One of the big problems with Louis Malle's debut feature was the two lovers who plot a murder together never interact with one another except over the phone.
The film has a clever premise but fails to build enough suspense by film's end. Former paratrooper Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet) has fallen in love with his boss's wife Florence Carala (Jeanne Moreau). He climbs up to the top floor of his office building where he kills Florence's husband Simon (Jean Wall) and stages the murder to look like a suicide.
The arrogant Simon, an arms dealer, doesn't see it coming as Julien kills him with his own gun. Julien now at street level, is about to drive off to meet Florence when he spies the rope he accidentally left dangling outside Simon's office which he used to climb up to the boss's office.
Some internet posters complained how Julien could be so stupid to forget about the rope but hey, overlooking such a thing given the pressure Julien was under is entirely possible. Perhaps less convincing is that Julien could still be spotted from street level by passersby when he climbed from floor to floor.
Those who have seen the film know the twist-that Julien gets stuck in the elevator over the weekend. Unfortunately, the main plot involving Julien's disappearance, his unsuccessful attempts to free himself from the elevator and Florence's failed attempt to locate Julien, all those dead spot machinations slow the story down (especially Florence going around and asking acquaintances of Julien if they've seen him).
The sub-plot works better. Flower girl across the street Véronique (Yori Bertin) spinelessly joins her juvenile delinquent boyfriend Louis (George Poujoulay) when he decides to go for a joyride in Julien's car (after Julien had left the motor running right before returning to retrieve the errant rope and getting trapped in the elevator).
Louis proves to be the French equivalent of Charles Starkweather who was accompanied by a teenage girlfriend and committed a string of murders in the badlands area of Nebraska and Wyoming beginning right before Elevator to the Gallows was released.
Here Louis kills only a total of two German tourists. One finds it odd that the German tourist is so jovial at first after Louis intentionally rams into his Mercedes Benz in front of the motel where the two couples end up staying the night.
In some ways "Elevator" may have worked better as a black comedy. Case in point: the failed suicide of the two teenagers.
The ultimate irony occurs when Julien is arrested at first for the murder of the German tourists. The police don't believe his story he was trapped in the elevator because Louis used Julien's gun to kill the tourists.
Moreau finally gets to do a little acting when she follows Louis to the photo developer where incriminating pictures of Louis and Véronique are being developed.
Quite unconvincingly, a child is shown earlier picking up the rope that Julien had forgot and was so desperately trying to retrieve before ending up trapped in the elevator (I thought it odd that the rope did not fall further away from the building).
Worse yet, Police Commissaire Cherrier (played by iconic French actor Lino Ventura) no longer has the rope to tie Julien to Simon's murder.
But fortunately for him, pictures of Julien and Florence embracing are found on the same role of film that incriminates the teenagers.
It seemed a bit odd that the motel would have film developing store on the premises but perhaps it was commonplace in France at that time (I have no idea).
Everything is tied up in a nice bow with all the criminals getting their just desserts.
Some like Miles Davis's improvised jazz score which gives "Elevator" its film noir texture. For me a Bernard Hermann score would have been much better.
If not for the plot holes and the dead spots, Malle's debut feature could have ended up closer to one of Alfred Hitchcock's more successful suspense thrillers. Some of it is clever but just not clever enough.
The film has a clever premise but fails to build enough suspense by film's end. Former paratrooper Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet) has fallen in love with his boss's wife Florence Carala (Jeanne Moreau). He climbs up to the top floor of his office building where he kills Florence's husband Simon (Jean Wall) and stages the murder to look like a suicide.
The arrogant Simon, an arms dealer, doesn't see it coming as Julien kills him with his own gun. Julien now at street level, is about to drive off to meet Florence when he spies the rope he accidentally left dangling outside Simon's office which he used to climb up to the boss's office.
Some internet posters complained how Julien could be so stupid to forget about the rope but hey, overlooking such a thing given the pressure Julien was under is entirely possible. Perhaps less convincing is that Julien could still be spotted from street level by passersby when he climbed from floor to floor.
Those who have seen the film know the twist-that Julien gets stuck in the elevator over the weekend. Unfortunately, the main plot involving Julien's disappearance, his unsuccessful attempts to free himself from the elevator and Florence's failed attempt to locate Julien, all those dead spot machinations slow the story down (especially Florence going around and asking acquaintances of Julien if they've seen him).
The sub-plot works better. Flower girl across the street Véronique (Yori Bertin) spinelessly joins her juvenile delinquent boyfriend Louis (George Poujoulay) when he decides to go for a joyride in Julien's car (after Julien had left the motor running right before returning to retrieve the errant rope and getting trapped in the elevator).
Louis proves to be the French equivalent of Charles Starkweather who was accompanied by a teenage girlfriend and committed a string of murders in the badlands area of Nebraska and Wyoming beginning right before Elevator to the Gallows was released.
Here Louis kills only a total of two German tourists. One finds it odd that the German tourist is so jovial at first after Louis intentionally rams into his Mercedes Benz in front of the motel where the two couples end up staying the night.
In some ways "Elevator" may have worked better as a black comedy. Case in point: the failed suicide of the two teenagers.
The ultimate irony occurs when Julien is arrested at first for the murder of the German tourists. The police don't believe his story he was trapped in the elevator because Louis used Julien's gun to kill the tourists.
Moreau finally gets to do a little acting when she follows Louis to the photo developer where incriminating pictures of Louis and Véronique are being developed.
Quite unconvincingly, a child is shown earlier picking up the rope that Julien had forgot and was so desperately trying to retrieve before ending up trapped in the elevator (I thought it odd that the rope did not fall further away from the building).
Worse yet, Police Commissaire Cherrier (played by iconic French actor Lino Ventura) no longer has the rope to tie Julien to Simon's murder.
But fortunately for him, pictures of Julien and Florence embracing are found on the same role of film that incriminates the teenagers.
It seemed a bit odd that the motel would have film developing store on the premises but perhaps it was commonplace in France at that time (I have no idea).
Everything is tied up in a nice bow with all the criminals getting their just desserts.
Some like Miles Davis's improvised jazz score which gives "Elevator" its film noir texture. For me a Bernard Hermann score would have been much better.
If not for the plot holes and the dead spots, Malle's debut feature could have ended up closer to one of Alfred Hitchcock's more successful suspense thrillers. Some of it is clever but just not clever enough.