Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

This directorial feature debut by Malle is abundant with a tense pizzazz. Complemented with jazz soundtracks and dizzying street design, Malle offers up a sensuous addition to the crime thriller genre. Multiple narratives are layered upon one another in a graceful balancing act, all leading to the same fatalistic outcome. Julien Tavernier believes he has gotten away with murder, and yet, he is entirely thrown off by being unexpectedly stuck in an elevator. Meanwhile, we witness a couple steal his car, enter a motel, and engage in murders of their own. In her deep disillusionment at Tavernier’s supposed transgressions, Mrs. Carala accidentally divulges information that strengthens Tavernier’s German tourist murders cases. Despite all of this, however, it is the camera — an incidental object — that unravels the truths about both murder cases. The drama of the different storylines are ironically undermined by a mere afterthought, a seemingly trivial detail which demonstrates that the outcome was destined to be. Elevator to the Gallows is a great example of narrative interplay and detail emphasis.