The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)

Director:

Mary McGuckian

Writers:

Mary McGuckian (writer)
Thornton Wilder (novel)

Release Date:

22 December 2004 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Five Lives Bound By One Fate.

Plot:

In 1714 Peru, a friar is tried by the Inquisition for questioning God's intentions when five die in the collapse of an Andean rope bridge.

Plot Keywords:

Rope Bridge | Inquisition | Heresy | Trial | Lima Peru

Awards:

1 win

Cast

F. Murray Abraham	...	Viceroy of Peru
Kathy Bates	...	The Marquesa
Gabriel Byrne	...	Brother Juniper
Geraldine Chaplin	...	The Abbess
Robert De Niro	...	Archbishop of Peru
Émilie Dequenne	...	Doña Clara
Adriana Domínguez	...	Pepita
Harvey Keitel	...	Uncle Pio
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Dona Clara's Husband
Pilar López de Ayala	...	Camila Villegas (La Perichola)
John Lynch	...	Captain Alvarado
Dominique Pinon	...	His Excellency's Fop
Mark Polish	...	Manuel
Michael Polish	...	Esteban
Jim Sheridan	...	The King of Spain
Javier Conde	...	Camila's Matador
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christopher de Andrés	...	Lacayo
Emilio Gavira
Alberto González
Nando Llera

Directed by
Mary McGuckian

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mary McGuckian		writer
Thornton Wilder		novel

Produced by
Jeff Abberley	....	executive producer
Mark Albela	....	line producer
Elvira Bolz	....	co-producer
Michael Cowan	....	producer
Craig Darian	....	executive producer
Sixto García	....	assistant producer
Samuel Hadida	....	producer
Victor Hadida	....	executive producer
Peter James	....	executive producer
Howard G. Kazanjian	....	executive producer
Garrett McGuckian	....	producer
Mary McGuckian	....	producer
Denise O'Dell	....	producer
Jason Piette	....	co-producer
James Simpson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Javier Aguirresarobe

Film Editing by
Kant Pan

Casting by
Sharon Howard-Field

Production Design by
Gil Parrondo

Art Direction by
Sonia Aranzabal
Óscar Sempere		(art direction)

Costume Design by
Yvonne Blake

Production Management
José María González Sinde	....	location unit manager
Chris Nixon	....	post-production supervisor
Daniel Vega	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charlie Lázaro	....	second assistant director
Carlos Santana	....	second second assistant director
Pedro Sopeña	....	first assistant director
René Villarreal	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Michel Doré	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Jorge Adrados	....	boom operator: second unit
Jorge Adrados	....	sound assistant
Gordon Brown	....	adr editor
Colette Dahanne	....	assistant sound mixer
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer
Peter Glossop	....	production sound mixer
Erik Jordan	....	ProTools editor
Robin Knapp	....	assistant sound editor
Shaun Mills	....	boom operator
Michael Redfern	....	foley editor
Adrian Rhodes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ian Wilson	....	supervising sound editor
Mark Rose	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Emilio Ruiz del Río	....	model maker

Stunts
Guiomar Alonso	....	stunt performer
Jorge Huergo	....	stunts
Miguel Pedregosa	....	stunt coordinator
Manuel Valle	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Kiko Garcia	....	still photographer
Jay Maidment	....	special still photographer
Pepe Martínez	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ana Cuerda	....	wardrobe assistant
Thomas Sjolander	....	embroidery
José Vico	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Steve Harrow	....	post-production consultant
Laurie McDowell	....	first assistant editor
Thomas Walters	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Don Gallacher	....	music supervisor
The London Oratory School Schola	....	musicians: boys choir
Graham Sutton	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Gonzalo Bouza	....	runner driver
Cayetano Chimeno	....	unit transport manager
Aitor Satrustegui	....	runner driver

Other crew
Stephanie Angel	....	script supervisor trainee
Mercedes Barbod	....	assistant location manager
Shirine Best	....	development assistant
María Cabello	....	production runner
Usha Chaman	....	assistant: Ms. McGuckian
Matt Curtis	....	title designer
Diana Dill	....	script supervisor
Cristina Ecija	....	production coordinator
José María González Sinde	....	location manager
Brendan Gunn	....	dialogue coach
Mel Hider	....	assistant: Mr. Cowan and Mr. Piette
Emily Kyriakides	....	assistant to producer: UK
Alex Marshall	....	head of business affairs
Alex Matcham	....	production controller
Ali Moshref	....	post-production accountant
Andrea Nelson	....	assistant: actor
Denis Pedregosa	....	business affairs: KanZaman
Saray Perez	....	cashier
Daisy Schwartz	....	assistant: Mr. De Niro
Ricardo Serrano	....	assistant location manager
Lucy Shuttleworth	....	development executive
Niall Trask	....	runner
Paloma Vázquez	....	production assistant
Faye Villalba	....	production coordinator
Lara Voloshin	....	assistant to producer
Salvador Yagüe	....	base camp manager
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond company representative (uncredited)
Melissa Milo	....	assistant: Mr. De Niro (uncredited)
Denis O'Sullivan	....	assistant: Mr. De Niro (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Tribeca Productions (presents)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (presents)
• Davis-Films
• Bridge
• Kanzaman
• Spice Factory
• Movision (as Movision Entertainment) (in association with)
• Scion Films (in association with)
• Pembridge Pictures

Distributors

• Columbia TriStar Films (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Fine Line Features (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• New Line Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Imagem Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Quasar Films (2007) (Argentina) (TV)
• RTL Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL8)
• Senator International

Special Effects

• Cine Image Film Opticals (main and end titles)

Other Companies

• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• London Oratory School Schola, The  music performed by (as The London Oratory School Schola - boys' choir)
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services

Also Known As:

El puente de San Luis Rey (Spain)
Le pont du roi Saint-Louis (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, some disturbing images and some sensuality.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

Spain | UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Hungary:14 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Brazil:10 | Netherlands:12 | Spain:13 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Málaga, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Tribeca Productions

Quotes:

Archbishop of Peru: [to the Abbess] Fortunately I count the cessationn of these meetings as one of the benefits of dying.

Movie Connections:

References La périchole, la chanteuse et le dictateur (2000) (TV)

Not for a passive viewer.

The movie has an excellent cast - a cast which precedes any mention of the film - which, I think, actually takes away from the movie. It makes us very difficult critics.

The Bridge over San Luis Rey is not a traditional drama. It is predominantly philosophical; the emotions in the novel and in this film are fleeting. When the characters fall in love, and when they die, we are very quickly drawn away from it. Life is fleeting. This is unlike most dramas where we are given plenty of time to reflect and consider. This movie can leave you behind, both with regard to plot details and these moments of attachment to the characters.

It may feel as though they tried to cram a whole array of interesting characters into a two-hour film. I think that they did, and this is how the story reads - to Brother Jupiter (the story's quasi-narrator) all the characters are "incidental" to him. His investigation (and yours, as a viewer) is to pry into their lives and the intimate details of their biographies. Other reviewers here have complained that the characters "seemed to appear and disappear;" I think this is intentional - Brother Jupiter only gets a vignette into the lives of these people, just as we only have small pieces of the lives of our friends. Have some sympathy, and these characters will truly seem alive.

The point is that this movie requires some effort to be enjoyed; you have to keep up with it. I think, however, that if you are willing to actively try and suspend disbelief and - just as if you were actually reading the novel - try to scry something more from the characters and plot, you will be well-rewarded. The film is remarkable in that it expresses the fact that this was, originally, a novel; I can't expect a novel to simply play itself out before me. This movie is an intellectual adventure.

The movie felt very much like a stage production. There are few attempts to match an accent appropriate to the time and place - which I find most forgivable; they are, after all, speaking English to begin with. The lines are delivered as though the actors were in a play - particularly de Niro's lines. This, too, can take away from one's ability to be easily immersed in the film's experience unless you make the effort.

No one can fault the ability of the director in creating a visually stunning film. The camera, though, was annoying from time to time, particularly in the opening and ending scenes.

The movie did a remarkable job of portraying the relationship between Manuel and Esteban; for having no lines whatsoever, the actors (who I have never seen before) were incredible. Kathy Bates, Harvey Keitel, and F. Murray Abraham are magnificent.

I was not so impressed with Robert de Niro and Gabriel Byrne. Whether this was due to their (difficult) characters, the director's failing to direct, or their own flaws as actors, I don't know. I do think that they were not given enough screen time - which is regrettable. I think that, given the privilege the writer and director had in having these actors, it would have been more than forgivable to take some liberties from the novel just to flesh out these characters and let these actors play for a bit more. Also, Captain Alvarado - though he certainly looks the part, is a bit over the top, in the few scenes he appears.

I don't understand the 1's that reviewers, here, have given this film. The movie is simply not _that_ bad, and I cannot see what possible reasons can bring such a negative conclusion out, other than that people cannot resist the opportunity to make pithy remarks about a movie in which the main characters fall off a bridge. Take such reviews with a grain of salt, and when you watch the movie, try a little.