SCFZ poll: Louis Malle

[flip]

Polling the films of director Louis Malle

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Malle films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Friday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline up to three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: wba, greg x, ofrene, greennui, evelyn, bure, mesnalty, umbugbene, roscoe, st gloede, brian d, kanafani, silga, oscarwerner

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate again

[flip]

Zazie Dans le Metro
Elevator to the Gallows
My Dinner with Andre
Au Revoir les Enfants
Calcutta

seen 12

it's been a very long time since i've seen a malle film, and i don't know how i'd feel about any of these if i rewatched them.

[DT.]

A chameleonic, workmanlike director.

1. Atlantic City
2. Zazie dans le Metro
3. Murmur of the Heart
4. Damage
5. Pretty Baby

[DT.]

I'll nominate Bernardo Bertolucci.

[brian d]

seen 8

black moon
the fire within
au revoir, les enfants
the lovers

[...]

Le Monde Du Silence
Alamo Bay
Vanya on 42nd St
Black Moon
Pretty Baby

Never cared much for Malle, but I might have just seen the wrong 14 movies since I've missed many of the more popular.

[kanafani]

Atlantic City
Zazie dans le Metro

[Evelyn Library P.I.]

Le Monde du Silence

seen 3

[thoxans]

my dinner with andre
murmur of the heart
lacombe, lucien
atlantic city
damage

*seen twelve

[karl]

seen 15. coupla votes for the man's fine documentaries.

1. phantom india
2. the lovers
3. lacombe lucien
4. my dinner with andre
5. god's country

[oscarwerner]

Seen 17. Like him.
1. Elevator to the Gallows (1957)
2. Au revoir les enfants (1987)
3. Atlantic City (1980)
4. Lacombe, Lucien (1974)
5. Le Feu follet (1963)

[mesnalty]

Seen 7:

1. Zazie in the Metro
2. Elevator to the Gallows
3. Vanya on 42nd Street

[greennui]

Lacombe Lucien
The Fire Within

Seen 10.

Despite directing two of my all time favourite films I''m fairly indifferent to the rest of his oeuvre.

[Umbugbene]

Seen 15

Not a great director in my opinion, but a skilled and sometimes imaginative one. I like a few of his movies without admiring them... in fact there are exactly 5 that I like:

1. Le feu follet
2. Black Moon
3. Zazie dans le Métro
4. Lovers
5. Elevator to the Gallows

[Roscoe]

Seen a couple. Pass.

[St. Gloede]

Seen 15:

Zazie dans le métro
Atlantic City
Pretty Baby
Au revoir les enfants
My Dinner with Andre

This is one of the very strange situations where I prefer a director's work after they went to Holywood. I like and even love more of his early French work as well, but many impressed me less than expected.

[---]

Elevator to the gallows
The Lovers
Au revoir les enfants
My dinner with Andre

Seen 8

[ofrene]

seen 3

Au Revoir les Enfants

[Silga]

Seen 2

Atlantic City

[Caracortada]

Seen 13. One of the great French directors, who also made some English spoken films.

1. Elevator to the Gallows
2. Atlantic City
3. Pretty Baby
4. My Dinner with Andre
5. Zazie dans le métro

Worst: Viva Maria!

[Lencho of the Apes]

Zazie
The Lovers
Black Moon
/7

[wba]

A wonderful director!

01. Lacombe Lucien (1974)
02. The Lovers (1958)
03. Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

Malle seen: 6

[vaka]

A very favorite filmmaker. I've seen ten.

1- Le Feu Follet
2- Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
3- My Dinner with Andre
4- Au Revoir les Enfants
5- Le souffle au cœur

[Flakotaso]

seen 10
1. Black Moon (surrealistic masterpiece...i mean real surrealism, not that cliché "lynch surrealism")
2. Au revoir les enfants
3. Lacombe Lucien
4. Pretty Baby

[wba]

1. Black Moon (surrealistic masterpiece...i mean real surrealism, not that cliché "lynch surrealism")

The surrealism used by Lynch is real surrealism. Lynch isn't responsible for people trying to "explain" his stuff, or for the thousands of (mediocre/untalented) imitators.

[Mysterious Dude]

1. The Fire Within
2. Au Revoir les Enfants
3. Elevator to the Gallows
4. Murmur of the Heart
5. My Dinner with Andre

I've seen ten.

[john ryan]

Seen 17

1. Phantom India
2. Vanya on 42nd Street
3. Elevator to the Gallows
4. My Dinner with Andre
5. The Lovers

[Lencho of the Apes]

real surrealism

Films typically are called "surreal" whenever they depart from "realistic" practices, but the ones that really subscribe to the talking points laid out by Breton and company are a small subset of those. The only Lynch I've seen that seem aligned with that praxis are Eraserhead and TP: FWWM. (Can't speak for Mulholland or Lost Highway...)

[wba]

real surrealism

Films typically are called "surreal" whenever they depart from "realistic" practices, but the ones that really subscribe to the talking points laid out by Breton and company are a small subset of those. The only Lynch I've seen that seem aligned with that praxis are Eraserhead and TP: FWWM. (Can't speak for Mulholland or Lost Highway...)

Yeah, not all his films use surrealist practices, but I'd say at least Eraserhead, Fire Walk With Me, Mullholand Dr. and Inland Empire do.

[flip]

often when we poll directors who worked for forty years, the votes are concentrated in a five or ten year period, but that didn't happen with malle - his early, middle and late films all got quite a bit of support. several films got no votes, but most of those are his least seen (viva maria! seems to be the most-viewed malle film on letterboxd that didn't get a vote). and every time i'm reminded of the fact, as i was while tallying this, i always find it strange that it was a louis malle film (the lovers) that was at the center of one of america's landmark obscenity trials, the one where one supreme court judge would not define pornography but said "i know it when i see it".

results

1. Elevator to the Gallows (1958) -- 32 pts
2. Zazie Dans le Metro (1960) -- 25 pts
3. Au Revoir les Enfants (1987) -- 22 pts
4. Atlantic City (1980) -- 21 pts
5. The Fire Within (1963) -- 20 pts
5. My Dinner with Andre (1981) -- 20 pts
7. Black Moon (1975) -- 15 pts
7. Lacombe, Lucien (1974) -- 15 pts
7. The Lovers (1958) -- 15 pts
10. Phantom India (1969) -- 10 pts
10. Murmur of the Heart (1971) -- 10 pts
12. Pretty Baby (1978) -- 9 pts
13. Vanya on 42nd Street (1994) -- 8 pts
14. Le Monde du Silence (1956) -- 6 pts
15. Alamo Bay (1985) -- 4 pts
16. Damage (1992) -- 3 pts
17. Calcutta (1969) -- 1 pt
17. God's Country (1986) -- 1 pt