La fille sur le pont (1999)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Patrice Leconte

Writers:

Serge Frydman (dialogue)
Serge Frydman (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 March 1999 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

It's night on a Paris bridge. A girl leans over Seine River with tears in her eyes and a violent yearning to drown her sorrows...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Seine | Luck | Knife Thrower | Gambling

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Vanessa Paradis	...	Adèle
Daniel Auteuil	...	Gabor
Frédéric Pfluger	...	Contortionist
Demetre Georgalas	...	Takis
Catherine Lascault	...	Irene
Isabelle Petit-Jacques	...	Bride
Mireille Mossé	...	Miss Memory
Didier Lemoine	...	TGV Ticket Conductor
Bertie Cortez	...	Kusak
Stéphane Metzger	...	Italian Waiter
Claude Aufaure	...	Suicide Victim
Farouk Bermouga	...	TGV Waiter
Nicolas Donato	...	Mr. Loyal
Enzo Etokyo	...	Italian Megaphone
Giorgios Gatzios	...	Barker

Also Known As:

Girl on the Bridge (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:18A (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Germany:12 (f) | Finland:S (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

The opening sequence lasts for more than 7 minutes with a monologue by Vanessa Paradis. In the DVD commentary, director 'Patric Leconte' says that a single shot was necessary using several cameras.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the hospital where Adele and Gabor bet on the fly, the wagered watch is on the desk before Gabor hands it to Adele. In the next shot the watch is back on the desk.

Soundtrack:

Quien sera

Brilliant and Enchanting. The most beautiful example of poetic realism in modern cinema

For years I was asking myself: the beauty of the early French films, the poetic realism, the simplicity and magic of the early Italian neorealists - where have they gone? I was missing that moment of pure cinema magic, the feel of people, the love for life in the movies. The unforgettable pictures of our childhood created by people like Carne and Vigo, Rene Clair, de Sica and Fellini. Now they are back. Patrick Leconte has created a very original, highly enjoyable little masterpiece that has it all in a modern movie. This beautiful black and white love story is a great moment of contemporary cinema that leaves you with that deeply happy feeling, that cinema sometimes seem to have forgotten about. As a producer and director myself, I was searching for a long time for any modern piece of film that picks up on that wonderful poetic movie tradition that combines reality with a flowing, surreal dream-like storytelling that your heart directly understands. Leconte's gentle and lighthearted, yet perfect command of visual language and editing makes this simple little story about a knife-thrower and cabaret artist and his "victim" and partner, a suicidal young woman, one of my happiest cinema experiences in the last 20 years. That people do this kind of movies these days, gives you hope. We need more movies like this. This is a film that nobody should miss that loves poetry, love, life and circus as major elements of cinema and human existence. Congratulations to Patrice Leconte and his inspired DP Jean Marie Dreujou.