Review of Malle's Elevator to the Gallows

I am currently reading a book about the French New Wave and I came across Louis Malle as one of the progenitors of the Nouvelle Vague. This is his first film. And it is great. I enjoyed it immensely, especially the ending. The use of still photographs developing in the basin to reveal the devastating evidence of the heroine's affair with Tavernier was heartbreaking. Her voice over made it so bitter. So hard to swallow.

From a narrative perspective it developed nicely from a short film about infidelity and murder to a twisted plot that involved young lovers and German tourists. Those excruciating minutes in the elevator without music or voice over were executed well. I could feel Tavernier's desperation. Yet, surprisingly he never showed much desperation. I thought he might be frantically trying to escape from the elevator. Ripping everything apart, trying to squeeze himself out through the opening, but the most he did was bang his hand against a wall. It led me to consider what I would do if I was in that situation. How would I write it? Perhaps it's French trait to remain calm under excruciating circumstances. Je ne sais pas!

The rest of the film roles of the tongue like a well read verse of poetry The end starts when Mrs. Carala is taken into custody. From their the descent is into the resolving of all the conflicts. The major conflict is whether Tavernier is going to be found out and the conspiracy revealed to kill Monsier Carala. Eventually the police get their men with women in tow. I really like the detectives lines when he is weighing how Mrs. Carala will fair against a jury. That is a great montage of the detectives voice, Mrs. Carala's inner voice, and the photo which is slowly developing in the chemistry. And the fact that the young crook goes there and finds himself easily implicated with the photos is so classic. A criminal making a dumb and fatal error. It all wraps up tidily with some suspense and relief.

This film is considered, like it's director, to be New Wave by some, and not by other Film Historians. It does have a Nouvelle Vague sensibility to it. There are numerous street scenes which were totally New Wave. Yet it does have elements of classical cinema in it. For example the plot deals with infidelity and conspiracy which could be akin to a Hitchcock thriller. The driving scenes are also very New Wave. The shot of the big French highway was totally modern, and New Wave. I was really impressed by the shot of the highway. Completely different from those old scenes of people driving with fake road in the background passing them by. And the editing worked well. Two stories diverged and the editing allowed them to be spun together and meet at an end point where everything was resolved.

Great movie!