Summer 2017 TBD
The Louis Malle Collection from Artificial Eye (UK) - 10 discs
Lift to the Scaffold a.k.a. Elevator to the Gallows
French black comedy in which a crime of passion goes horribly wrong when the killer gets trapped in a lift. As Julien (Maurice Ronet)'s lover, Florence Carala (Jeanne Moreau) - who also happens to be the victim's wife - is out searching for him in Paris, a young hood and his girl steal the killer's car, complicating matters further. This was Louis Malle's first film as director and it partly set the tone for the 'new wave' to come. It is also notable for its famous jazz score, improvised in one night by Miles Davis while the film was being projected.
Les Amants a.k.a. The Lovers
An early classic from Louis Malle with Jeanne Moreau as a woman desperate to free herself from a provincial marriage. So she heads for the excitement of Paris with her friends. A chance encounter gives her the excitement she has been craving for.
Zazie dans le Métro
This merry farce depicts a satirical view of the French society: Ten-year-old Zazie has to stay two days with her relatives in Paris, so that her mother can spend some time with her lover. However Zazie escapes her uncle's custody and sets out to explore Paris on her own.
The Fire Within a.k.a. Le Feu Follet
Estranged from his wife in the United States, alcoholic and self-destructive French writer Alain Leroy resolves to commit suicide and spends the next twenty-four hours visiting old friends in Paris.
Murmur of the Heart a.k.a. Le Souffle au Coeur
Louis Malle's critically acclaimed Murmur of the Heart (Le soffle au coeur) gracefully combines elements of comedy, drama, and autobiography in a candid portrait of a precocious adolescent boy's sexual maturation. Both shocking and deeply poignant, this is one of the finest coming-of-age films ever made.
Lacombe, Lucien
One of the first French films to address the issue of collaboration during the German Occupation, Louis Malle's brave and controversial Lacombe, Lucien traces a young peasant's journey from potential Resistance member to Gestapo recruit. At once the story of a nation and one troubled boy's horrific coming of age, the film is a disquieting portrait of lost innocence and guilt.
Black Moon
Louis Malle meets Lewis Carroll in this bizarre and bewitching trip down the rabbit hole. After skirting the horrors of an unidentified war being waged in an anonymous countryside, beautiful young Lily (Cathryn Harrison) takes refuge in a remote farmhouse, where she becomes embroiled in the surreal domestic life of an extremely unconventional family. Evocatively shot by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, Black Moon is a Freudian tale of adolescent sexuality set in a postapocalyptic world of shifting identities and talking animals. It is one of Malle's most experimental films and a cinematic daydream like no other.
My Dinner with Andre
A whimsical comedy about two old friends who meet in a chic New York restaurant, where Andre recounts his mystical adventures of the past two years. The focus then turns to the relationship between the two men, their innermost feelings and loves, and their different ideas concerning the purpose of life. When the check eventually comes, one of them will have profoundly changed.
Au Revoir Les Enfants
Au Revoir Les Enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss between two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie...until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle's own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.
Milou en Mai a.k.a. May Fools
This comic excursion from Louis Malle is set in May 1968, concurrent with a series of Parisian student uprisings. After the death of family matriarch Mme. Vieuzac (Paulette Dubost), the survivors converge on the French countryside for her funeral; they include her two sons, Milou (Michel Piccoli) and Georges (Michel Duchaussoy); Camille (Miou-Miou), Milou's daughter; Camille's husband and children; and granddaughter Claire (Dominique Blanc), a lesbian. With the latest news of rebellion from Paris as their soundtrack, the family members argue over property, revive long-simmering arguments, and watch in dismay as an unlikely love affair begins. When the student uprising threatens to spill over into their community, the family heads for the hills, where the great outdoors only intensifies their reunion.
