I don’t want to ruin Christmas, and that's why I’m writing this. For a while now, people who enjoy film noir have been debating about its timeline – when it began and ended. It’s surprising how little attention is paid to French film noir, which is odd because there are some truly excellent examples from the 1960s. As American filmmakers started losing interest in noir at the end of the 1950s, some French creators stepped up and kept the style alive. Le monte-charge (1962), also known as The Lift/The Hoist/The Elevator…, is a great example of French noir. Directed by Marcel Bluwal and co-written with Frederic Dard, the story throws Robert Herbin (Robert Hossein) into a confusing situation reminiscent of Hitchcock’s films, set in the backstreets of Argenteuil. After serving seven years in prison, Herbin visits town to break his parole because he needs to. He quickly becomes infatuated with Martha Dravet (Lea Massari), whom he meets at a café, and gets drawn into a sexually charged game between them. A wolf dressed as a cat? The film opens in near silence as Herbin moves through buildings shrouded in shadow and glistening streets; from the very beginning, you know you’re in a noir world. He wears a trench coat while she's wearing a wild catskin coat – classic noir man and femme fatale! She also has a child with her, who is quickly sent off to the apartment bedroom to sleep as Herbin and Dravet give in to sexual frustration, heartache, longing, and despair. They frequently leave the apartment, going back and forth between dark locations; the slow-moving elevator serves as a visually striking and important plot device. Then a body appears, or does it? Things are unclear, she's anxious, he’s bewildered, and when another man gets involved, things become complicated and the clever story starts to fall apart. This leads to an ending that doesn’t let down fans of noir. Bluwal and his cinematographer, Andre Bac, happily use the standard noir techniques, including high-angled shots and many dark outdoor scenes. The script is fantastic, full of sexual tension, brought to life by Hossein and Massari's performances, while Georges Delerue's musical score fits perfectly with the film’s tone. A Christmas Eve noir film, French style. Wonderful. 9/10

Source on TMDB