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Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud (1957)
Director: Louis Malle
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Malle's first feature, a straightforward but classy thriller about an ex-paratrooper's attempt to dispose of his mistress' tycoon husband in a perfect murder. It became associated with the early excitements of the nouvelle vague mainly through the performances of Ronet (playing a prototype of the disgruntled Vietnam veteran) and Moreau (who does some moody solo wandering in the streets searching for her missing lover). The ingenious plot, using a malfunctioning lift as its deus-ex-machina, has one carefully plotted murder conjure another as its shadow image. But the cement holding the film together is really the splendid jazz score improvised by Miles Davis.Author: TM
Cast & crew
Director: Louis Malle
Producer: Jean Thuillier
Cast: Maurice Ronet, Jeanne Moreau, Georges Poujouly, Lino Ventura, Yori Bertin, Ivan Petrovich, Elga Andersen full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 89 mins
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