The Girl on the Bridge
by Patrice Leconte
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Daniel Auteuil, Demetre Georgalas, Frederic Pfluger, Isabelle Petit-Jacques, Vanessa ParadisDirector: Patrice Leconte
DVD: Region Code 0
Format: NTSC
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-08-12
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Fejui Media Corporation
Movie Reviews of The Girl on the Bridge
Movie Review: Captivating, romantic and utterly indulgent...
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Girl on the Bridge" ("La Fille Sur Le Pont") is a rare gem of a film which can be a romantic comedy, a tragedy and a suspense film all rolled into one. With powerhouse performances from Daniel Auteuil and Vanessa Paradis, this film will have you laughing and squirming in your seat at the same time. I defy anyone to actually stop the film and make a cup of coffee. I couldn't take my eyes off it.
Paradis is a lonely, depressed 21 year old woman at the end of her rope. The opening scene is pure quality as her character, Adele, explains her frustration at the mercy of the love / sex dichotomy; her composure slowly crumbling along the way. She goes to a bridge in Paris to end it all and meets Gabor (Auteuil), a burnt out 40+ year-old circus knife thrower. Gabor explains that he stands on bridges looking for desperate women to partner him in his act. Rather than sacrificing his dignity in order to disuade her from suicide, Gabor resorts to reverse psychology and both of them wind up in the river. In the hands of an older man, Adele learns a level of self control she never had and Gabor gets the co-worker he has always wanted and needed. As a partnership, they are complete but it will depend on Adele's ability to deny herself the thing which has brought her undone for so long. Denying her fear in the act is easier.
The first time they appear in public, Gabor goes all-out to impress his audience, gambling on the symbiosis of their relationship with a maximum risk performance. The scene is truly gut wrenching and frightening; an exploration of the voyeurism in humans which will attract us to such an act. The brutality of the thump as the knife hits the backboard has them squirming in their seats and Adele and Gabor discover something new about themselves. They communicate even when they are apart. They can gamble together even when they are not together and luck is on their side. In the stage lights they are brilliant.
The scene at the rail yard in Italy examines their relationship in an off-stage performance which takes them to new heights as they both experience the erotic pleasure of danger and completeness to the haunting Marianne Faithfull song "Who Will take My Dreams Away?". Soon, however, Adele's period of sexual denial comes to an end and she leaves Gabor, resulting in their return to their previous luckless existences. The ending, for me, was a little predictable but it didn't detract from a film which is a guilty pleasure to watch.
Beautifully shot in black and white and featuring a lot of hand-held shots and snappy editing, the transfer has a lustrous quality to it and I simply could not imagine it in colour. The lighting is superb and renders a rich grey scale. The script is wonderful with a healthy helping of black humour and romantic tension. It has been said that the most romantic monent is the last breath before the first kiss. In this film that last breath goes for almost the entire film. Patrice Leconte is the only director I can think of who could have done this film justice and he delivers in a big way.
Top marks at all levels.
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