Louis Malle
Louis Malle (1932–1995) was a French director and screenwriter whose career straddled the French New Wave and a more classical European art cinema. Trained at IDHEC, he began as an assistant to Jacques Cousteau, co-directing the underwater documentary The Silent World, before turning to fiction features. His work moved easily between France and the United States, between documentary and fiction, treating taboo subjects — adolescent sexuality, the German occupation, race in America — with a measured, observational tact. His acclaimed films include Elevator to the Gallows, The Lovers, Lacombe, Lucien, Pretty Baby, Atlantic City, and Au Revoir les Enfants.