Elevator to the Gallows

I like Noir flicks, and I like French flicks, but I usually hate French noir flicks: they never seem to get it right--they always insist on trying to insert a moral into the ending.

Last night I saw a possible exception, Elevator to the Gallows. I think it may have been Louis Malle's first movie. It had the typical French ending problems, but it also had a fantastic sound track composed by Miles Davis that more than made up for it.

It was sort of a minimalist scoring comprised of sweet jazz--perfect in every way from the minute the film begins to roll. The movie was worth going to just to listen to music interact with the action. After Miles Davis scored this flick, I don't see how anybody made a noir flick without asking him to do the sound track. Compare it to the wailing gangs of saxes used in a Japanese noir film, let's say Tokyo Drifter (a film I dearly love), and it becomes apparent how difficult it is to nail it.

This film was recently remastered. If you get a chance to see it at an art house with a decent sound system, check it out.