La fille sur le pont (1999)

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:

Knife Thrower | Gambling | Seine River | Luck | Promiscuous Woman

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 'Patrice 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:

Ghandura

So Sad, So Happy

Two tragic characters: A beautiful girl, on the edge of a bridge contemplating suicide, and a broken man, on the same bridge for the same reason. The man is a believer. He believes in fortune. He's been around, and he's seen many things. He can tell when the wheels of fortune are turning, and in the face of the young girl he sees salvation for them both. He senses a feeling stronger than fate or Kismet or whatever you want to call it. A conviction that two people can be made for each other, that two people can connect in a way imperceivable and unobtainable for most of the world, a connection so deep and so strong, that it can make them invincible.

In most movies of this kind, you expect the characters to discover how right they are for each other along the way. In this movie they know it the instant they meet, but they're too proud and too overwhelmed to accept the fact that it could be so easy.

Patrice Leconte takes us on a wonderful journey around Europe, and fills each black and white frame with such colorful feelings that it's next to impossible not to be taken in by the mere suggestion that there can be a perfect match for each person, and that together they can take on the world.

La fille sur le pond, is a movie about fortune, destiny, love, danger, lust, luck, romance but above all, I think that it's about connection. Connection on a level so high that it becomes divine. This movie is unique and in it I find refuge whenever I feel alone or lonely.