Lulu on the Bridge (1998)

A famous jazz saxophonist whose life is forever changed after he is accidentally shot.

Director:

Paul Auster

Writer:

Paul Auster

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, Mira Sorvino, Richard Edson

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harvey Keitel	...	Izzy Maurer
Richard Edson	...	Dave Reilly
Don Byron	...	Tyrone Lord
Kevin Corrigan	...	Man With Gun
Mira Sorvino	...	Celia Burns
Victor Argo	...	Pierre
Peggy Gormley	...	Dr. Fisher
Harold Perrineau	...	Bobby Perez
Gina Gershon	...	Hannah
Sophie Auster	...	Sonia Kleinman
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Catherine Moore
Mandy Patinkin	...	Philip Kleinman
Greg Johnson	...	Stanley Mar
David Byrne	...	'Laughing Man' Escort
Holly Buczek	...	Dying Girl

Storyline

A jazz saxophonist loses his capability to play when he is injured in a shooting at a café where he was playing. He sinks into depression when everyone charges in to take care of him, including his ex-wife. However, he discovers a stone with a telephone number attached. Returning the stone, he meets a young aspiring actress who in one of those film coincidences is listening to his music. Soon the two begin an affair which is fouled by his over-obsessiveness with her which costs them both a job at a restaurant.

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Plot Keywords:

slip the undergarment | pie in the face | television commercial | watching tv | saxophonist | 

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Taglines:

Is she real? ..or did he make her up?

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, brief strong language and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1998 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Erotevmenoi eos tin aioniotita

Filming Locations:

Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Capitol Films, Redeemable Features

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, Celia (Mira Sorvino) is cast as Lulu in an adaptation of "Pandora's Box", one of the Lulu plays by Frank Wedekind. The film also has a cameo by singer Lou Reed (Not Lou Reed), who went on to do an album with Metallica based on these plays, called "Lulu", it was his last full-length album.

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Goofs

When Izzy is at Celia's apartment for the first time and closes the curtains to make it dark, there is a lot of light coming in even with the curtains closed. When they turn the lights off, the room is very dark.

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Quotes

Hannah: You still don't know who I am, do you? After all these years, you still don't have a clue.

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Connections

References The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

User Reviews

Truly unique

Lulu On The Bridge is an odd one, and that's a compliment. It subtly strains at the constrictions of genre until you realize just how unique it has gotten right under your nose. I've always thought of it as the Abel Ferrara fiom that he never made. Harvey Keitel delivers a home run of a lead performance as Izzy Maurer, a renowned jazz musician who loses his ability to play after he is shot by a lunatic gunman (Kevin Corrigan) while he is performing his music in a cafe. He sinks into a deep depression following the incident, and then something curious happens. One day he finds a mysterious stone, with a phone number attached to it and some seemingly supernatural qualities which alter the psyche, mood and perception of anyone in its vicinity. The phone number leads him to Celia Burns (the ever excellent and under estimated Mira Sorvino), an aspiring actress who's fallen just south of the success line, and has a taste for Izzy's music. The two seem destined to meet and as you might guess, begin a passionate love affair that begins to get a bit obsessive, with strong hints directed towards the stone that seems to govern will and volition. Their romance is hot, heavy and volatile, threatened when a mysterious man named Dr. Can Horn (a classy but dangerous Willem Dafoe) separately kidnaps them in attempt to retrieve the stone. The script deliberately shades over its true intentions until the very last minute, stopping to pick many dialogue and thematic flowers along the way, as well as leave a few red herrings behind. Gina Gershon is great as Izzy's ex wife, and the monumantal supporting cast also includes Richard Edson, the great Victor Argo, Harold Perrineau, Mandy Patinkin, Vanessa Redgrave and a brief Lou Reed who is pricelessly credited as 'Not Lou Reed'. If you snag a DVD you can also see deleted scenes work from Stockard Channing, Jared Harris, Josef Sommer and Giancarlo Esposito. The film attempts music, mystery, doomed love, urban mysticism, thriller and drama elements. I'm happy to report that it succeeds at all of them, a gem not unlike the mcguffin stone within the plot, and a haunting little modern fairy tale. Check it out.