Filmmakers in Focus: Louis Malle

In this discussion, BFI programmer-at-large Geoff Andrew and Sue Harris, Professor of Film Studies at Queen Mary University of London, will focus on three titles to look at what made Malle such a rewarding filmmaker.

Louis Malle’s thriller Lift to the Scaffold kick-started the career of one of French cinema’s most versatile directors. With a taut, innovative structure, an improvised soundtrack by Miles Davis and a charismatic performance by Jeanne Moreau, it introduced the world to a meticulous craftsman. Malle worked in fiction – both with stars and with non-professional actors – and in documentary. Many of his films proved controversial, not least Lacombe, Lucien (1974) and Au revoir les enfants (1987), two groundbreaking accounts of life in the French provinces during the German occupation.

In this discussion, BFI programmer-at-large Geoff Andrew and Sue Harris, Professor of Film Studies at Queen Mary University of London, will focus on these three titles to look at what made Malle such a rewarding filmmaker. Lift to the Scaffold, Lacombe, Lucien and Au revoir les enfants are now available to watch on BFI Player. Recorded in March 2021.