Juliette Binoche Movie:

				Salesrank:
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
How can a movie be so ludicrous and so ecstatic at the same time? The Lovers on the Bridge stars Juliette Binoche as a street person (there, in a nutshell, is the ludicrous part) who was formerly an artist, but began to go blind and whose life fell apart as a result. She hooks up with a homeless street performer (Denis Lavant) who lives on a bridge in the middle of Paris that has been cordoned off for repairs. He falls madly in love with her; she can't bear the thought of being close to anyone. Both are more than a little irrational. But this banal scenario is merely the pretext for a series of lush and stunning images--including midnight water-skiing, fireworks displays, wandering through falling snow, burning posters in subway tunnels--and richly committed performances from the actors. It's not quite as overwhelming on video as it is on a movie screen, but there's such a gushing of emotional images that it's hard to resist the angst and yearning passion. Though the film dives into some cliches, it manages to avoid others; when Binoche's wealthy family starts looking for her, a frightened Lavant tries to keep her hidden away, and you really don't know whether their relationship can possibly survive. An unusual and sweeping film--and an example of the power of visual images to create a state of rapture. --Bret Fetzer

The Lovers on the Bridge [Region 2] Reviews:
One of the Worst Movies Ever Made
2009-12-05 - This movie is loud, annoying and cliche. It romanticizes poverty and violence. Waterskiing on the Seine, and blind, coughing, limping amore-corniness to the point of pain. And bad acting! The giggling parts were cringe inducing, that and the "art". All in all, it made me dump the person who recommended it to me. I know that sounds like it biases me, but really, this and "Blame it on the Bellboy" were the two worst movies I have ever seen. .

Binoche in a Different Light
2009-03-10 - Interesting film. Its portrayal of homelessness and artistic bohemianism has a ring of authenticity. This is s very different sort of role for Juliette Binoche. It is advantageous to see here attempt something so different from her other work.

Nobody loves you when you're down and out
2008-02-27 - I found this early work of Juliet Binoche to be both intriguing, very credible but a bit over the top. This is a reluctant love story to say the least but the selection of three odd bods as characters to highlight the problems of homelessness in modern urban societies is a very real device indeed.

Viewers may wish to watch this in conjunction with Subway, to gain a little different perspective. I think that the thematic element of art which ties all three together acts to expose the commonly held view of what constitutes art to the test. These disparate group of artists suffer much for their artbut because there is not the popular acclaim they are consigned to the dustbin of history.

What I find particularly interesting is the development of the character of the fireater who performs to free public acclaim but who drowns his personal problems in alcohol and downers. As the film progresses he slowly begins to change into a more "normal" type of a person who can express his emotions through interacting with a self-pitying selfish woman who is becoming blind.

There is more than a touch of the surreal throughout the movie and much pathos but within an urban context where there is little consideration for the down and outs such that drivers never even notice them as they drive over them on the street. Is this what modern life has become?

My main reservation is about the happy ending which just seems to be out of place given the storyline. Definitely more substantial than the usual entertainment films but one where the consumer is left wanting more.

Tries too hard to be artistic
2007-09-04 - Late one night I happened to be flipping through channels with my boyfriend when we stopped at the Independant Film Channel to watch what we thought would be an amusing French movie (The Lovers on the Bridge). We were not intrigued by the dramatic plot the info box on the tv told us, we were rather drawn into the film by the ridiculous plot it had. "A blind artist falls in love with a homeless man on a bridge in France," sounds like a winner, so we left the channel on even though the movie was partly over. Right away we found ourselves watching the silhouettes of a crazed man and woman frolicking loudly upon a beach at night. Did I mention they were naked? Yes all you saw were their silhouettes, but very obviously we could see the man atleast was naked. After that feast for our eyes, we watched as the rest of the movie dragged on, each scene an obvious attempt to push the main characters further into their desperation/drunkeness/hopelessness/homelessness/artistic loneliness. Each new "twist" in the plot was ridiculously predicatable and made us say, "Are you serious? They actually spent money to make this into a movie?" Finally the "dark" movie ends in what is supposed to be a "happy" ending but really makes the movie seem even worse as it only shows the recklessness of both characters and doesn't resolve the tension between the characters. It's like the writer of the film had an idea to make a dark artistic story but didn't want a tragic ending as most films of the genre do so he decided to abrubtly end the story and carry both characters away happily in a boat to the middle of no where, out of the story and thankfully now, out of my mind.

Essential French cinema: Carax's 'Les Amants du Pont-Neuf .'
2007-08-19 - This is a love story that will taunt you, challenging your notions of both love and homelessness. It is a love story you won't soon forget. With his films Boy Meets Girl (1984), Mauvais Sang (1986), The Lovers on the Bridge (1991), Pola X X (2000), and Process (2005), the French film director, Leos Carax (1960) established a cult following with his poetic film style and depictions of tortured love. Set around Pont Neuf bridge while closed to the public and under repair, and using the Paris streets, subways, and the River Seine as a film set, Lovers on the Bridge (Les Amants du Pont-Neuf) (1991), tells the story of two lost souls, Alex (Denis Lavant) and Michèle (Juliette Binoche) who sleep on the bridge. Both are homeless in the City of Lights. Michèle's only companion is a cat named Louisiana. Alex is fire-eating street performer, addicted to wine and sedatives. Michèle is an artist on the run from her past, also addicted to wine, and afflicted with a rare eye disorder that leads to blindness. Despite their hard existence, together they experience laughter, passion, and fireworks; Michèle even waterskis the Seine. As Michèle's vision deteriorates, she becomes increasingly dependent on Alex who, fearing Michèle will leave him, prevents her from receiving the new medical treatment she needs, demonstrating that the course of love never does run smooth. Will their love endure? Highly recommended.

G. Merritt