Louis Malle Collection: Volume 1 [DVD] [1958]

Optimum present in this first set four of Louis Malle's best films: Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (1957); Les Amants (1958); Zazie Dans Le Metro (1960); Le Feu Follet (1963). Louis Malle was never considered to be a part of the French New Wave mostly because only directors associated with the Cahiers Du Cinema were. However I believe he can be filed under French New Wave. Louis Malle had worked as an assistant to Jacques Cousteau and Robert Bresson before he made his directorial debut.

ASCENSEUR POUR L'ECHAFAUD (Elevator To The Scaffold) 1957

This film is essentially a French Film Noir starring Jeanne Moreau who would become a kind of muse for the New Wave, and Maurice Ronet who later star in another of Louis Malle's films, Le Feu Follet. `Ascenseur' is similar in structure to other classic American film noirs like `Double Indemnity' (1944); `Postman Always Rings Twice'(1946); `Body Heat'(1981) and of course the Italian Neo Realist `Ossessione'(1942). Basically a wife and lover plot to kill her husband and live happily ever after but it all goes wrong. The stars in this film would have to be firstly Henri Decai's night cinematography. Decai made many important films for Jean-Pierre Melville (Les Enfants Terribles-1950; Bob Le Flambeur-1955; Le Samourai-1967) and Francois Truffaut (400 Blows-1959) The other star is the music score by jazz legend Miles Davis. The emotional tracking shots of Jeanne Moreau walking around Paris streets at night accompanied by Miles' score are quite sublime. The scenes in the elevator remind me a lot of `A Man Escaped' by Robert Bresson whom Louis Malle assisted in the making of.

LES AMANTS (The Lovers) 1958

This film is probably the lesser of the four in this set due to the fact that it is rather sentimental. However the cinematography by Henri Decai again makes it really worth a look. `Les Amants' does however have quite a reputation due to censorship issues concerning certain love scenes. In 1958 the film was cut or completely banned in some states in America. Looking at them now they appear rather tame but they must be the earliest nudity I've seen in cinema up to this point. Jeanne Moreau stars again in the lead role.

ZAZIE DANS LE METRO (1961)

Zazie comes to Paris and all she wants to do is ride on the Metro but due to a strike the Metro is closed so Zazie decides to explore on her own leading to a whirlwind adventure. It sustains a high tempo for much of the film. For me there is one line in particular that I loved with regard to Zazie bad language where her uncle says `that's the New Wave for you'.

LE FEU FOLLET (The Fire Within) 1963

For me this was the best film in the set. `Le Feu Follet' is adapted from the novel of the same name by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle. It's a novel about a friend of Rochelle's called Jacques Rigaut, a surrealist/dadaist poet who committed suicide in 1929 at the age of 31. The film stars Maurice Ronet again in the lead role as recovering alcoholic who set a date to kill himself, before he does that he goes out and visits old friends. It's an excellent case study of intolerance for mediocrity and transition from adolescence to manhood or the failure to do that. Cinematography is by Ghislain Cloquet (Night And Fog-1955; Au Hazard Balthazar- 1966) with an Erik Satie score. In many ways `Le Feu Follet' resembles `Leaving Las Vegas' although I think this is much better.

I personally found this set to be very rewarding and I'm sure you will to.

I can't remember how many times I have watched the strangely atmospheric but beautifully filmed and directed ' Lift to the Scaffold ' ( included in this fine collection ) with its haunting Miles Davies soundtrack but each time it seems to get better and better.This and the second volume of Louis Malle films are a must for anyone interested in French New Wave cinema and some really insightful interviews with his brother for background info on the films and the director himself in the extra's.

I bought this set together with vol 2. The transfer is very good and three of the four films are real classics and well worth watching several times. Ascenceur pour L'Echafaud is one of the early nouvelle vague films, as well as Les Amants. Le Feu Follet is my favourite in this set. Buy it now before it is too late!