Cincinnati CityBeat : 04/26/2006 : Couch Potato: Video and DVD

Elevator to the Gallows

1957, Not Rated

It's never too late to have your view about film history changed. This new release -- in a gloriously pristine high-definition digital transfer -- of Louis Malle's debut feature, 1957's black-and-white, noirish Elevator to the Gallows, does that. It reveals that the great French New Wave movement not only started before Jean-Luc Godard's 1959 Breathless, but also that Godard was influenced by the two unforgettable teenage delinquents in Elevator when creating Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg's characters in his film. But in Malle's Elevator, those kids are just supporting characters. The main story is about how Maurice Ronet gets trapped in an elevator after killing the husband of his lover (the eternally soulful Jeanne Moreau). His disappearance leaves her to search Parisian streets for him while Miles Davis' memorable score plays. Criterion outdoes itself with extras -- a second disc features new and archival interviews, footage of Davis recording, Malle's student film and more. (Steven Rosen) Grade: A

Previously in Couch Potato

Couch Potato: Video and DVD Gamblers (LIFESIZE ENTERTAINMENT) Edited By Jason Gargano (April 12, 2006)
Couch Potato: Video and DVD The Squid and the Whale(SONY) Edited By Jason Gargano (April 12, 2006)
Couch Potato: Video and DVD Night Court: Television Favorites (WARNER HOME VIDEO) Edited By Jason Gargano (April 12, 2006)
more...

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