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93 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
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  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    A plan for a perfect murder goes wildly wrong in this 1958 melodrama by one of France's great filmmakers.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Walter Addiego
    100
    As French crime thrillers go, this is about as good as it gets.
  3. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    100
    A suspenseful, elegant entertainment.
  4. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    100
    A consummate entertainment rich with the romantic atmosphere of Paris in the 1950s. Coming at a turning point in French cinematic history, it drew upon several major talents - director Louis Malle, star Jeanne Moreau, cinematographer Henri Decaë, musician Miles Davis - and achieved near-legendary results with all of them.
  5. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    91
    Malle, only 25 when the film was released, bounces confidently among several threads -- classic French policier, juvenile delinquent film, doomy tale of tragic love, clock-ticking thriller.
  6. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    90
    A tightly structured thriller with a brilliantly moody performance by Jeanne Moreau, and depending on your point of view, it's either one of the few genuine French noir films or an early entry in the New Wave.
  7. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Melissa Anderson
    90
    It's precisely Malle's omnivorous appetite that makes his first feature, adapted from a policier, so delectable, one stuffed with many sumptuous sights and sounds.
  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    90
    Superb.
  9. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: David Denby
    90
    Moreau's nocturnal wanderings are made unbearably poignant by an exquisite Miles Davis jazz score that became famous in its own right.
  10. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    These 1950s French noirs abandon the formality of traditional crime films, the almost ritualistic obedience to formula, and show crazy stuff happening to people who seem to be making up their lives as they go along.
  11. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    75
    The film's look makes a divine accessory for its music, which Miles Davis composed. There's not even 20 minutes of it in the film, yet it still defines the atmosphere, transforming a crime yarn into a bebop noir.
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User Reviews

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User Score
6.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. mrhulot_
    10
    Fantastic film that anticipates the French New Wave.The cinematogrophy is incredible,and the jazz score by Miles Davis is one of the best ever ,in my opinion.Highly recommended.… Full Review »
  2. Mr.Hankey
    10
    I am not hear to rate Elevator to the Gallows but one of my favorite films by Louis Malle because unfortunately it is not in metacritic. Au Revoir Les Enfants is a tale of two boys and their friendship that develops through struggle and understanding. The story is a beautiful and sad meaning that pops out of Louis Malle's somewhat autobiographical film. Because this is German occupied France their is pain and tragedy sweeping across the nation and all that pain is really connected with these two little boys secret and I will guess that you will just have to find out what that secret is. But this movie has made me think since it's story is so meaningful and proud. But yet you still will think that their is no end to this horrible fate that is to come. Becaue you will be saying at the end of the the film Au Revoir Les Enfants( Goodbye, Children ).… Full Review »
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