The Lovers on the Bridge (1991) on Netflix
Alex, a street performer, and Michèle, a painter losing her sight, live rough on the Pont Neuf in Paris while the bridge is closed for repairs. An older vagrant, Hans, shares it.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb7.6/1017,625 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
Alex, who's homeless and addicted to alcohol, and Michèle, who's losing her sight, form a relationship while sleeping rough on Paris's Pont-Neuf bridge.
Set against Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, while it was closed for repairs, this film is a love story between two young vagrants: Alex, a would be circus performer addicted to alcohol and sedatives and Michele, a painter driven to a life on the streets because of a failed relationship and an affliction which is slowly turning her blind. The film portrays the harsh existence of the homeless as Alex, Michele and Hans, an older vagrant survive on the streets with their wits. As they both slowly get their lives back together, Michele becomes increasingly dependent on Alex as her vision deteriorates further. Fearing that Michele will leave him if she receives a new medical treatment Alex attempts to keep Michele practically a prisoner. The streets, skies and waterways of Paris are used as a backdrop to the story in a series of stunning visuals which dominate the film.
—Anonymous
Gradually losing her sight, the unkempt painter, Michèle, has a chance encounter with Alex, a down-and-out street performer. Now, against the backdrop of extensive repairs in the oldest bridge in Paris, the ancient Pont-Neuf, a perfect symbiosis commences; Alex becomes the eyes of the artist, while Michèle inspires love in her bedraggled protector's life.
Cast
- Klaus-Michael Grüberas Hans
- Georges Aperghisas L'homme en voiture
- Daniel Buainas Alex's friend
- Chrichan Larssonas Julien
- Paulette Berthonnieras La marinière
- Roger Berthonnieras Le marinier
- Michel Vandestienas Le pompier
- Georges Castorpas Un endormi
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Lovers on the Bridge (1991)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Le Figaro called the expanded Pont-Neuf the biggest film set ever built in France: a full-scale model of the bridge with forced perspective streets, an equestrian statue of Henri IV, a facade of the La Samaritaine department store with working lights and a replica of the Vert-Galant park with real trees.
- Juliette Binoche rough-slept in the streets of Paris to prepare for her role and insisted on performing the dangerous water-skiing scene herself, nearly drowning at one point during filming.
- In January 1991 the farmer who owned the Lansargues site had the entire bridge set destroyed, to the regret of Fechner and Carax; the mayor of Lansargues had hoped it might be preserved because it had attracted visitors and money to the area.
- Von Buren withdrew his funding late in 1989 with an estimated loss of 18 million francs, stopping production again; the site in Lansargues then lay almost deserted for nearly a year while winter storms caused massive water damage to the uncompleted set.
SPOILER
Unable to find financing partners, Christian Fechner used his own money to buy the rights and debts of the picture and finish it, and in the completed film the riverboat that rescues the two protagonists is named Christian Fechner.- Paris's mayor and police allowed filming on the real Pont Neuf for only three to four weeks ending 15 August 1988, since renovation work began the next day, but during rehearsals lead actor Denis Lavant injured his hand so badly that filming could not be completed in time; insurers agreed to extend the Lansargues model for daytime use.
- Juliette Binoche put her career on hold to stay available through the film's lengthy production delays, turning down job offers from Robert De Niro, Elia Kazan and Krzysztof Kieślowski.
