We　present　a　more　general　form　of　the　mountain　pass　lemma.　It　asserts　that　a　C-1　functional　which　satisfies　the　Palais-Smale　condition　admits　a　critical　value　when　the　connectedness　of　certain　level　sets　changes.　We　also　give　an　improved　form　of　a　theorem　given　in　[A.　Bahri,　H.　Berestycki,　A　perturbation　method　in　critical　point　theory　and　applications,　Trans.　Amer.　Math.　Soc.　267　(1)　(1981)　1-32],　which　characterizes　the　existence　of　the　critical　value　by　means　of　contractibility　properties　of　the　level　sets.　(C)　2007　Elsevier　Ltd.　All　rights　reserved.