THE GIRL ON THE BRIDGE ----------------------
Just as Adele (French pop star Vanessa Paradis) prepares to jump off a Parisian bridge, Gabor (Daniel Auteuil, "Un Coeur en Hiver") appears from the shadows to test her resolve and offer her a job as his assistant. He's a knife thrower and figures Adele has nothing to lose in "The Girl on the Bridge."
LAURA:
It's been a long time since I experienced what I call 'cinema rush' - that intoxicating feeling I get whenever I see a truly great film. Director Patrice Leconte ("Monsieur Hire") has confected a wildy romantic, stunning film, which won a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture and eight Cesar (the French Oscar) nominations (Auteuil won for Best Actor).
Adele believes she has no luck at all - she's 'a bug strip,' 'a vacuum cleaner that picks up the dirt that was left behind.' In the film's opening minutes, Adele tells an interrogator, in front of an audience, about her past, where she hopped from man to man at her convenience in a quest for survival. Adele is clearly somewhat amoral and promiscuous. The only minor quibble I have with this film is that it's unclear at what point in time Adele is supposed to be giving this interview - it doesn't quite mesh with the film's ending.
Gabor, on the other hand, has a theory about luck and believes he can concoct it with Adele. He's telepathic and together they hum. Over and over again he proves this by betting on the flight of a fly, with a raffle ticket, at the roulette wheel and during their act, which he constantly pushes to greater and greater heights. Gabor fusses and frets when the much younger Adele trysts with handsome young men, making a nuisance of himself, yet never making a move on her himself. His knife throwing act is clearly a metaphor for sex, however, and gradually Adele gives up other men, until coincidence, disguised as luck of a different sort, arises on a cruise ship with disastrous results.
The prolific Auteuil has found a signature role with Gabor. With barely a change of facial expression he can be scathingly funny or intensely serious. The way he smokes a cigarette conveys more than words. He'll make you feel his pain AND his joy. Paradis would appear to be out of her league against such a great actor, yet her Adele is fully formed and beguiling. Her flightiness and enjoyment of the moment eventually give way to deeper emotions when it finally dawns on her just what she and Gabor really had together.
Serge Frydman's script has a basic romantic structure and utilizes dualilty in the name of luck (betting on the roulette wheel precedes the 'Wheel of Death' act, for example). Gabor's circus-related profession makes this film a natural for Fellini comparisons and it does briefly focus on a midget performer memorizing endless facts in closeup. "La Strada" also comes to mind, but Frydman and Leconte's circus is definitively French, not Italian (a contortionist making love to Adele on top of a piano before Gabor interrupts them is a great sight gag).
Every other aspect of this film is top notch as well. Music ranges from Arabic numbers to Benny Goodman to Marianne Faithful, with each and every selection perfectly matched to its visuals. What could have been a cliched makeover montage when Gabor outfits Adele for showbiz pops in the hands of Leconte and his musical choice of "Sing, Sing, Sing." The black and white photography by Jean-Marie Dreujou is rich, lush and full of texture. Dutch angle closeups, fly-eye-views, film noir lighting and sun-drenched locations like Monte Carlo and Istanbul are sumptuously presented. Costume design by Annie Perier is imaginative, particularly Gabor's garish floral numbers, which, while really odd, perfectly suit him.
"The Girl on the Bridge" is an almost perfect film. It's funny, a hair's breadth away from tragic. and soulfully romantic. It's art.
A
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