Les amants du Pont-Neuf (1991)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Leos Carax

Writer:

Leos Carax (writer)

Release Date:

2 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Romance... In a most unlikely place.

Plot:

Set against Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, while it was closed for repairs, this film is a love story between two young vagrants: Alex...

Plot Keywords:

Vagrant | Bridge | Love | Painter | Ferris Wheel

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Juliette Binoche	...	Michèle Stalens
Denis Lavant	...	Alex
Daniel Buain	...	L'ami clochard / Alex's vagrant friend
Klaus-Michael Grüber	...	Hans
Marion Stalens	...	Marion
Chrichan Larsson	...	Julien (as Chrichan Larson)
Paulette Berthonnier	...	La marinière / Barge operator
Roger Berthonnier	...	Le marinier / Barge operator
Edith Scob	...	La femme en voiture
Georges Aperghis	...	L'homme en voiture
Michel Vandestien	...	Le pompier
Georges Castorp	...	Un endormi
Marc Desclozeaux	...	Un endormi
Alain Dahan	...	Un endormi
Pierre Pessemesse	...	Un endormi

Also Known As:

L'amour entre une fils et un garçon (France) (working title)
Les amants de Paris (France) (working title)
Lovers on the Ninth Bridge (Australia) (video title)
Lovers on the Pont Neuf (Australia) (cable TV title)
The Lovers on the Bridge (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language, sexuality/nudity and substance abuse.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:18 (theatrical) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bienvenue Montparnasse - 8, rue de l'Arrivee, Paris 15, Paris, France

Company:

Films A2

Trivia:

The construction of a new version of the Pont-Neuf - and its surrounding buildings in Paris - helped make this one of the most expensive French films ever made.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Enquête sur un film au-dessus de tout soupçon (1991)

Two losers get their lives back together on the streets of Paris

Usually I'm a sucker for French films, but this one left me as cold as a December night on the streets of Paris. Like the bridge, which serves as allegory, the two "lovers?" ( probably better termed co-dependents in an abusive relationship) have to be nearly destroyed before they can be rebuilt. Possessive, selfish, self-destructive, they lead each other into the abyss until the woman finds redemption through traditional values and the man finds redemption through prison. Then they are finally ready to find a life together. Fortunately, society picked them up in the nick of time, and they didn't end up on a slab in the city morgue. Not a pretty story. Not a love story. But an interesting story.