I had watched the last 15 minutes on TV some years ago, but they did not seem as interesting as your review suggests. Since I somewhat "discovered" Louis Malle anew this year, it would be interesting to see it. In an interview from the 70s with Malle, which i watched recently, this film was discussed as something of a turning point in his career, a point where he started to discuss more complex issues in his films, which were not necessarily familiar to him, and which also posed a challenge to himself as an artist as well as a human being. 
Thanks for your review. How is the transfer bz Criterion btw? I hope as good as can be expected from them.