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IMDbPro

Elevator to the Gallows

Original title: Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
  • 1958
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
27K
YOUR RATING
Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
The new restoration of Louis Malle's ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS, starring Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, and Lino Ventura, and featuring music by Miles Davis, opens Wednesday August 3 at New York's Film Forum.
Play trailer1:49
1 Video
78 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller

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

  • Director
    • Louis Malle
  • Writers
    • Roger Nimier
    • Louis Malle
    • Noël Calef
  • Stars
    • Jeanne Moreau
    • Maurice Ronet
    • Georges Poujouly
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    27K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Louis Malle
    • Writers
      • Roger Nimier
      • Louis Malle
      • Noël Calef
    • Stars
      • Jeanne Moreau
      • Maurice Ronet
      • Georges Poujouly
    • 130User reviews
    • 137Critic reviews
    • 94Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Elevator to the Gallows Trailer - Digital Restoration
    Trailer 1:49
    Watch Elevator to the Gallows Trailer - Digital Restoration

    Photos78

    Maurice Ronet in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Maurice Ronet in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Maurice Ronet in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Charles Denner, Jeanne Moreau, and Lino Ventura in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Yori Bertin and Jeanne Moreau in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Maurice Ronet in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Maurice Ronet and Lino Ventura in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Charles Denner and Jeanne Moreau in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Maurice Ronet and Jean Wall in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Miles Davis and Jeanne Moreau in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Louis Malle and Jeanne Moreau in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
    Jeanne Moreau in Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jeanne Moreau
    Jeanne Moreau
    • Florence Carala
    Maurice Ronet
    Maurice Ronet
    • Julien Tavernier
    Georges Poujouly
    Georges Poujouly
    • Louis
    Yori Bertin
    Yori Bertin
    • Véronique
    Jean Wall
    Jean Wall
    • Simon Carala
    Elga Andersen
    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
    Gérard Darrieu
    • Maurice
    Charles Denner
    Charles Denner
    • L'adjoint du commissaire Cherrier
    Hubert Deschamps
    Hubert Deschamps
    • Le substitut du procureur
    Jacques Hilling
    Jacques Hilling
    • Le garagiste
    Marcel Journet
    • Le président du conseil d'administration
    François Joux
    • Commissaire de police
    Iván Petrovich
    Iván Petrovich
    • Horst Bencker
    • Director
      • Louis Malle
    • Writers
      • Roger Nimier
      • Louis Malle
      • Noël Calef
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Miles Davis recorded the music in a single recording session while he watched a screening. He composed it while watching a rough cut and then invited a quartet of French and US musicians in a for few hours (from 11pm to 5am one night), improvising each number and allegedly sipping champagne with Jeanne Moreau and Louis Malle.
    • Goofs
      When Florence arrives at the motel, the photos are just being developed - with the lights on! Exposing the prints to light before fixation would make them turn black. By the way, it's not recommended to put your hands into developer.
    • Quotes

      Commissaire de police: Anything's good for an alibi. Wives, girlfriends, bartenders, childhood friends, deceived husbands - but not an elevator. That's ridiculous. It's totally harebrained.

    • Connections
      Featured in Arcana, connaissance de la musique: Musique et cinéma: 1 La musique de films (1969)
    • Soundtracks
      Ascenseur Pour L'Échafaud (Générique)
      Composed by Miles Davis

      Performed by Miles Davis (Trumpet), Barney Wilen (Tenor Saxophone), Emilhenco (as René Urtreger) (Piano), Pierre Michelot (Bass) and Kenny Clarke (Drums)

    User reviews130

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Camera Has Many Photos
    The former Captain Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet) works in the company of the powerful arms dealer Simon Carala (Jean Wall) and is the lover of his wife Florence Carala (Jeanne Moreau). Julien and Florence plot a scheme to kill Simon simulating a suicide. Julien stays after-hours in the company with the telephone operator and the doorman and comes to his office. He climbs to Simon's office using a rope outside the window and kills the executive. He runs to his office to attend a phone call and forgets the rope, and leaves the building with the two employees to have an alibi. When he is ready to drive his car, he sees the rope hanging outside the building and he returns to withdraw the rope, leaving his overcoat and revolver in the car. When he enters in the lift, the doorman shutdown the building and Julien is trapped inside the elevator.

    Meanwhile the smalltime thief Louis (Georges Poujouly) steals Julien's car and drives to a motel with his girlfriend Véronique (Yori Bertin) and lodge using the name of Julien. They drink with the German tourists Horst Bencker (Iván Petrovich) and his wife Frieda Bencker (Elga Andersen) and early in the morning, Louis tries to steal his Mercedes Benz. When he is surprised by Horst, Louis shots and kills the couple. Julien Tavernier becomes the prime suspect of the murder and when he leaves the lift, he does not have alibi for the murder of Simon Carala and the German tourists.

    "Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud" is the first feature of Louis Malle, who is also one of the writers. The unpredictable and original story is fantastic, the screenplay has many plot points until the very last scene and the performances are top-notch.

    Julien Tavernier is a methodic military with cold blood that gets caught between the rock and a hard place due to a mistake and lots of bad luck. The soundtrack with the music of Miles Davis gives a touch of class to this little masterpiece. The result is one of the best thrillers entwined with comedy of errors that I have ever seen. My vote is nine.

    Title (Brazil): "Ascensor Para o Cadafalso" ("Elevator to the Gallows")
    helpful•28
    5
    • claudio_carvalho
    • Oct 6, 2011

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 29, 1958 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Official site
      • Rialto Pictures
    • Languages
      • French
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Frantic
    • Filming locations
      • 26 Rue de Courcelles, Paris 8, Paris, France(Tavernier climbing on the upper terrace)
    • Production company
      • Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $374,671
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,354
      • Jun 26, 2005
    • Gross worldwide
      • $431,784
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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