watching films by Louis Malle, part one

Without realizing it myself, I've watched two movies by Louis Malle today. In the first movie I watched, Les Amants, a few minutes of the beginning was missing, so I only had to guess who the director was. Anyway, it was a crappy, crappy movie about middle-aged woman who kindles an affair with a young man. She-is-oh-so-bored-but-now.... It's Jeanne Moreau and all. It was considered controversial to the contemporaries - because of some sexual content. Blah, whatever. This was so god damn French so god damn lyrical and I fiercely hated it almost immediately.
The second one was a documentary (I am ploughing through the contents of a Louis Malle documentary DVD-box) - ....And the pursuit of happiness, from 1986. The guy's career spans quite a few years, all right. This one was about immigrants in the US. It was interesting to see how little has changed (the same racist slurs by politicians etc.). Malle presents himself as a sympathetic guy who travels around in the US to conduct interviews with different people to investigate experiences of living in the US. They are all OK but somehow I am left with the feeling that Malle has not really succeeded in creating the kind of political document that he sometimes seems to aspire to. There is, however, a few good scenes. In one of them, we watch the family of Somoza gathered in a suburb house, filled with luxurious trinkets - it's so good to be in the US (as a dictator family). But I didn't really get an impression of what Malle wanted to say here and how the choice of interviews was to be understood. Most of the people he talked to lead a comfortable life.
All in all, I am quite amaze to find out that it's the same guy who directed these two movies. What a coincidence I happened to watch them the same day.
Not so impressed by Louis Malle so far.