Amants du Pont-Neuf, Les (1991)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Leos Carax

Writer:

Leos Carax (writer)

Release Date:

2 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Romance... In a most unlikely place.

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Tramp | Underwater | Self Injury | Firework

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Juliette Binoche	...	Michèle Stalens
Denis Lavant	...	Alex
Klaus-Michael Grüber	...	Hans
Edith Scob	...	La femme en voiture
Georges Aperghis	...	L'homme en voiture
Daniel Buain	...	Alex's vagrant friend
Marion Stalens	...	Marion
Chrichan Larsson	...	Julien
Paulette Berthonnier	...	Barge operator
Roger Berthonnier	...	Barge operator
Michel Vandestien	...	Le Pompier
Georges Castorp	...	Un endormi
Marc Desclozeaux	...	Un endormi
Alain Dahan	...	Un endormi
Pierre Pessemesse	...	Un endormi

Also Known As:

Amants de Paris, Les (France) (working title)
Amour entre une fils et un garçon, L' (France) (working title)
Lovers on the Ninth Bridge (Australia) (video title)
Lovers on the Pont Neuf (Australia) (cable TV title)
The Lovers on the Bridge (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language, sexuality/nudity and substance abuse.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:18 (theatrical) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bienvenue Montparnasse - 8, rue de l'Arrivee, Paris 15, Paris, France

Company:

Films A2

Trivia:

Léos Carax was originally given permission to use the real Pont-Neuf bridge in Paris and have it closed for filming but delays in filming meant the permission expired and he had to reconstruct the whole thing on a lake near Montpellier, France.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Doisneau des villes, doisneau des champs (1993)

To Atlantic…we'd like to go, too

Of the four feature films from French writer-director Leos Carax, 1991 "Les Amants du Pont-Neuf" is the most hopeful and happy (mind you it's not the generic definition of 'happy' per se), still a story of love, an extraordinary loving relationship maturing through time and fateful instances as the film progresses. You might even agree afterall, that the whole journey of experience is rather satisfying. Director Leos Carax once again demonstrated a feast of his talented visual eye: things, faces, scenes, close-ups, aerial or simple wide shots, are composed, captured within the frames, graphically presented. He optimized the use of colors and movements: a fete of lights and fireworks celebrations, dazzling fire-eating shows, caressing shots of waves in motion of zigzagging speed boat and water-skiing.

Carax sure didn't water down any sentiments - he used bold strokes with no apology: his intro showed us the 'unpleasant' side of Paris, the dream city of Europe has homeless and sights of street people, too. Binoche, as always, dependably delivered an intense portrayal of this artist, Michele, on the verge of going blind (note the ending credits roll indicating the paintings were done by Juliette Binoche herself), and as the story unfolds, has a past mesmerizingly mysterious to Lavant's Alex character.

Again captured on film is Denis Lavant's legs a-moving within a frame running, dancing. Reminiscent of Truffaut and Jean-Pierre Leaud's Antoine filmic partnership - Lavant is Alex in three of Carax' endeavors: "Boy Meets Girl" 1984; "Bad Blood" 1986; and here in "The Lovers on the Bridge." (To see Denis Lavant away from his 'boyish' roles, try French director Claire Denis' 1999 "Beau Travail" - another intense delivery, and we actually get to see more of Lavant's solo legwork a-dancing.)

Yes, it's quite an ambitious film. Carax packed a lot of layers of emotions, spins and details, along with stunning visual angles and photographic magic in this one story. He is truly a passionate filmmaker and dramatic writer. Binoche and Lavant performed terrifically well together, and the third character, Klaus Michael Gruber as Hans the homeless senior also with a mysterious past, added accents with his performance. The sequence towards the end, first you get the telling of a joke with hearty laughter, then the fateful phrase of "ce soir c'est le soir", to the underwater sequence and what follows - Carax would not let up with any moment for you, the audience, to breathe after laughs and gasps. Choreographed magic? Yes. Go see it for yourself. Hang in there with the pair and you will not be disappointed. Have an open mind and you'll enjoy it.