The Girl on the Bridge (1999)

Daniel Auteuil (Caché) and Vanessa Paradis certainly give us a good answer to that question.She is ready to jump off a bridge when he comes to save her and convince her that, if she is going to kill herself anyway, she might as well be his target in a knife-throwing act.But, her luck changes when she learns to trust him and give herself to him. She has a need to sleep with anyone she fancies, but not with him. Their intercourse is in the act, and you can can see the passion on her face as he uses his knives as a means of penetration. Well, not penetration of her, as that would be messy.Auteuil was extremely funny with a script by Serge Frydman. The direction of Patrice Leconte ensured that the film's 90 minutes packed the wallop of a 3 hr film, and cinematography by Jean-Marie Dreujou gave this black and white film a magic that was captivating.Love? It's trust and concern and belief in your partner.

Patrice Leconte's "The Girl on the Bridge" is a film that on second viewing seems better than when we first saw it. In a way, it appears to be a change of pace for M. Leconte, a man whose films have always been received well by his fans. As written for the screen by Serge Frydman, the movie presents a different take on love between two lonely people.In fact, this original film begins and end on bridges with a reversal in what Adele and Gabor are trying to do. At the start, it's Adele the one that is at the end of her rope, and at the conclusion, it's Gabor who does a complete role reversal when everything seems to be hopeless for him.Adele and Gabor never consummate their love as we follow when their lives comes together. Adele, during the interview with what appears to be either a social worker, reveals the sordid aspects of her life to the camera in an amazing sequence that sets the tone to the rest of the film. M. Leconte and his camera seem to be in love with the lovely Adele.The two principals, Vanessa Paradis and Daniel Auteuil are perfect in the film. Both actors do excellent work together.The magnificent black and white photography by Jean Marie Dreujou is perhaps the best asset for the film. The music score adds to the mood of the film.

Like many other french movies, this movie is about the beauty of film making, it's about the art that does not necessarily depend on a story. There is a great amount of fantasy in this movie, like most good things in life. One thing that I really liked about the movie was the fact that you can take almost any frame and it could be part of a photography exhibition. Some people may complain about the story, which may be bland by itself; others may complain about the fairytale-type romance in the movie, which may seem too sentimental. But it is the excess of emotions that gives it the flavor of a fairytale. I'd never watch a movie to learn something, because good movies like good poetry is beauty itself, and we don't analyze that.

My ex-girlfriend suggested this movie. She actually gave me a copy. I had thought, previously, since she dug (or seemed to dig) Henry Fool (she later said that she must've been influenced by me, after having attempted to watch Surviving Desire and turning it off because it was too "talky") that perhaps the movie would at least be remotely intriguing. It wasn't.It was a definite case of style over substance. Clearly influenced by MTV (or in Canada's case, Much Music), it was chock full of interesting camerawork, beautiful cinematography, but the sentiments were bland and the story annoying and the characters unappealing. The story is about two incredibly needy, albeit unusual people (well, one is a knife thrower and the other is suicidal) who are tied at the hip and experience this "serendipity" and esp regarding each other. Several scenes show them walking aroung "talking" to each other (each one is in another part of the world). The movie is meant to show this tragic, romantic love affair full of magic and wonder and telepathy, but in the end, it's just a load of hogwash. The film suffers from overwrought sentimentality and a grating, unbelievable storyline that is all about the forces of fate etc.I was just really put off by the whole fairy tale, Cinderella aspect to the story, which seems to broadcast that people can't survive alone, and there is one person out there who is your soul mate. I realize that my own personal biases may influence this opinion, but so be it. I'm not a big fan of fate/ destiny/ the idea that our lives are pre-written. This film is a sickening lecture on the presence of serendipidy and fate and, in the end, I wanted to watch something real and gritty (Trainspotting or something). I mean, I don't mind flights of fancy etc., but this film was trollop. If you're a hopeless romantic who believes in needy, clingy relationships full of jealousy and mistrust, then you may enjoy this flick. If you have more of a philisophical bent and you believe in choice and free will and aren't usually pursuaded by layers of glossy style to conceal the fact that the film is a drab fairy tale, don't see this film. Go see Swimming Pool or 400 Blows if you want excellent french cinema. Avoid this at all costs.I give it 1 out of 10.