Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

Directed by Louis Malle. Starring Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Yori Bertin, Georges Poujoly, Félix Marten, Lino Ventura, Jean Wall, Iván Petrovich, Elga Andersen.

Malle’s directorial debut is a precursor to the French New Wave and served as a breakthrough for leading lady Moreau. She plays an unhappily married woman who conspires with lover Ronet to bump off her husband (who happens to be Ronet’s boss), but in a caustic twist of fate, he gets trapped in an elevator after doing the dirty deed in the same building. Fresh, offbeat, and despairing, with striking camerawork amid unfavorable lighting, and a plot structure that feels as improvisational as Miles Davis’ jazz score—it’s nothing special story-wise, but what style and technique. A clear jumping-off point for Godard’s later Breathless, but dare it be said, this one is superior.

82/100