Louis Malle
Updated: 12/10/2025, 10:59:33 AM Wikipedia source
Louis Marie Malle (French: [lwi maʁi mal]; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French filmmaker who worked in France and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "difficult to pin down", his works often depict provocative or controversial subject matter. Malle's most famous works include the crime thriller Elevator to the Gallows (1958), the romantic drama The Lovers (1958), the World War II drama Lacombe, Lucien (1974), the period drama Pretty Baby (1978), the romantic crime film Atlantic City (1980), the dramedy My Dinner with Andre (1981), and the autobiographical Au revoir les enfants (1987). He also co-directed the landmark underwater documentary The Silent World with Jacques Cousteau, which won the 1956 Palme d'Or and the 1957 Academy Award for Best Documentary. Critic Pauline Kael once wrote that the common quality of Malle's films was the "restless intelligence one senses in them". Malle is one of only four directors to have won the Golden Lion twice. His other accolades include three César Awards, two BAFTAs, and three Oscar nominations. He was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1991.
Infobox
Tables
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
| 1953 | Crazeologie | Yes | Yes | |
| 1954 | Station 307 | Yes | Yes | Also cinematographer |
| 1968 | William Wilson | Yes | Yes | Segment of Spirits of the Dead |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
| 1958 | Elevator to the Gallows | Yes | Yes | |
| The Lovers | Yes | |||
| 1960 | Zazie in the Metro | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1962 | A Very Private Affair | Yes | Yes | |
| 1963 | The Fire Within | Yes | Yes | |
| 1965 | Viva Maria! | Yes | Yes | |
| 1967 | The Thief of Paris | Yes | Yes | |
| 1971 | Murmur of the Heart | Yes | Yes | |
| 1974 | Lacombe, Lucien | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1975 | Black Moon | Yes | Yes | |
| 1978 | Pretty Baby | Yes | Yes | |
| 1980 | Atlantic City | Yes | ||
| 1981 | My Dinner with Andre | Yes | ||
| 1984 | Crackers | Yes | ||
| 1985 | Alamo Bay | Yes | Yes | |
| 1987 | Au revoir les enfants | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1990 | May Fools | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1992 | Damage | Yes | Yes | |
| 1994 | Vanya on 42nd Street | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1962 | A Very Private Affair | A journalist |
| 1969 | A Very Curious Girl | Jésus |
| 1992 | La Vie de Bohème |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
| 1956 | The Silent World | Yes | Co-directed with Jacques Cousteau | |
| 1962 | Vive le Tour | Yes | Yes | Also cinematographer |
| 1969 | Calcutta | Yes | Yes | Also narrator |
| 1973 | Human, Too Human | Yes | ||
| 1974 | Place de la République | Yes | Appeared as himself | |
| 1976 | Close Up | Yes | Short film | |
| 1986 | And the Pursuit of Happiness | Yes | Also cinematographer and narrator |
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1964 | Bons baisers de Bangkok | Short film |
| 1969 | Phantom India | Miniseries; Also narrator |
| 1985 | God's Country | Also cinematographer and narrator |
| Year | Title | Note |
| 1994 | Murphy Brown | Episode "My Movie with Louis" |
References
- familysearch.orghttps://web.archive.org/web/20150208001505/https://familysearch.org/ark%3A/61903/1%3A1%3AVP3M-J7R
- BFIhttps://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-with-louis-malle
- The Age of Movies: Selected Writings of Pauline Kael: A Library of America Special Publicationhttps://books.google.com/books?id=tkShTL84MrcC&q=the+age+of+movies+selected+writing+of+pauline+kael
- awards.bafta.orghttp://awards.bafta.org/award/1991/film/fellowship
- Jacques Cousteau: The Sea Kinghttps://books.google.com/books?id=T6fyxWFrsNkC&pg=PA129
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-25-mn-6854-story.html
- archive.sensesofcinema.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090416173224/http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/dvd/07/45/louis-malle-documentaries.html
- Bbc.co.ukhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/louis-malles-india.shtml
- newwavefilm.comhttp://www.newwavefilm.com/french-new-wave-encyclopedia/louis-malle.shtml
- Smith, Liz (April 3, 1980). "Love's Magic Spell". The Baltimore Sun. p. 25.
- A Fine Romance
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/25/movies/louis-malle-film-director-equally-at-home-in-france-and-america-isdead-at-63.html
- MIFFhttps://web.archive.org/web/20130116194759/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1967
- berlinale.dehttp://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1984/02_programm_1984/02_Programm_1984.html