For his feature debut, twenty-four-year-old Louis Malle brought together a mesmerizing performance by Jeanne Moreau, evocative cinematography by Henri Decaë, and a now legendary jazz score by Miles Davis. Taking place over the course of one restless Paris night, Malle’s richly atmospheric crime thriller stars Moreau and Maurice Ronet as star-crossed lovers whose plan to murder her husband (his boss) goes awry, setting off a chain of events that seals their fate. A career touchstone for its director and female star, Elevator to the Gallows was an astonishing beginning to Malle’s eclectic body of work, and it established Moreau as one of the most captivating actors to ever grace the screen.
Bonus Features
.Interview from 2005 with actor Jeanne Moreau
.Archival interviews with Moreau, director Louis Malle, actor Maurice Ronet, and original soundtrack session pianist René Urtreger
.Footage of Miles Davis and Malle from the soundtrack recording session
.Program from 2005 about the score featuring jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis and critic Gary Giddins
.Malle’s student film Crazeologie, featuring Charlie Parker’s song “Crazeology”
.Trailers
.A booklet featuring an essay by critic Terrence Rafferty, an interview with Malle, and a tribute by film producer Vincent Malle
Elevator to the Gallows Blu-Ray-$39.95
Elevator to the Gallows DVD-$29.95
