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List Price: $39.95Amazon.com's Price: $15.99 You Save: $23.96 (60%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0715515017725
Format: Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: Criterion
Manufacturer: Criterion
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Criterion
Region Code: 1
Release Date: April 25, 2006
Running Time: 92 minutes
Sales Rank: 413
Studio: Criterion
Theatrical Release Date: 1957
Editorial Review:
Description:
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.
Amazon.com:
Elevator to the Gallows is many things: A tight, delicious crime thriller; the debut of director Louis Malle (Zazie dans le metro, Atlantic City, Au Revoir, Les Enfants, and many more works of subtle genius); a movie with perhaps the greatest jazz soundtrack of all time, created improvisationally by trumpeter Miles Davis; but above all, Elevator to the Gallows is the blooming of Jeanne Moreau to the status of true movie star, launching her on a career that included Jules & Jim, La notte, and La Femme Nikita. After killing his lover's husband, Julien (Maurice Ronet, Purple Noon) gets trapped in an elevator, forcing him to miss his rendezvous with Florence (Moreau) and allowing his car to be stolen by a joy-riding young couple. From there, the movie splits into three directions: Julien's efforts to escape; Florence wandering the streets, trying not to believe that Julien has abandoned her; and the car thieves, who get caught up in a murder of their own. The movie skillfully fuses Hitchcockian suspense with intimate psychodrama. As she stalks through the night, Moreau is a vision of tortured heartbreak, her woeful eyes and lush, sensuous lips illuminated by neon signs and baleful streetlamps. This is pure cinematic pleasure, visual beauty fused with taut, edge-of-your-seat storytelling.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Miles & Moreau: What a Ride!
The pristine images, the hypnotic faces and that great score make for a sensational 50's noir that's as coolly fascinating as it is thoroughly entertaining. I simply can't image anyone not enjoying this movie.
Rating:  - A decent Twilight Zone Episode in proto-New Wave style
I refer to the Twilight Zone, not because there are any fantastical elements in "Elevator to the Gallows," but because every shot, indeed every word of dialogue is for the specific purpose of tying all the loose strings of a mean-spirited little fable into a neatly knotted bow in the final scene. Not one of the major roles as written displays any slightest hint of character beyond that demanded by the plot.
If you question that assertion, then explain why the two German characters ... Read More
Rating: - Elevator to the Gallows
An auspicious debut for Malle, just 25 when "Gallows" opened, this superb thriller pairs a noirish plot involving two murderous couples with a lurid, claustrophobic atmosphere. Julien's efforts to escape the crime scene are intercut with shots of the car thieves's dark exploits and Florence's aimless walks along the Champs-Elysées looking for Julien--a bold technique, in that the film's protagonists remain isolated for most of the picture. Moreau, who cemented her career on the strength of this performance, ... Read More
Rating: - Top floor film noir from one of the greats
This was Louis Malle's first. Previously he had worked with Jacques Cousteau on "The Silent World" (interestingly enough) and now tried his hand at film noir. Several things fell into place to make this debut a memorable one.
First, he was able to get Jeanne Moreau to play Florence Carala. She had previously been mostly a stage and B-movie player who was obviously very talented, but as Malle put it, not considered really photogenic. What she becomes after her performance here is a premier star ... Read More
Rating: - Inches From Escape and Miles Apart (recommended)
Amid war, espionage and social oppression, wealthy Florence Carala (Jeanne Moreau), fed up with her corrupt husband, becomes enamored with one of his most trusted employees, Julien Travernier (Maurice Ronet). Together, they plot a way for their hearts to belong exclusively to one another. Separated in a manner neither could imagine, forlorn Florence is silently consumed by jealousy, blame, fear, and desperation as she searches all night, warmed only by the passion of her desire. By chance, young lovers Louis (Georges ... Read More
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