Louis Malle
Encyclopedia
Louis Malle was a French
film director
, screenwriter
, and producer
. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood
. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1958), Atlantic City (1981), and Au revoir, les enfants
(1987).
at the Sorbonne
before turning to film studies
at IDHEC
instead.
He worked as the co-director and cameraman to Jacques Cousteau
on the Oscar
and Palme d'Or
-winning (at the 1956 Academy Awards
and Cannes Film Festival
respectively) documentary The Silent World
(1956) and assisted Robert Bresson
on A Man Escaped
(French title: Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut, 1956) before making his first feature, Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
(released in the U.K. as Lift to the Scaffold and in the U.S. originally as Frantic, later as Elevator to the Gallows) in 1957. A taut thriller featuring an original score by Miles Davis
, the film made an international film star of Jeanne Moreau
, at the time a leading stage actress of the state Comédie-Française
. Malle was 24 years old.
Malle's The Lovers (Les Amants, 1958), which also starred Moreau, caused major controversy due to its sexual content, leading to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court
case regarding the legal definition of obscenity. In Jacobellis v. Ohio
, a theater owner was fined $2,500 for obscenity. The decision was eventually reversed by the higher court, which found that the film was not obscene and hence constitutionally protected. However, the court could not agree on the definition of "obscene," which caused Justice Potter Stewart
to utter his "I know it when I see it
" opinion, perhaps the most famous single line associated with the court.
Malle is sometimes associated with the nouvelle vague - though his work does not directly fit in or correspond to the auteurist theories that apply to the work of Godard, Truffaut
, Chabrol
, Rohmer
, and others, and he had nothing whatsoever to do with Cahiers du cinéma
, he did exemplify many of the characteristics of the movement, including using natural light, and shooting on location. His film Zazie dans le métro ("Zazie in the Metro," 1960, an adaptation of the Raymond Queneau
novel) did inspire Truffaut to write an enthusiastic letter to Malle.
Other films also tackled taboo subjects: The Fire Within
("Le Feu follet", 1963) centres on a man about to commit suicide, Murmur of the Heart (1971) deals with an incest
uous relationship between mother and son and Lacombe Lucien
(1974), co-written with Patrick Modiano
, is about collaboration with the Nazis in Vichy
France in World War II
. The second film earned Malle his first (of three) Academy Award nominations for "Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced."
Calcutta
, which was released in cinemas. Concentrating on real India, its rituals and festivities, Malle fell afoul of the Indian government, which disliked his portrayal of the country, in its fascination with the pre-modern, and consequently banned the BBC from filming in India for several years. Malle later claimed his documentary on India was his favorite film
(1981), Crackers
(1984), Alamo Bay
(1985), Damage (1992) and Vanya on 42nd Street
(1994, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov
's play Uncle Vanya
) in English; Au revoir, les enfants
(1987) and Milou en Mai
(May Fools in the U.S., 1990) in French. It is interesting to note that just as his earlier films such as "The Lovers" helped popularize French films in the United States, My Dinner with Andre
was at the forefront of the rise of American independent cinema in the 1980s.
and a daughter Justine (born 1974) with Canadian-born French actress Alexandra Stewart
.
He married actress Candice Bergen
in 1980. They had one child, a daughter, Chloé Malle, in 1985.
He died from lymphoma
at their home in Beverly Hills, California
on Thanksgiving Day 1995.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1958), Atlantic City (1981), and Au revoir, les enfants
Au revoir, les enfants
Au revoir les enfants is a 1987 film written, produced and directed by Louis Malle. The screenplay was published by Gallimard in the same year...
(1987).
Early years in France
Malle was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Thumeries, Nord, France. He initially studied political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
before turning to film studies
Film studies
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to films. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies...
at IDHEC
La Femis
La Fémis , is the French state film school. FEMIS is an acronym for Fondation Européenne pour les Métiers de l’Image et du Son. Based in Paris, it offers courses balanced between artistic research, professional development and technical training...
instead.
He worked as the co-director and cameraman to Jacques Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water...
on the Oscar
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
and Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
-winning (at the 1956 Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
and Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
respectively) documentary The Silent World
The Silent World
The Silent World is a 1956 French documentary film co-directed by the famed French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and a young Louis Malle. The Silent World is noted as one of the first films to use underwater cinematography to show the ocean depths in color...
(1956) and assisted Robert Bresson
Robert Bresson
-Life and career:Bresson was born at Bromont-Lamothe, Puy-de-Dôme, the son of Marie-Élisabeth and Léon Bresson. Little is known of his early life and the year of his birth, 1901 or 1907, varies depending on the source. He was educated at Lycée Lakanal in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, close to Paris, and...
on A Man Escaped
A Man Escaped
A Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth is a 1956 French film directed by Robert Bresson. It is based on the memoirs of André Devigny, a prisoner of war held at Fort Montluc during World War II. The protagonist of the film is called Fontaine...
(French title: Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut, 1956) before making his first feature, Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
Elevator to the Gallows
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud is a 1958 French film directed by Louis Malle. It was released as Elevator to the Gallows in the USA and as Lift to the Scaffold in the UK. It stars Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet as criminal lovers whose perfect crime begins to unravel when Ronet is trapped in an elevator...
(released in the U.K. as Lift to the Scaffold and in the U.S. originally as Frantic, later as Elevator to the Gallows) in 1957. A taut thriller featuring an original score by Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, the film made an international film star of Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
, at the time a leading stage actress of the state Comédie-Française
Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....
. Malle was 24 years old.
Malle's The Lovers (Les Amants, 1958), which also starred Moreau, caused major controversy due to its sexual content, leading to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case regarding the legal definition of obscenity. In Jacobellis v. Ohio
Jacobellis v. Ohio
Jacobellis v. Ohio, , was a United States Supreme Court decision handed down in 1964 involving whether the state of Ohio could, consistent with the First Amendment, ban the showing of a French film called The Lovers which the state had deemed obscene.Nico Jacobellis, manager of the Heights Art...
, a theater owner was fined $2,500 for obscenity. The decision was eventually reversed by the higher court, which found that the film was not obscene and hence constitutionally protected. However, the court could not agree on the definition of "obscene," which caused Justice Potter Stewart
Potter Stewart
Potter Stewart was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. During his tenure, he made, among other areas, major contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, access to the courts, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence.-Education:Stewart was born in Jackson, Michigan,...
to utter his "I know it when I see it
I know it when I see it
The phrase "I know it when I see it" is a colloquial expression within the United States by which a speaker attempts to categorize an observable fact or event, although the category is subjective or lacks clearly defined parameters. The phrase was famously used by United States Supreme Court...
" opinion, perhaps the most famous single line associated with the court.
Malle is sometimes associated with the nouvelle vague - though his work does not directly fit in or correspond to the auteurist theories that apply to the work of Godard, Truffaut
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five...
, Chabrol
Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol was a French film director, a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s...
, Rohmer
Éric Rohmer
Éric Rohmer was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter and teacher. A figure in the post-war New Wave cinema, he was a former editor of Cahiers du cinéma....
, and others, and he had nothing whatsoever to do with Cahiers du cinéma
Cahiers du cinéma
Cahiers du Cinéma is an influential French film magazine founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca. It developed from the earlier magazine Revue du Cinéma involving members of two Paris film clubs — Objectif 49 and...
, he did exemplify many of the characteristics of the movement, including using natural light, and shooting on location. His film Zazie dans le métro ("Zazie in the Metro," 1960, an adaptation of the Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau was a French poet and novelist and the co-founder of Ouvroir de littérature potentielle .-Biography:Born in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Queneau was the only child of Auguste Queneau and Joséphine Mignot...
novel) did inspire Truffaut to write an enthusiastic letter to Malle.
Other films also tackled taboo subjects: The Fire Within
The Fire Within
The Fire Within is a 1963 French drama film directed by Louis Malle. It is based on the novel of the same name by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle. The film stars Maurice Ronet as Alain Leroy, a recovering alcoholic at a rehabilitation clinic in Versailles who has depression...
("Le Feu follet", 1963) centres on a man about to commit suicide, Murmur of the Heart (1971) deals with an incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous relationship between mother and son and Lacombe Lucien
Lacombe Lucien
Lacombe Lucien is a 1974 French film that tells the story of a teenage boy during the German occupation of France in World War II. It is based in part on director Louis Malle's own experiences.-Plot:...
(1974), co-written with Patrick Modiano
Patrick Modiano
Patrick Modiano is a French novelist born 30 July 1945 in Boulogne-Billancourt of a father of Jewish Italian origins and a Belgian mother, Louisa Colpijn . He is a winner of the Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1972, the Prix Goncourt in 1978 for his novel Rue des boutiques obscures...
, is about collaboration with the Nazis in Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
France in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The second film earned Malle his first (of three) Academy Award nominations for "Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced."
Documentary on India
In 1968 Malle visited India and made a seven part documentary series L’Inde fantôme: Reflexions sur un voyage and a documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Calcutta
Calcutta (1969 film)
Calcutta is a 1969 French documentary film about Calcutta, directed by Louis Malle. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film Festival....
, which was released in cinemas. Concentrating on real India, its rituals and festivities, Malle fell afoul of the Indian government, which disliked his portrayal of the country, in its fascination with the pre-modern, and consequently banned the BBC from filming in India for several years. Malle later claimed his documentary on India was his favorite film
Move to America
Malle later moved to the United States and continued to direct there. His later films include Pretty Baby (1978), Atlantic City (1981), My Dinner with AndreMy Dinner with Andre
My Dinner with Andre is a 1981 film starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, written by Gregory and Shawn, and directed by Louis Malle.-Plot:...
(1981), Crackers
Crackers (1984 film)
Crackers is a 1984 American film directed by Louis Malle. It was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.Written by Jeffrey Fiskin, the film is about a group of small-time out-of-luck thieves, led by the unemployed Weslake , who attempt to rob the neighborhood pawn shop owned by...
(1984), Alamo Bay
Alamo Bay
Alamo Bay is a 1985 drama film about a Vietnam veteran who clashes with Vietnamese immigrants who move to his fictitious Texas bay hometown. The film was directed by Louis Malle, and stars Amy Madigan and Ed Harris. Future Texas A&M and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Dat Nguyen, who was 9 at the time...
(1985), Damage (1992) and Vanya on 42nd Street
Vanya on 42nd Street
Vanya on 42nd Street is a 1994 film by Louis Malle and Andre Gregory. The film is an intimate, interpretive performance of the play Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov based on the English translation by David Mamet...
(1994, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's play Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
) in English; Au revoir, les enfants
Au revoir, les enfants
Au revoir les enfants is a 1987 film written, produced and directed by Louis Malle. The screenplay was published by Gallimard in the same year...
(1987) and Milou en Mai
Milou en mai
Milou en mai is a 1990 film by Louis Malle. It is released as Milou in May in the UK and as May Fools in North America. The film portrays the impact of the French revolutionary fervour of May 1968 on a French village....
(May Fools in the U.S., 1990) in French. It is interesting to note that just as his earlier films such as "The Lovers" helped popularize French films in the United States, My Dinner with Andre
My Dinner with Andre
My Dinner with Andre is a 1981 film starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, written by Gregory and Shawn, and directed by Louis Malle.-Plot:...
was at the forefront of the rise of American independent cinema in the 1980s.
Personal life
Malle was married to Anne-Marie Deschodt from 1965 to 1967. He had a son, Manuel Cuotemoc (born 1971), with German actress Gila von WeitershausenGila von Weitershausen
Baroness Gila von Weitershausen is a German actress. Born in Trebnitz, , Lower Silesia, Germany into an aristocratic family, she has three brothers and two sister and is the great-granddaughter of Georg Graf von Hertling....
and a daughter Justine (born 1974) with Canadian-born French actress Alexandra Stewart
Alexandra Stewart
Alexandra Stewart is a Canadian actress.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Alexandra Stewart left for Paris, France, in 1958, to study art...
.
He married actress Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen
Candice Patricia Bergen is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for starring in two TV series, as the title character on the situation comedy Murphy Brown , for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards; and as Shirley Schmidt on the comedy-drama Boston Legal...
in 1980. They had one child, a daughter, Chloé Malle, in 1985.
He died from lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
at their home in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
on Thanksgiving Day 1995.
Awards and nominations
- Le Monde du silence (1956)
- Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
Palme d'OrPalme d'OrThe Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
Winner - Academy Award Best Documentary Winner
- Cannes Film Festival
- The Lovers (1958)
- Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
Special Jury Prize Winner
- Venice Film Festival
- Le Feu follet (1963)
- Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
Special Jury Prize Winner - Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
Italian Film Critics Award Winner
- Venice Film Festival
- CalcuttaCalcutta (1969 film)Calcutta is a 1969 French documentary film about Calcutta, directed by Louis Malle. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film Festival....
(1969)- Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
Official Selection
- Cannes Film Festival
- Murmur of the HeartMurmur of the HeartMurmur of the Heart is a 1971 French film by French director Louis Malle that tells a coming of age story about a 14-year-old boy growing up in bourgeois surroundings in post-World War II Dijon, France. The film proved to be a box office success across Europe, gaining 2,652,870 admissions in...
(1971)- Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
Official Selection - Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nomination
- Cannes Film Festival
- Pretty Baby (1978)
- Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
Technical Grand Prize Winner
- Cannes Film Festival
- Atlantic City (1981)
- Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
Golden LionGolden LionIl Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
Winner - Academy Award for Best Director Nomination
- Venice Film Festival
- CrackersCrackers (1984 film)Crackers is a 1984 American film directed by Louis Malle. It was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.Written by Jeffrey Fiskin, the film is about a group of small-time out-of-luck thieves, led by the unemployed Weslake , who attempt to rob the neighborhood pawn shop owned by...
(1984)- Berlin Film Festival34th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 34th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 17 to February 28, 1984.-Jury:* Liv Ullmann * Jules Dassin* Edward Bennett* Manuela Cernat-Gheorghiu* Lana Gogoberidze* Tullio Kezich* Steffen Kuchenreuther...
Official Selection
- Berlin Film Festival
- Goodbye, ChildrenAu revoir, les enfantsAu revoir les enfants is a 1987 film written, produced and directed by Louis Malle. The screenplay was published by Gallimard in the same year...
(1987)- Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
Golden LionGolden LionIl Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
Winner - Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
OCIC Award Winner - Academy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmThe Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
Nomination - Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nomination
- Venice Film Festival
Feature films
- Elevator to the Gallows (1958) (aka Ascenseur pour l'échafaud, aka Lift to the Scaffold)
- The Lovers (1958) (aka Les Amants)
- Zazie in the MetroZazie in the Metro (film)Zazie in the Metro is a 1960 French film directed by Louis Malle, based on the novel by Raymond Queneau.-Plot:...
(1960) (aka Zazie dans le métro) - A Very Private Affair (1962) (aka Vie privée)
- The Fire WithinThe Fire WithinThe Fire Within is a 1963 French drama film directed by Louis Malle. It is based on the novel of the same name by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle. The film stars Maurice Ronet as Alain Leroy, a recovering alcoholic at a rehabilitation clinic in Versailles who has depression...
(1963) (aka Le feu follet) - Viva Maria!Viva Maria!Viva Maria! is a 1965 comedy-adventure film starring Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau as two women named Maria who meet and become revolutionaries in the early 20th century. It also starred George Hamilton as Florès, a revolutionary leader. It was co-written and directed by Louis Malle, and...
(1965) - The Thief of ParisThe Thief of ParisThe Thief of Paris is a 1967 French film directed by Louis Malle and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a professional thief at the turn of the century in Paris. The movie is based on a book of the same title by Georges Darien. The story centers on his burglaries as well as his ongoing relationship...
(1967) (aka Le voleur) - Histoires extraordinairesHistoires extraordinairesHistoires extraordinaires is a 1968 "omnibus" film comprising three segments...
(1968) (aka Spirits of the Dead) - Murmur of the HeartMurmur of the HeartMurmur of the Heart is a 1971 French film by French director Louis Malle that tells a coming of age story about a 14-year-old boy growing up in bourgeois surroundings in post-World War II Dijon, France. The film proved to be a box office success across Europe, gaining 2,652,870 admissions in...
(1971) (aka Le souffle au cœur) - Lacombe LucienLacombe LucienLacombe Lucien is a 1974 French film that tells the story of a teenage boy during the German occupation of France in World War II. It is based in part on director Louis Malle's own experiences.-Plot:...
(1974) - Black Moon (1975)
- Pretty Baby (1978)
- Atlantic City (1981)
- My Dinner with AndreMy Dinner with AndreMy Dinner with Andre is a 1981 film starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, written by Gregory and Shawn, and directed by Louis Malle.-Plot:...
(1981) - CrackersCrackers (1984 film)Crackers is a 1984 American film directed by Louis Malle. It was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.Written by Jeffrey Fiskin, the film is about a group of small-time out-of-luck thieves, led by the unemployed Weslake , who attempt to rob the neighborhood pawn shop owned by...
(1984) - Alamo BayAlamo BayAlamo Bay is a 1985 drama film about a Vietnam veteran who clashes with Vietnamese immigrants who move to his fictitious Texas bay hometown. The film was directed by Louis Malle, and stars Amy Madigan and Ed Harris. Future Texas A&M and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Dat Nguyen, who was 9 at the time...
(1985) - Au revoir, les enfantsAu revoir, les enfantsAu revoir les enfants is a 1987 film written, produced and directed by Louis Malle. The screenplay was published by Gallimard in the same year...
(1987) - Milou en MaiMilou en maiMilou en mai is a 1990 film by Louis Malle. It is released as Milou in May in the UK and as May Fools in North America. The film portrays the impact of the French revolutionary fervour of May 1968 on a French village....
(1989) (aka May Fools) - Damage (1992)
- Vanya on 42nd StreetVanya on 42nd StreetVanya on 42nd Street is a 1994 film by Louis Malle and Andre Gregory. The film is an intimate, interpretive performance of the play Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov based on the English translation by David Mamet...
(1994)
Short films
- Crazeologie (1953)
- Station 307 (1954)
- Histoires extraordinairesHistoires extraordinairesHistoires extraordinaires is a 1968 "omnibus" film comprising three segments...
(1968) (segment "William Wilson")
Documentary films
- The Silent WorldThe Silent WorldThe Silent World is a 1956 French documentary film co-directed by the famed French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and a young Louis Malle. The Silent World is noted as one of the first films to use underwater cinematography to show the ocean depths in color...
(1956) Co-director- Le Monde du silence
- Vive le TourVive le TourVive le Tour is a 1962 French documentary by filmmaker Louis Malle. It chronicles the Tour de France and focuses on issues such as providing food for the racers, dealing with injuries and doping...
(1962) - CalcuttaCalcutta (1969 film)Calcutta is a 1969 French documentary film about Calcutta, directed by Louis Malle. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film Festival....
(1969) - Humain, trop humain (1974)
- Place de la république (1974)
- Close Up (1976) Short
TV
- Bons baisers de Bangkok (1964) Documentary Short
- L'Inde Fantôme (1969)
- Phantom India
- Dominique Sanda ou Le rêve éveillé (1977) Documentary Short
- God's CountryGod's CountryGod's Country is a 1985 documentary film about Glencoe, Minnesota, by French filmmaker Louis Malle. It is in two parts: in the first, filmed in 1979, we meet various people in the town; in the second, filmed six years later, we find out what has become of many of them.The film is occasionally shown...
(1986) Documentary - And the Pursuit of HappinessAnd the Pursuit of HappinessAnd the Pursuit of Happiness is a 1986 documentary film directed by Louis Malle about the experiences of immigrants in the United States during the 1980s. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:...
(1986) Documentary
External links
- Biography on newwavefilm.com
- They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
- Rialto Pictures Website - entry for Elevator to the Gallows.