Moody, desperate, and tragic, Miles Davis plays his trumpet to clips of the movie Ascenseur Pour l’échafaud (Lift to the Scaffold). Louis Malle’s  film noir outing is credited for advertising the beauty Jeanne Moreau to future directors of The New Wave.

The soundtrack follows her character around Paris at night as she searches for any news of her absent lover.

She’s involved in a murder plan, first involving, then complicated by a building closing down for the weekend. The thriller, also called Elevator to the Gallows, makes one wistful for some aspects of Paris in the ’50s. In this story, people actually weren’t keen on keeping the office open all the time.

The French in the ’50s were keen on Jazz. French film directors had a great time using  the art form for ambiance in night club scenes, to build energy in car chases, and to highlight the emotions of their stars.

Later in this clip, Louis Malle, the director, is interviewed about, Miles as a  music innovator and the icon’s participation in the film. This interview doesn’t include subtitles. Anyone can tell by his body language, Malle is more than pleased with the progress. They’re on the way to a great movie with an amazing soundtrack.

Turntabling has a vinyl LP copy of the 2010 reissue of Ascenseur Pour L’échafaud (Lift to the Scaffold) for sale –first come, first served.