a cast of thousands. What may once have been a taut thriller is now deliberate, and, if not predictable exactly, at the very least seems a bit contrived.
Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet) and Florence Carala (Jeanne Moreau) have conspired to kill Florence's husband. In a nod to unpopular foreign policy, Mr. Carala is a shady businessman profiting from the Algerian conflict, and Julien, who works for him, is a highly decorated veteran from both Indochina and Algeria. Though it's never fully stated, it seems implicit that Mr. Carala uses Julien in the business expressly because his military skills make him an effective arm-twister, but the only thing Julien is interested in now is Mrs. Carala.
A dysfunctional elevator keeps them from getting away with murder, and while Julien is trapped inside and left to enjoy his preview of a prison cell, a young punk (who's intent on channeling James Dean's unjustified rebel) and his girlfriend go joyriding in Julien's car. On their own, the two youngsters' get into murder trouble of their own, and leave evidence pointing to Julien. Meanwhile, the beautiful Jeanne Moreau as Florence walks the streets of Paris, searching for her lover even as she has convinced herself that he has abandoned her.
As a noir thriller (complete with post-war contemplation of life's value and existential monologue at film's end), 'Elevator to the Gallows' may seem to have been imitated and parodied into insignificance by now, but that's if the viewer concentrates only on the story. The truly original and never quite duplicated aspects of the film are the cinematography and the musical interaction with the performers on the screen. Both make this film a must see for people who care about the medium, as director Louis Malle's mise en scène and Henri Decaë's camera work are stunning, and the music is matched to the mood of the film perfectly.
Complementing my feelings about this film are the two trailers included on the Criterion edition's first disc. The original accurately reflects the film's tempo, and would attract those most likely still interested. The second highlights the story, but its modern style of jump cuts and dramatic music insinuate unbearable tension and frenetic pacing, giving the impression that the film is something it's not. Of the two, I would have liked to watch the film implied by the newer trailer - except it doesn't exist. Nor is it possible to create it now. Everything that made this film enjoyable would be destroyed attempting to modernize it - gone would be the authentic Paris nights of the late 1950's in lush black and white, gone would be the originality of the music, and gone too would be the haunted face of Jeanne Moreau, searching for Julien. To be clear, Criterion did not make this second trailer, and I doubt it's included in any DVD title other than its own. However, if that were someone's only hint of what the film is about, it misleads by maximizing a questionable appeal to mainstream audiences.
Those who generally favor Criterion's picks will enjoy 'Elevator to the Gallows', but even though I highly recommend it, I'd also suggest previewing before buying. Once will be enough for some viewers. However, even if there are elements that are obsolete, some people, like me, will see an elegant mixture of music and film that retains an un-imitated individuality that's still worth possessing.
Description of Elevator to the Gallows (The Criterion Collection)
In this, his debut feature film, director Louis Malle captures the hidden beauty of Jeanne Moreau, the brilliant camerawork of Henri Decaë, and the musical force of Miles Davis in a tightly constructed film noir experience that launched his and Moreau?s careers.Bestsellers in DVD
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