Gaumont Restores 'Elevator to the Gallows' in 4K for New Wave's 70th

By Grace Kim

Gaumont is releasing a new 4K restoration of Louis Malle's 1958 crime thriller "Elevator to the Gallows," timed to three anniversaries stacked into the next few years. The French studio announced the special edition ahead of this year's 70th anniversary of the French New Wave, with the film's own 70th following in 2028 — the same year as the centenary of star Jeanne Moreau's birth.

The film carries real weight in French cinema history. Released in 1958, "Elevator to the Gallows" was Malle's directorial debut; he was 25 years old at the time. The story unfolds in Paris over a single night. Moreau and Maurice Ronet play lovers who plot to murder her husband — his boss, played by Jean Wall — and the plan goes wrong. Miles Davis' award-winning jazz score distinguishes the film, and the project established both Malle and Moreau as verifiable talents, according to Gaumont.

What else is Gaumont bringing back?

A second restoration is heading to theaters first. Jean-Jacques Beineix's "Betty Blue," originally released in 1986 as "37°2 le matin," will screen at this year's Lumière Film Festival as one of Gaumont's headline titles.

The erotic drama follows a doomed romance between Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a handyman and aspiring writer in his 30s, and the volatile, impulsive and fragile 19-year-old Betty (Béatrice Dalle).

Here's the detail that matters for cinephiles: Gaumont is presenting a new 4K master of the full 185-minute version. Jérôme Soulet, head of catalogue at Gaumont, called it "a film that has been invisible in theaters in this version since 1991." In other words, audiences at Lyon get the complete cut on a big screen for the first time in more than three decades.

The restoration work on "Betty Blue" was carried out by Gaumont at the GP Archives laboratory.

Where and when can audiences see them?

"Betty Blue" screens in the Lumière Festival's Big Films on the Big Screen sidebar, a section built around rediscovering cinematic masterpieces in their intended format.

Soulet will also appear at the festival's International Classic Film Market in Lyon. He presents Gaumont's lineup of new releases at the annual Catalogue Holders' Premiere Presentation on Wednesday.

What does all this change for viewers? Mainly access. Two landmark French films — one a New Wave cornerstone, the other a cult drama unseen in its full form since 1991 — become available again in cinema-grade quality, with the Malle restoration positioned to carry Gaumont's anniversary programming through 2028.