Louis Malle is telling a simple story: when committing a crime like murder don't make easy mistakes since this will give space to unforeseeable events and justice will prevail. Some parts of the story may seem a bit overdone in order to demonstrate the unpredictability of other actors involved but on the other hand the movie hardly ever loses its style and it's this style that excels. When beautiful Jeanne Moreau, in her despair of supposed betrayed love, is walking alone the nightly streets of Paris accompanied by the fine jazz tunes of Miles Davis then it feels like contemplating a valuable piece of art.It is also true that the side story of the young couple borrowing the car of Mr. Tavernier is a bit awkward and not too persuasive but on the other hand the play of young flower-girl Veronique is really impressive. What an outgoing and enthusiastic but weak and shy character at the same time. I am sure even today's teenagers could relate to her.Moreover, the movie is not simply a crime story but also has its social and political statements. The victim of the planned murder (next to an unplanned murder) is an unscrupulous arms-dealer who has his connections into the highest political ranks. This does not provide a favorable picture of a post war France, which is even worsened by the submissive and hypocritical behavior that great parts of society show towards this influential man. Only drunkard Mr. Subervie is naming him the right way and by doing so he even stresses the hypocrisy surrounding him.Last but not least Lino Ventura gives a cool and pragmatic detective, a role he should become famous for in his career. The police questioning scene in the dark with the two detectives interrogating Maurice Ronnet for a crime he has not committed is another highlight of the movie.

A self-assured business man murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.Journalist Barry Farrell wrote, "Moreau had 20 forgettable films behind her... Malle put Moreau under an honest light and wisely let his camera linger. The film was nothing special, but it did accomplish one thing: it proposed a new ideal of cinematic realism, a new way to look at a woman. All the drama in the story was in Moreau's face – the face that had been hidden behind cosmetics and flattering lights in all her earlier films." Farrell is certainly right about the portrayal of Moreau. How can you make a leading lady anything but glamorous? Malle found a way that was quite successful.As for the film being "nothing special", I think Farrell is wrong. A 1950s French film noir that is well executed? This is something we need more of. Starting with a murder and then spreading out from there, this is a good story of suspense, intrigue and all that. The whole concept of being caught in an elevator is incredible, and probably unprecedented.

OK I know I am getting a bit off the wall here but after re-watching Breathless recently I have been on a bit of French New Wave kick. That leads to me scanning through the criterion collection on Hulu and finding movies like Malle's Elevator to the Gallows (1958). Fans of Hitchcock on and movies like Diabolique (1955) will find a lot to enjoy with this one.Maurice Ronet plays Julien Tavernier a retired military man who is in love with his bosses wife. The two of them come up with a fool proof plan to kill the boss and make it look like a suicide. On a Saturday near closing time, when the building is empty, Julien slips out his window uses a small grappling hook to climb up the side of the building and sneaks into his bosses office. Julien shoots his boss and then plants the gun in his hand. Then he escapes back down the rope and back into his own office. Confident he has pulled off the perfect crime, Julien follows his fellow employees out of the building ready to go spend the rest of the weekend with bosses wife (Jeanne Moreau). Right before he drives off, Julien looks up and notices that he has left the rope dangling from the side of the building. Cursing he foolishness, Julien re-enters the building to go and retrieve the rope. As he is riding the elevator back up, the porter turns off the power in the building and traps Julien in the elevator. What follows is a series of mistaken identities and bad decisions that will lead to dire consequences for everyone involved.To check out our full review head on over to 3guys1movie.com

At the risk of sounding flippant, this film looks like something Hitchcock and Serling might have come up with had they collaborated. But the idea that a twenty four year old Louis Malle directed it makes me wonder how such a young film maker could have been so knowledgeable and worldly to pull it off. There's a lot of fine tension and irony in the picture, and the Miles Davis score has a way of hooking the viewer into a world that's furtively dishonorable.Yet there are some bothersome elements as well. The business with leaving the rope behind was just too big a blunder and struck me as completely out of character for a veteran like Tavernier (Maurice Ronet). Seeing it dangle from street level only added to the mystery of how Tavernier could possibly have remained unnoticed as he made his way to the upper floor in full view.Interestingly, what Malle does best here is the way he telegraphs the next twist in the story while making the viewer feel good about figuring it out. Tavernier leaves the car running so someone could take off with it, and sure enough, Louis does. Veronique uses the Tavernier name and the Benckers wind up with a murderer who makes the front page for one he didn't commit. Each step of the way you can pretty much figure out what will happen next, but at the same time it seems like a revelation when it occurs. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.So, for a picture I'd never even heard of before, this turned out to be quite the find at my little town library this evening. The cinematography is gorgeous and Jeanne Moreau seduces the screen with all the noir fatalism one could ask for. With all the bad luck these characters created for themselves, I would have been disappointed if there were no black cat.