English Title: Elevator to the Gallows
Directed by: Louis Malle

Synopsis: Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet) comes up with a seemingly foolproof plan for murdering Simon Carala (Jean Wall), the husband of his lover Florence (Jeanne Moreau) and also his boss.  But the plan unravels when Julien leaves behind a crucial piece of evidence and re-enters the office building to retrieve it.

Kitty Cameo: Just after Julian kills Simon in the man’s office he is preparing to leave when he looks up and sees a black cat walking by the window, balanced precariously on a railing along the edge of the building.

The black cat was probably Malle’s way of foreshadowing the disasters about to befall Julien.

Final Mewsings: A black cat crossing your path on a precarious railing high above the ground may be worse luck for the cat than for you.

Relevant Links:

To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on
Facebook and Twitter.