26.01.22
Events
Elevator to the Gallows (1958) / Country: France / Director: Louis Malle / Length: 91min. / Language: French / Subtitles: English / Entrance: FREE
Kino ARMATA, a public space in Prishtina that promotes alternative culture and social dialogue, has the pleasure of announcing the partnership with Alliance Française de Pristina, French Embassy in Kosovo and IF Cinema, in bringing to Prishtina and Kosovo audiences some of the most important and relevant works of French auteurs.
The films of Agnès Varda, Louis Malle, Jacques Rivette, François Truffaut and other directors of the French New Wave will have their regular screenings during '101' programming series at Kino ARMATA. In both academic and colloquial terms, 101 denotes the elementary or basic facts associated with the field or subject specified. During 101, ARMATA becomes a learning ground for the novices and enthusiasts alike, offering fresh insight into some of the most influential movies and filmmakers of our era.
The New Wave (French: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconoclasm. New Wave filmmakers explored new approaches to editing, visual style, and narrative, as well as engagement with the social and political upheavals of the era, often making use of irony or exploring existential themes.
On Wednesday, 26 January 2022, at 19:00 we screen Elevator to the Gallows (1958), a French crime thriller film directed by Louis Malle, starring Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet as illicit lovers whose murder plot starts to unravel after one of them becomes trapped in an elevator. The scenario was adapted from a 1956 novel of the same name by Noël Calef.
Associated by some critics with film noir, and introducing new narrative, cinematographic and editing techniques, the film is considered an important work in establishing the French New Wave and the New Modern Cinema. The improvised soundtrack by Miles Davis and the relationship the film establishes among music, image and emotion were considered ground-breaking.
Louis Malle (1932 – 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. His film Le Monde du silence won the Palme d'Or in 1956 and the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1957. Later in his career he was nominated multiple times for Academy Awards. Malle is also one of only four directors to have won the Golden Lion twice.
Malle worked in both French cinema and Hollywood, and he produced both French and English language films. His most famous films include the crime film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1958), the World War II drama Lacombe, Lucien (1974), the romantic crime film Atlantic City (1980), the comedy-drama My Dinner with Andre (1981), and the autobiographical film Au revoir les enfants (1987).
All films will be screened in the French language with English subtitles and the entrance is free of charge. Kino ARMATA's public program is supported by Prishtina Municipality and Goethe Institut.