Product Description

Daniel Auteuil and sexy Vanessa Paradis charm in this funny and intriguing twist on Boy Meets Girl. A beautiful waif (Paradis) is prepared to leap to her death in the Seine but is rescued from her grim fate by a raffish carnival knife thrower (Auteuil, in a performance that won him a Cesar Award for Best Actor). Lovely, quirky, winsome and erotic, this fairytale vision from director Patrice Leconte (Monsieur Hire) is a romance so captivating, you won't want it to end!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12874 in DVD
• Brand: LEGEND FILMS
• Released on: 2008-07-01
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 5.00 pounds
• Running time: 91 minutes

Features

• Daniel Auteuil and sexy Vanessa Paradis charm in this funny and intriguing twist on Boy Meets Girl. A beautiful waif (Paradis) is prepared to leap to her death in the Seine but is rescued from her grim fate by a raffish carnival knife thrower (Auteuil, in a performance that won him a Cesar Award for Best Actor). Lovely, quirky, winsome and erotic, this fairytale vision from director Patrice Lecont

Review
[...] Recently released on DVD nine years after its theatrical release in 1999, Leconte s exquisitely photographed black and white film about destiny, telepathy, magic, starred both his frequent leading man Daniel Auteuil in a Cesar Award-winning role as well as Johnny Depp s significant other, the French pop singer Vanessa Paradis. In her breakthrough role as the promiscuous yet sweet-natured, down-on-her-luck Adele, Paradis turns in a visually expressive performance that s all the more evident in the film s opening scene as she s interrogated about her perpetual misfortune and ill-fated romances.

Abruptly following that speech, we re captured by Adele s tear-stained face and suicidal glare as the gorgeous young woman leans over the Seine River. However, fate intervenes as the bridge s other sole occupant-- the mysteriously charismatic Gabor (Auteil) recruits Adele to be the beautiful target in his traveling knife throwing act. While no doubt this proposition would send most running in the other direction, and despite some initial skepticism, Adele takes it in stride as Gabor admits it would be a natural transition because he needs a woman unafraid of death.

She, in the end, agrees to go along with the eccentric knife-thrower, and once Adele and Gabor begin their journey, they realize that their luck has changed entirely. Oddly enough, the two unlucky outsiders suddenly can t miss both in their act and throughout European casinos. Quickly their dynamic evolves into a sensual companionship that borders on a romantic flirtation, however Leconte is always careful never to allow the characters to cross over into a sexual relationship.

While American audiences are used to having men and women hit the sheets on film as soon as they meet, in the hands of Leconte, and especially in this intoxicating reverie, it becomes even more erotic by his decision to not show anything. Sure enough, instead of a dull couple we d begin to grow tired of due to their predictably happily ever after bliss, Adele and Gabor s relationship goes to an entirely different level. Soon, Leconte requires even further suspension of disbelief, making the film into one big magical act in its own right as we realize Adele and Gabor are actually unlikely soul mates who can speak to each other telepathically. They are a couple whose form of romantic consummation is onstage dazzling others with the rush of knife throwing.

Normally, when one sees a suicide attempt combined with knife throwing, one doesn t normally imagine the makings of a breathtaking romance. Yet it s precisely Leconte s aversion to playing by traditional rules in following a strict love story paradigm by offering us such a strangely addictive work that make it an irresistible attraction of romantic filmmaking opposites.

As a true fan however, I unfortunately have to note that while Girl has never looked better in a stunningly, crisp cinematic transfer for its Legend Films DVD release, other than offering an option to jump to various scenes, there were no extra features available on the disc. Despite this, the film itself would always be the main attraction in any DVD release. Filled with wildly inventive imagery and a dynamic soundtrack, and clocking in with a brief 91 minute running time, it s a fast-paced feast for the senses.[...] --Jen Johans of BlogCritics Magazine at BlogCritics.org

Customer Reviews

a work of art
It's very seldom that a film truly deserves a perfect FIVE star rating; well, at least a film from the past ten years or so. You know that old saying: they don't make 'em like they used to anymore? That's true, except for Girl on the Bridge. This film is simply put: wistful. It sparkles with a peculiar romantic intensity and a vividness that is not often found in contemporary films; whatever the language. It's as if Cukor or Hawks or Capra stepped out of the past to guide this little film along. It would take the French to make a movie this glowing with romantic saturation. The director is Patrice Leconte. That name will probably not mean much to most people outside of France or Europe, but in his native country he is as famous and respected a living filmmaker as there ever was. When you look at the body of Leconte's work it may not seem impressive at first. He doesn't have a mile long list of blockbuster hits to his name (like Scorsese or Spielberg) but he makes the most of every single film he creates and when viewed as a whole, his films mostly share a similar thread: two lonely and desperate people trying to make a connection in a cruel world.

In some of Leconte's films the connection is as simple as friendship (The Man on the Train '02, My Best Friend '06) but mostly his films revolve around the eminent concept of love (Girl on the Bridge '99, The Widow of Saint-Pierre '00) and to some degree obsession (Monsieur Hire '89, The Hairdresser's Husband '90, Intimate Strangers '04). But do not mistake me, Girl on the Bridge is not some weepy romantic tear-jerker. On the contrary, it is something of an anomaly. It is about two damaged people who share a bond that neither one can quite understand or ultimately ignore. How you feel about that bond in question is up to you since some may say it's luck, and others might say it's clairvoyance. Yes. There is an air of mysticism to the proceedings in Girl on the Bridge, but believe me, in terms of the story it's what makes the whole thing click. That and the chemistry of the two stars: Daniel Auteuil and Vanessa Paradis (better known as the future Mrs. Johnny Depp).

Auteuil dominates the film with his world-weary eyes and saggy face. There is something brutal about him that lingers caged under a gentle surface; he's like a Gallic Bogart with more spontaneity. In this film he plays a professional knife thrower. When one considers the type of person it must take to have knives thrown at them at high velocity, it's no wonder he finds his would-be assistants on the ledges of Parisian bridges after nightfall. This particular would-be target is played by the delicate, sensual and callow Paradis. Their stormy professional relationship (replete with psychic bond) soon matures into a true friendship and eventual...well, I'll leave the rest up to you to discover. The film is filled with playful yet ravishing cinematography (courtesy of Jean-Marie Dreujou) and a haunting musical score (featuring the unforgettable Marianne Faithfull). It's funny, erotic and above all else a film that fills the senses and leaves you breathless. Legend Films presents Girl on the Bridge in a sparkling anamorphic transfer with pleasing sound. This is the first time the film has been released on DVD in region 1, and believe me, it was long overdue. I showed this film to someone once and all they could say afterward was: "it looked like one of those black and white cologne or diamond commercials on TV." Yeah, I suppose there are some people who could look at Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel and sum it up by saying: "it sure went high up." It's so easy for some to miss the point. I think what Leconte is trying to say with most of his films is that love is inherently simple, yet we as human beings complicate the matter every time. Perhaps it's something in our nature. Is it the heart that's responsible? The head? The gut? Maybe it's the whole damn thing...

most beautiful film
After I saw this film, I liked to say that the last film I saw was in French and black and white. This film has all the wonders of both. In our age of vivid color and candid sex, this film is both erotic and subtle. Although throwing knife as phallic symbol does not suggest it, this film is sensual, not sexual. Vanessa Paradis and Daniel Auteil make an amazing pair. Her supermodel good looks and flippant sexuality makes her HOT the perfect foil for his calm, collected COOL as they go on a gallavanting tour of behind the big tent Europe. This is a film for clever sentamentalists and cynics alike. Sure, the film takes an "other half" attitude to love, but it also makes it plainly clear that love is altogether fragile, and cannot hold.

Takes Your Breath Away
I don't even know where to begin writing about this movie. It follows young Adele, who thinks that her life is worthless and wants to kill herself by jumping off a bridge. Of corse, she dosen't (or else we wouldn't have much of a movie) and is confronted by a circus-knife-throwing man who says he can make her life better as she starts to plunge. This movie is all about how you control your own luck in life, or atleast that is what I felt the message was. It wasn't until I had finished the movie and gotten into bed that i realized that this THE most beautiful movie I have ever seen. It was just so light and and enjoyable, and made you smile inside. Beautiful is a word I have never used to describe a movie before. I always say "funny" or "cute" or "awful" or even "awsome". But never "beautiful" -until now. I have no idea why it's rated R. There was one profain word and nothing explicit (I mean NOTHING) in the whole film. I would even let a 10 year old watch it- just so they can see what a good movie is supposed to be like. Vanessa Paradis has proven to me with this that she is not just one of my favorite singers and models, but is a really great and serious actress. Everything I saw in this film impressed me. And please don't worry about having to read the subtitles! After 2 minutes, I promise you'll be so involved you won't notice or care. If you loved Chocolat, or Amelie, or anything like that, TRY THIS. (It's so inexpensive you might as well buy it. I couldn't find it in Blockbuster anyway.) Absolutley incredible! I don't know if I'll ever find another movie that can touch me this deeply.