Elastoplasts or bandages at the ready! (The Girl on the Bridge (DVD))

Member Name: sirg0508

Product:	The Girl on the Bridge (DVD)
Date:	20/09/06 (184 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Black and white, story continues even apart

Disadvantages: Camera can be a bit wobbly

‘The Girl on the Bridge’ (La Fille Sur Le Pont) introduces Adele being interviewed. It’s strange as we never really learn what or who she is being interviewed for but it sets up the story and we are told her history in those few minutes; how bad her life is. Before the scene ends she is asked where she thinks her life will go but Adele doesn’t see a future. So much so that the next scene sees her standing on a bridge ready to take her life but a man takes the opportunity to save her life as well as his own.

This is a full black and white film but it is not old. It was released in 1999 and has a cast of Daniel Auteuil but the main character Adele, aged 21, is played by Vanessa Paradis (girl who sang ‘Joe le Taxi’). Maybe it’s because I know she sang that song but I can’t stand her voice – it seems rather childish and not too different to that song. Adele admits to always being unlucky and all she wants to do is be with men. She is very fickle but at the same time is very frank about her past to these strangers in the opening scene holding nothing back. Auteuil plays Gabor, a knife thrower and part time life safer it seems. He’s met girls in depressed moods before and who better to involve in his act than women who don’t care whether they live or die. Gabor is a quiet character and there is an obvious attraction between the two even though nothing becomes of it. His eyes show passion and fear often highlighted with a band of light.

The film is erotic and very sexy even though the viewer sees very little action between any of the characters there is one scene that is undoubtedly passionate and the link between Gabor and Adele. Gabor continually gives Adele chances to leave but she always returns realising at each turn that they have to be together, usually just in the professional manner. This does sound depressing considering both the main characters are rather depressed but there are moments of humour. The settings are also rather exotic which relate to the story. The two characters are continually travelling so there are views of France and Italy or one on a cruise ship. I’m glad the film is black and white as while it would have shown these exotic places in glamorous colour it would have been the complete opposite to the depressive states of the characters.

The tension shows in a lot of the scenes especially those relating to the knife throwing. Whether it focuses on Gabor’s eyes it usually pans to the knife itself and between the two characters as they are thrown. Gabor is a gambler but I’m glad the film didn’t portray him as an alcoholic as that could have been detrimental in this career.

There are only two characters but really it is enough. With a lot of travelling people come and go but these two are always together. Paradis and Auteuil have a great on screen chemistry even though she’s about half his age but is quite materialistic even claiming she’s attracted to men like she is clothes. Both characters support each other in a perfect way which does seem more of a fairytale than realistic but Gabor does say at the start he’s a fairy… fairy godmother?

The dialogue changes late into the film - no longer is it the two characters conversing but later it’s like a dream state. One talks and the other replies no matter how many miles there are between them. It works well because life continues in each setting: at several points Adele is with another man who is talking to her while she talks to Gabor but they never know. It does keep the story flowing as there isn’t much said in the settings they are in. It’s like two friends keeping in touch asking how the other is doing. This leads onto the final scenes in the story which do seem to come full circle with the characters having evolved but at the same time Gabor remains the same. Some may say the ending is predictable but it still works very well and has its moments of tension.

In widescreen format the film works well (although just not on a small non-widescreen TV). Perfect in black and white the lighting really captures moments as I mentioned earlier the erotic scene as well as the tension filled knife throwing scenes. The camera work does leave a little to be desired at times as it seems more handheld in difficult situations. The DVD only has the theatrical trailer as an extra which really speaks for itself as there are no words spoken through it. It does show the film in a great way and captures it well including some romantic and anxious moments. Other than that there is the choice of screen selection and whether to turn the English subtitles on or off – these are easy to read as there isn’t a lot of dialogue used which is a bonus compared to some other films.

At £5.97 from Amazon the film is great value – especially as a French DVD (which is usually significantly higher!).

Rating: 15
Length: 88 minutes
Format: 2.35 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Region: 2

Summary: Knife throwing and suicide are a perfect match.