Elevator to the Gallows is basically a variation on The Postman Always Rings Twice, that is, the story of a couple ready to kill for their love. Its added twist is that the murderer, Julien, gets stuck in the lift and thus is late for the arranged meeting, while Florence spends the night wandering through Paris. This is from the era when jazz came into its own, represented by one of its very best: Miles Davis, whose trumpet music accompanies the entire film. Paris at the time was overrun with outstanding jazz performers, many of whom ultimately settled down there. Miles Davis’ quiet, melancholy music is one of the greatest achievements of this era. The black-and-white images portray the fall of a couple attempting to commit the perfect crime as an event which is not tragic. When Julien points his gun at the victim’s head, he tells him to respect war, and says that the victim should pay for Indochina and for Algeria. Accordingly, the viewer cannot pity him, and sympathises instead with the protagonist couple who, as the music seems to imply, accept their fates.
Budapest Classic Film Marathon 2025: Elevator to the Gallows
French thriller, colour, 93 min, 1958
in French with English and Hungarian subtitles
Show times:
Director: Louis Malle
Screenplay by Roger Nimier, Louis Malle, Noël Calef
Director of photography: Henri Decaë
Music by Miles Davis
Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly
Celebrating 130 Years of Cinema / Gaumont 130
Introduction: Jérôme Soulet, President of the Gaumont Archives
More information on the Budapest Classic Film Marathon's program at Uránia >>
Distributor: Nemzeti Filmintézet - Filmarchívum
Leave One Day (16)
TicketsCall Us11:00 Törőcsik Mari teremA Pale View of Hills (16)
TicketsCall Us11:00 Fábri teremLet Us Praise King Saint László! (12)
TicketsCall Us11:00 DíszteremSacred Heart: His Reign Has No End (12)
TicketsCall Us13:00 DíszteremMohács – Világok harca (12)
TicketsCall Us13:30 Fábri teremMagyar menyegző (12)
TicketsCall Us14:00 Csortos teremKiki's Story: A Psychodrama Session (16)
TicketsCall Us14:30 Törőcsik Mari teremChopin, Chopin! (16)
TicketsCall Us15:00 DíszteremMeeting the Buddha (12)
TicketsCall Us15:30 Csortos teremThe Golden Spurtle (12)
TicketsCall Us15:30 Fábri teremThe North (12)
TicketsCall Us17:00 Törőcsik Mari teremThe Great Arch (12)
TicketsCall Us17:30 Csortos teremCalle Malaga (16)
TicketsCall Us18:00 DíszteremBitter Christmas (16)
TicketsCall Us19:00 Törőcsik Mari teremBlue Heron (16)
TicketsCall Us20:00 Fábri teremThe Devil Wears Prada 2 (12)
TicketsCall Us20:00 Csortos teremI Swear (16)
TicketsCall Us20:30 DíszteremHow Could I Live Without You? (12)
2026.07.12 16:00 - 18:00
2026.07.14 19:30 - 21:30
2026.07.16 19:30 - 21:00
2026.07.21 19:30 - 21:30
2026.07.23 19:30 - 21:30
07.27 - 07.30
2026.07.28 19:30 - 22:00
2026.07.30 19:30 - 21:30
2026.08.02 16:00 - 18:30
2026.08.04 19:00 - 22:00
Opening hours: on weekdays at 2:30 PM, on weekends at 10:30 AM.
Box office closes 15 minutes after the start of the last screening.
The Uránia Café is open during the opening hours of the cinema.
© Uránia Nemzeti Filmszínház
1088 Budapest, Rákóczi út 21.
getting here
ticket info
contact us
company details
press
privacy policy