Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (Elevator to the Gallows) (Lift to the Scaffold) (Frantic) (1957)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  Many elements of this film were breakthroughs - and it is a wicked cool film. But... I can't help thinking it was a little slight and really relied on those very elements - Jeanne Moreau's haunting performance, the brilliant camerawork and Miles' genius score to… More
  Many elements of this film were breakthroughs - and it is a wicked cool film. But... I can't help thinking it was a little slight and really relied on those very elements - Jeanne Moreau's haunting performance, the brilliant camerawork and Miles' genius score to carry it. What am I saying? Never mind.

• Melvin W

  
  Elevator to the Gallows is a solid French thriller, that is very similar to Hitchcock movies. There's a lot of suspense, but no twists and turns. We are told everything that it is going on, but there's still a lot of suspense. All of the performances are very good especially… More
  Elevator to the Gallows is a solid French thriller, that is very similar to Hitchcock movies. There's a lot of suspense, but no twists and turns. We are told everything that it is going on, but there's still a lot of suspense. All of the performances are very good especially Jeanne Moreau. Miles Davis' score is fantastic and suits the movie well. When people say, "they don't make them like they used to;" this is the type of movie that they are referring to.

• jay n

  
  Clever, atmospheric thriller with a fine Miles Davis score.

• danny d

  
  a hitchcockian thriller that was not only malle's first film but an anomaly in that he never touched the genre again. what he accomplished with this film at 24 years old is remarkable in that so few other crime stories have ever touched the flawless execution and tension… More
  a hitchcockian thriller that was not only malle's first film but an anomaly in that he never touched the genre again. what he accomplished with this film at 24 years old is remarkable in that so few other crime stories have ever touched the flawless execution and tension building that we find in this film. the miles davis score is perfect as a tone setter considering he recorded the entire thing in one day. the way the film was shot, the intricacies of the plot, and the excellent acting all come together to form a perfect movie. usually in noir style films the detective character is an emphasis, but the great lino ventura blends into this highly detailed story in an appropriately subtle way. a masterpiece of film making.

• Anthony L

  
  Louis Malle's debut marked the start of new wave cinema in France. Lift to the Scaffold is Hitchcock meets Godard, soaked in pure unadulterated cool. A classic thriller and an important historical film. Brilliant!

• Randy T

  
  Exquisite crime drama that kept me in suspense from beginning to end. It's really three stories seamlessly interwoven and simultaneous, topped off by a Miles Davis score that's just fantastic.

• El Hombre I

  
  One of the craftiest films in the history of cinema, Elevator to the Gallows marked the start of the French New Wave. This film is just cool, not only visually but in the sound department. The legendary score was composed by none other than Miles Davis. The sound of his trumpet… More
  One of the craftiest films in the history of cinema, Elevator to the Gallows marked the start of the French New Wave. This film is just cool, not only visually but in the sound department. The legendary score was composed by none other than Miles Davis. The sound of his trumpet dancing around Jeanne Moreau in the dark Parisian night provided the perfect ambience as she wanders, searching for her accomplice. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=elevatortothegallows.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/elevatortothegallows.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Cindy I

  
  If you like "Breathless", you'll like this. A very similar feel to it. And if you like looking at Jeanne Moreau, even better. She's prominent in this and she's gorgeous. A couple of things made me scratch my head and go "Huh?", but for the most part… More
  If you like "Breathless", you'll like this. A very similar feel to it. And if you like looking at Jeanne Moreau, even better. She's prominent in this and she's gorgeous. A couple of things made me scratch my head and go "Huh?", but for the most part a well-done film, and it gets an extra star because I really REALLY dig how they wrapped everything up. Definitely worth a couple of hours of your time.

• Michael G

  
  I liked a lot about Elevator to the Gallows despite the suspension of disbelief some elements of the story required (a military badass forgetting his rope and leaving his car running? Come on!) but I really liked the interrogation scene and Miles Davis' score (lots of great… More
  I liked a lot about Elevator to the Gallows despite the suspension of disbelief some elements of the story required (a military badass forgetting his rope and leaving his car running? Come on!) but I really liked the interrogation scene and Miles Davis' score (lots of great extras with him on the DVD) alone is worth the viewing. Watching Moreau skulk around for nearly an hour got a little boring, even if she did it very well and looked very good doing it. I like how everything came together at the end even if it came off as a little boring around the middle.

• Gevvy S

  
  Very stylish film with a very intriguing premise. Watching this film reminded me of the feeling I had when I watched Godard's Breathless. The cool protagonist and a seductive blonde as his partner, accompanied by a classy score, this is a film that epitomizes the French noir… More
  Very stylish film with a very intriguing premise. Watching this film reminded me of the feeling I had when I watched Godard's Breathless. The cool protagonist and a seductive blonde as his partner, accompanied by a classy score, this is a film that epitomizes the French noir films of it's time. The one problem I had was when Louis cannot steal the German's Mercedes because the German hid something the first gear of the gearbox. After Louis kills him, he manages to drive away in the Mercedes without adjusting any gearbox or anything; it wasn't a huge deal but it was confusing. Although there is quite a break from convention, the ending does not manage to tie up all the loose ends in a completely logical and realistic manner. Malle does cover his tracks and there is not any inconsistency in the ending, however, it seemed a bit out of place with the rest of the film.

• a b

  
  Maybe this was rereleased in 2005, but it was 1957 or something like that. The Criterion DVD is amazing--it's perfectly remastered. Plus it has an original soundtrack by Miles Davis, which was pretty awesome.

• Emily B

  
  'Ascenseur pour l'échafaud' is gorgeous to the eyes and the ears. Every frame of Henri Decaë's cinematography is indeed pretty enough to frame and the Miles Davis soundtrack is superb. Moreau puts in a great performance, the scenes of her walking through Paris… More
  'Ascenseur pour l'échafaud' is gorgeous to the eyes and the ears. Every frame of Henri Decaë's cinematography is indeed pretty enough to frame and the Miles Davis soundtrack is superb. Moreau puts in a great performance, the scenes of her walking through Paris really are a joy to watch. Malle succesfully blended Film Noir with the coolness of the Nouvelle Vague and created and truly original and thrilling masterpiece.

• Patrick D

  
  Good French noir-y fun.

Read all 13 featured audience ratings