A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.
Director:
Louis Malle
From metacritic.com
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Title: Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| 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 |
|
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Micheline Bona | ... | Geneviève |
|
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Gisèle Grandpré | ... | Jacqueline Mauclair |
|
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Jacqueline Staup | ... | Anna |
|
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Marcel Cuvelier | ... | Le réceptionniste du motel |
|
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Gérard Darrieu | ... | Maurice |
| Charles Denner | ... | L'adjoint du commissaire Cherrier | |
| Hubert Deschamps | ... | Le substitut du procureur | |
|
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Jacques Hilling | ... | Le garagiste |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
Florence Carala and her lover Julien Tavernier, an ex - paratrooper want to murder her husband by faking a suicide. But after Julien has killed him and he puts his things in his car, he finds he has forgotten the rope outside the window and he returns to the building to remove it... Written by Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>
Plot Keywords:
french noir | black and white film | war veteran | france | murder investigation |Taglines:
The most tense, taut 24 hours that ever confronted a woman and her lover. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
FranceRelease Date:
29 January 1958 (France) See more »Also Known As:
Elevator to the Gallows See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$7,354, 26 June 2005, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$109,257, 16 December 2016Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
(copyright length)Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
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Composed by Miles Davis
Performed by Miles Davis (Trumpet), Barney Wilen (Tenor Saxophone), René Urtreger (Piano), Pierre Michelot (Bass) and Kenny Clarke (Drums)
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Mercedes-Benz "Gullwing" 300SLs are highly sought-after collector cars now. Produced from 1954 to 1957, they originally sold for $11,000 USD. A pair (Gullwing and Roadster) were offered together for $1.3 million USD in 2009, and in 2012 an extremely rare 1955 model with aluminum body (of which only 29 were made) was sold for $4.62 million USD. See more »Goofs
The lift-door clearly shows "9" when Julien is stuck. What's the point lighting a cigarette-box and dropping it down the well to see how deep it is? See more »Quotes
Julien Tavernier: How many billions did the Indochina War bring you? And now Algeria, how much?See more »
Soundtracks
Dîner Au MotelComposed by Miles Davis
Performed by Miles Davis (Trumpet), Barney Wilen (Tenor Saxophone), René Urtreger (Piano), Pierre Michelot (Bass) and Kenny Clarke (Drums)
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This film is a master piece. Miles Davis's music is superb. It is an object lesson on the art of combining sound and vision. The tension and the brooding Parisian atmosphere are heightened with cool and poignant playing. It is surprising (to the best of my knowledge) that this is the only complete original film score he produced.
The story of the crime is clever. It has reasonable human motivation and plot, and is steadily revealed. But, it is the study of 'being in the wrong place at the wrong time' that makes this film a classic. The series of chance events that will dramatically effect the characters' lives, give this film a similar feel to 'Run Lola Run' or 'Irreversible', dispute this film's linear structure and age. The dark cinematography is excellent.
I have only had an opportunity to see it once (I only just caught it because BBC4 listed it under its English title), but I would like to see it again.
The soundtrack is widely available, but I can not find the film on DVD or PAL VHS. This film should be available to a wider audience, for me, preferably in French with English subtitles.
P.S. This wonderful film is now available on DVD as part of the Louis Malle Collection: Volume 1. (Updated 11/10/2006.)