Louis Malle Elevator to the Gallows Ascenseur pour l'échafaud Jeanne Moreau DVD Review

(aka 'Elevator to the Gallows' or 'Elevator to the Scaffold' or 'Frantic' or 'Lift to the Scaffold')

Directed by Louis Malle
France 1958

In his mesmerizing debut, twenty-four-year-old director Louis Malle brought together the beauty of Jeanne Moreau, the camerawork of Henri Decaë, and the now legendary score by Miles Davis. A touchstone of the careers of both its star and director, Elevator to the Gallows (Ascenseur pour l'échafaud) is a richly atmospheric thriller of mistaken identity unfolding over one tense night in Paris.

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Theatrical Release: January 29th, 1958

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DVD Review: Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 335 - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:31:21
Video	1.66:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.87 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	french (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.66:1 Edition Details: • New interview with actor Jeanne Moreau (17:58) • Archival interviews with Louis Malle (17:04), actors Maurice Ronet (4:36) and Moreau, and original soundtrack session pianist René Urtreger • Malle and Moreau at Cannes (10:38) • Footage of Miles Davis and Louis Malle from the soundtrack recording session • New video program about the score with jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis and critic Gary Giddins (24:58) • Malle's student film Crazeologie, featuring the title song by Charlie Parker (6:16) • Theatrical trailers • Liner notes booklet featuring essay by critic Terrence Rafferty, an interview with Louis Malle, and a tribute by film producer Vincent Malle DVD Release Date: April 25th, 2006 Double thick keep case Chapters: 22

Comments:

Fabulous package by Criterion. Absolutely everything about it is top notch - a great image -> super detail, fabulous contrast. Extras on the second disc are all very interesting - I especially enjoyed the new interview with Jeanne Moreau and the archival one with Malle. The Miles Davis stuff is tremendous - the short student film was... well, a student film. Overall, it misses nothing except a commentary.

Regarding the film - I was extremely impressed and rank it as a new favorite noir. Brilliantly paced with plot details revealed frugally. It follows no typical crime-film formula, but climaxes with blunt practicality. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this - I loved every minute. This is a true Film Noir.

Gary W. Tooze

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