This masterful scene from Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows (1958) is a quintessential example of 20th century post-war modernism. It’s all here– the near perfect intersection of film (a noir at the leading edge of the French New Wave), music (the atmospheric jazz score was improvised by Miles Davis in a single, all-night recording session), the electrified urban landscape (lit by neon, headlights, arcades and storefront displays), fashion (notice the various representations as Moreau walks in front of the arcade) and finally, dripping sensuality (Jeanne Moreau and Miles Davis fused in sexy melancholia ultimately climaxing in a downpour of rain and thunder). What cool is made of….
Have a martini….
