A classic European film noir with an irresistible score by Miles Davis, it builds tension from a series of seemingly minor mistakes that echo the political/military context of the postwar era.

Elevator to the Gallows, killer stuff.

Elevator to the Gallows married a new kind of jazz to a new kind of cinema, and created something altogether sublime.

It’s as if Malle is saying that, while the characters crave everything modern, they’re not quite up to handling it.