IMDb > Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
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Elevator to the Gallows (1958) More at IMDbPro »Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (original title)

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Elevator to the Gallows -- In his mesmerizing debut feature, twenty-four-year-old director Louis Malle brought together the beauty of Jeanne Moreau, the camerawork of Henri Decaë, and a now legendary score by Miles Davis.
Elevator to the Gallows -- Trailer for Elevator To The Gallows

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   7,280 votes »
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Director:
Louis Malle
Writers:
Roger Nimier (adaptation) &
Louis Malle (adaptation) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Elevator to the Gallows on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 June 1958 (Uruguay) See more »
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller See more »
Plot:
A self-assured business man murders his employer, the husband of his adulterer, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
1 win See more »
NewsDesk:
(13 articles)
Blu-Ray Review: Louis Malle’s ‘Zazie Dans Le Metro,’ ‘Black Moon’
 (From HollywoodChicago.com. 12 July 2011, 2:22 PM, PDT)
What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel
 (From CriterionCast. 3 July 2011, 9:55 PM, PDT)
Take Five (Films): Louis Malle
 (From The Playlist. 29 June 2011, 8:45 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
pleasure to watch See more (64 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Jeanne Moreau ... Florence Carala
Maurice Ronet ... Julien Tavernier
Georges Poujouly ... Louis
Yori Bertin ... Véronique
Jean Wall ... Simon Carala
Elga Andersen ... Frieda Bencker
Sylviane Aisenstein ... Yvonne, La fille du bar
Micheline Bona ... Geneviève
Gisèle Grandpré ... Jacqueline Mauclair
Jacqueline Staup ... Anna
Marcel Cuvelier ... Le réceptionniste du motel
Gérard Darrieu ... Maurice

Charles Denner ... L'adjoint du commissaire Cherrier
Hubert Deschamps ... Le substitut du procureur
Jacques Hilling ... Le garagiste
Marcel Journet ... Le président du conseil d'administration
François Joux ... Commissaire de police
Iván Petrovich ... Horst Bencker
Félix Marten ... Christian Subervie
Lino Ventura ... Le commissaire Cherrier
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Micheline Sarfati
Robert Balpo ... Un consommateur (uncredited)
Nicolas Bataille ... Un consommateur à la brasserie (uncredited)
Marcel Bernier ... Un policier au commissariat (uncredited)
Jean-Claude Brialy ... Le jeune homme du motel (uncredited)
Christian Brocard ... Un consommateur (uncredited)
Olivier Darrieux ... Le chauffeur (uncredited)
Lucien Desagneaux ... Un journaliste (uncredited)
Pierre Devilder ... Petit rôle (uncredited)
Pierre Frag ... Un consommateur à la brasserie (uncredited)
Guy Henry ... Un inspecteur (uncredited)
Roger Jacquet ... Gaston (uncredited)
Alice Reichen ... La fleuriste (uncredited)
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Directed by
Louis Malle 
 
Writing credits
Roger Nimier (adaptation) &
Louis Malle (adaptation)

Roger Nimier (dialogue)

Noël Calef (novel)

Noël Calef (pre-adaptation)

Produced by
Jean Thuillier .... producer
 
Original Music by
Miles Davis 
 
Cinematography by
Henri Decaë 
 
Film Editing by
Léonide Azar 
 
Art Direction by
Jean Mandaroux 
Rino Mondellini 
 
Makeup Department
Boris de Fast .... chief makeup
 
Production Management
Irénée Leriche .... production manager
Hubert Mérial .... unit production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alain Cavalier .... assistant director (as Alain Fraisse)
François Leterrier .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Pierre Guffroy .... first assistant art director
Clément Hurel .... poster artist
Jacques Martin .... property master
 
Sound Department
Raymond Gauguier .... sound engineer
 
Special Effects by
Pierre Lax .... special effects
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Louis Castelli .... still photographer
Jean Rabier .... first assistant camera
Vincent Rossell .... still photographer
André Villard .... camera operator
 
Editorial Department
Madeleine Bibollet .... assistant editor
Kenout Peltier .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
Kenny Clarke .... musician: drums
Miles Davis .... musician: trumpet
Emilhenco .... musician: piano (as René Urtreger)
Pierre Michelot .... musician: bass
Barney Wilen .... musician: tenor sax
 
Other crew
Francine Corteggiani .... script supervisor
Jean-Paul Sassy .... technical advisor
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Ascenseur pour l'échafaud" - France (original title)
"Frantic" - USA
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
88 min
Country:
France
Language:
French | German
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Australia:PG | West Germany:12 | Norway:16 | Netherlands:12 (re-release) (2005) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1958) | Finland:K-16 | Argentina:16
Filming Locations:
26 Rue de Courcelles, Paris 8, Paris, FranceSee more »
Company:
Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)See more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Miles Davis recorded the music with a quartet of French musicians in a few hours (from 11pm to 5am one night), improvising each number and sipping champagne with Jeanne Moreau and Louis Malle.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: Seen from the outside during the opening telephone call, Tavernier's office has a bare walkway and railing. Seen from the inside during the same telephone call, the walkway outside his office has a shrubbery.See more »
Quotes:
Le commissaire Cherrier:you see madam there are always several photos in a cameraSee more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in My Wife Is an Actress (2001)See more »

FAQ

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
30 out of 52 people found the following review useful.
pleasure to watch, 18 December 2000
Author: Berrin

I have seen several movies where a movie was very interesting at the time it was filmed, but is barely watchable today if not funny because of technological obsoleteness. This is not one of them. The plot is very interesting and is not at all predictable, making me wonder why it was not copied by later movies. This movie made me proud of myself for going to that art cinema without knowing anything about it, and watching it with a few other poor souls who had nothing else to do on a Friday afternoon. Definitely the best b/w movie and the best French movie I have seen, and one of the best films I have seen in the past 5 years.

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