Louis Malle
Posted: March 23rd, 2011, 4:37 pm
While I'd seen some Louis Malle's films, I've been watching a lot that are new to me and in order or production.
I'm not quite sure if Malle was, or even considered himself part of the New Wave, but clearly many of his earlier films included many of components of the New Wave, most notably his use of actual locations and source lighting and filming techniques. In some of his early films, Malle, like Godard, manipulates his film speeds, employs jumps cuts, etc., But, unlike Godard, Malle seems to use these techniques more to punctuate or elicit an emotion from the viewer (usually a laugh), rather than remind the viewer that one is watching a film.
Unlike Truffaut, Godard, Rohmer, Chabrol, et al, I have been finding it difficult to define exactly what a Louis Malle is. There is no discernible style , per se. No favorite camera moves, shots, themes, nothing I can see, so far, that says "This is a Louis Malle Film". This is not to say that I don't like Malle's films; on the contrary, of the six I've watched so far, four are classics, or close to. (The other two star Brigitte Bardot, both of which require at least another viewing or two to really assess, just to be on the safe side.) Perhaps by not having his own style, Malle was focusing on servicing the script (often written or co-written by Malle himself), or maybe I'm just missing the style. In any event, I'm more than pleasantly surprised by his films.
The first few:
Elevator to the Gallows (1958) I've seen this three times in the last two years and it hasn't lost any of its initial impact, and perhaps gained some. One of my favorite noir films (admittedly, a genre I don't know well), it's hard to beat the mixture of claustrophobia (Malle was a student of Bresson) and the deserted, rainy streets of Paris. The film is taut, exciting, and even after multiple viewings, full of surprises. The shots of Jeanne Moreau walking the dark streets of Paris in the rain with the haunting improvised score by Miles Davis on the soundtrack, now that's cinema!
(This film was released a year before Truffaut's debut feature, and I dunno, it sure feels like a New Wave film to me.)
The Lovers (1958) First time seeing this and I hate to give anything away, although the story really isn't all that complicated or even particularly original. But wow is it told well, with lots of loving close-ups of Moreau (both full face and profile), and there's a lengthy sequence, two-thirds or more in the film that is one of the best depictions of, if not falling in actual love, than falling in that hard-to-define initial attraction that is often mistaken for love. There's a sex scene, which is far from gratuitous and would likely warrant a PG-13 today, but was the scene that brought the film to the Supreme Court in the famous case where pornography was defined as "I know it when I see it." I assure you (as the Court did), this ain't even close. Pretty great.
Zazie dans le métro (1960) Think of a film directed by Richard Lester, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, and Max Sennett. Let's toss in a bit of Magical Mystery Tour, too. This is that kind of film, and then some. It's about a twelve-year old girl who visits relatives in Paris and all she wants to do is ride the metro. But the métro workers are on strike…
This gags come fast and furry-ous (remember, it's like Chuck Jones), and the movie really is a mix of silent comedy and Warner Brothers cartoons. Malle uses every cinematic trick in the book, mostly to great effect (admittedly, the film is somewhat tiring, in the best possible way), and at the very least, one has no idea what to expect next. Zazie is played by Catherine Demongeot, who has one of the most adorable smiles in film, and this is one of the earlier films starring the great Philippe Noiret! Again, filmed on location in Paris (even if you hate the movie, make sure to watch the sequences on the Eiffel Tower--they are breathtaking) and the color looks like Malle filmed on an MGM soundstage. Glorious.
I'm not quite sure if Malle was, or even considered himself part of the New Wave, but clearly many of his earlier films included many of components of the New Wave, most notably his use of actual locations and source lighting and filming techniques. In some of his early films, Malle, like Godard, manipulates his film speeds, employs jumps cuts, etc., But, unlike Godard, Malle seems to use these techniques more to punctuate or elicit an emotion from the viewer (usually a laugh), rather than remind the viewer that one is watching a film.
Unlike Truffaut, Godard, Rohmer, Chabrol, et al, I have been finding it difficult to define exactly what a Louis Malle is. There is no discernible style , per se. No favorite camera moves, shots, themes, nothing I can see, so far, that says "This is a Louis Malle Film". This is not to say that I don't like Malle's films; on the contrary, of the six I've watched so far, four are classics, or close to. (The other two star Brigitte Bardot, both of which require at least another viewing or two to really assess, just to be on the safe side.) Perhaps by not having his own style, Malle was focusing on servicing the script (often written or co-written by Malle himself), or maybe I'm just missing the style. In any event, I'm more than pleasantly surprised by his films.
The first few:
Elevator to the Gallows (1958) I've seen this three times in the last two years and it hasn't lost any of its initial impact, and perhaps gained some. One of my favorite noir films (admittedly, a genre I don't know well), it's hard to beat the mixture of claustrophobia (Malle was a student of Bresson) and the deserted, rainy streets of Paris. The film is taut, exciting, and even after multiple viewings, full of surprises. The shots of Jeanne Moreau walking the dark streets of Paris in the rain with the haunting improvised score by Miles Davis on the soundtrack, now that's cinema!
(This film was released a year before Truffaut's debut feature, and I dunno, it sure feels like a New Wave film to me.)
The Lovers (1958) First time seeing this and I hate to give anything away, although the story really isn't all that complicated or even particularly original. But wow is it told well, with lots of loving close-ups of Moreau (both full face and profile), and there's a lengthy sequence, two-thirds or more in the film that is one of the best depictions of, if not falling in actual love, than falling in that hard-to-define initial attraction that is often mistaken for love. There's a sex scene, which is far from gratuitous and would likely warrant a PG-13 today, but was the scene that brought the film to the Supreme Court in the famous case where pornography was defined as "I know it when I see it." I assure you (as the Court did), this ain't even close. Pretty great.
Zazie dans le métro (1960) Think of a film directed by Richard Lester, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, and Max Sennett. Let's toss in a bit of Magical Mystery Tour, too. This is that kind of film, and then some. It's about a twelve-year old girl who visits relatives in Paris and all she wants to do is ride the metro. But the métro workers are on strike…
This gags come fast and furry-ous (remember, it's like Chuck Jones), and the movie really is a mix of silent comedy and Warner Brothers cartoons. Malle uses every cinematic trick in the book, mostly to great effect (admittedly, the film is somewhat tiring, in the best possible way), and at the very least, one has no idea what to expect next. Zazie is played by Catherine Demongeot, who has one of the most adorable smiles in film, and this is one of the earlier films starring the great Philippe Noiret! Again, filmed on location in Paris (even if you hate the movie, make sure to watch the sequences on the Eiffel Tower--they are breathtaking) and the color looks like Malle filmed on an MGM soundstage. Glorious.