/aTKvtg7KEXnbAPhQ2pF9KXO4oKM.jpg
CrimeDramaThriller

Elevator to the Gallows

- Frantic for life and love, frantic for excitement.

A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.

Release Date : 1958-01-29

Language :GermanFrench

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : NEF

Production Country : France

Alternative Titles : Elevator to the GallowsFrantic

Cast

Jeanne Moreau

Character Name : Florence Carala

Original Name : Jeanne Moreau

Gender : Female

Maurice Ronet

Character Name : Julien Tavernier

Original Name : Maurice Ronet

Gender : Male

Georges Poujouly

Character Name : Louis

Original Name : Georges Poujouly

Gender : Male

Yori Bertin

Character Name : Véronique

Original Name : Yori Bertin

Gender : Female

Lino Ventura

Character Name : Le Commissaire Cherrier

Original Name : Lino Ventura

Gender : Male

Iván Petrovich

Character Name : Horst Bencker

Original Name : Iván Petrovich

Gender : Male

Elga Andersen

Character Name : Frieda Bencker

Original Name : Elga Andersen

Gender : Female

Jean Wall

Character Name : Simon Carala

Original Name : Jean Wall

Gender : Male

Gérard Darrieu

Character Name : Maurice

Original Name : Gérard Darrieu

Gender : Male

Micheline Bona

Character Name : Geneviève

Original Name : Micheline Bona

Gender : Male

Charles Denner

Character Name : L'Adjoint du Commissaire Cherrier

Original Name : Charles Denner

Gender : Male

Félix Marten

Character Name : Christian Subervie

Original Name : Félix Marten

Gender : Male

Hubert Deschamps

Character Name : Le Substitut du Procureur

Original Name : Hubert Deschamps

Gender : Male

Jacques Hilling

Character Name : Le Garagiste

Original Name : Jacques Hilling

Gender : Male

Marcel Journet

Character Name : Le Président du Conseil d'Administration

Original Name : Marcel Journet

Gender : Male

François Joux

Character Name : Commissaire de Police

Original Name : François Joux

Gender : Male

Jean-Claude Brialy

Character Name : Le Jeune Homme du Motel (uncredited)

Original Name : Jean-Claude Brialy

Gender : Male

Gisèle Grandpré

Character Name : Jacqueline Mauclair

Original Name : Gisèle Grandpré

Gender : Female

Jacqueline Staup

Character Name : Anna

Original Name : Jacqueline Staup

Gender : Female

Marcel Cuvelier

Character Name : Le Réceptionniste du Motel

Original Name : Marcel Cuvelier

Gender : Male

Nicolas Bataille

Character Name : Un Consommateur à la Brasserie (uncredited)

Original Name : Nicolas Bataille

Gender : Male

Pierre Frag

Character Name : Un Consommateur à la Brasserie (uncredited)

Original Name : Pierre Frag

Gender : Male

Christian Brocard

Character Name : Un Consommateur (uncredited)

Original Name : Christian Brocard

Gender : Male

Marcel Bernier

Character Name : Un Policier au Commissariat (uncredited)

Original Name : Marcel Bernier

Gender : Male

Guy Henry

Character Name : Un Inspecteur (uncredited)

Original Name : Guy Henry

Gender : Male

Roger Jacquet

Character Name : Gaston (uncredited)

Original Name : Roger Jacquet

Gender : Male

Alice Reichen

Character Name : La Fleuriste (uncredited)

Original Name : Alice Reichen

Gender : Female

Sylviane Aisenstein

Character Name : Yvonne, la Fille du Bar

Original Name : Sylviane Aisenstein

Gender : Male

Micheline Sarfati

Character Name :

Original Name : Micheline Sarfati

Gender : Male

Robert Balpo

Character Name : Un Consommateur (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Balpo

Gender : Male

Olivier Darrieux

Character Name : Le Chauffeur (uncredited)

Original Name : Olivier Darrieux

Gender : Male

Lucien Desagneaux

Character Name : Un Journaliste (uncredited)

Original Name : Lucien Desagneaux

Gender : Male

Pierre Devilder

Character Name : Petit Rôle (uncredited)

Original Name : Pierre Devilder

Gender : Male

Reviews

J

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

The black cat has it... Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (AKA: Elevator to the Gallows/Lift to the Scaffold) is directed by Louis Malle and co-written by Malle, Roger Nimier and Noël Calef (novel). It stars Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly, Yori Bertin and Jean Wall. Music is by Miles Davis and cinematography by Henri Decaë. A little ole devil this one, a sly slow pacer that itches away at your skin. Rightly seen as a bridging movie between the classic film noir cycle and the nouvelle vague, Malle's movie is in truth straightforward on narrative terms. Julien Tavernier (Ronet) is going to kill husband of his lover, Florence Carala (Moreau), who also happens to be his boss, but upon executing the perfect murder, he, through his own absent mindedness, winds up stuck in a lift close to the crime scene. Outside Florence is frantically awaiting his arrival so as to begin their life together in earnest, but when a couple of young lovers steal Julien's car, Florence gets the wrong end of the stick and a sequence of events lead to Julien and Florence hitching that ride to the gallows. Simplicity of narrative be damned, Malle's movie is a classic case of that mattering not one jot. There is style to burn here, with bleak atmospherics dripping from every frame, and Miles Davis' sultry jazz music hovers over proceedings like a sleazy grim reaper. The ironic twists in the writing come straight off the bus to noirville, putting stings in the tale, the smart reverse of the norm finding Moreau (sensual) wandering the streets looking for her male lover, while elsewhere he's in isolation and a doppleganger murder scenario is cunningly being played out. Decaë's photography has a moody desperation about it that so fits the story, the use of natural light making fellow French film makers sit up and take notice. While the dialogue, and the caustic aside to arms dealings, ensures we know that Malle can be a sly old fox. He really should have done more noir like pictures. A film that convinces us that Julien and Florence are deeply in love and passionate about each other, and yet they never are once together in the whole movie! It's just one of the many wonderful things about Louis Malle's excellent picture. Remember folks, the camera never lies... 8/10