Product Details

• Actors: Juliette Binoche, Denis Lavant, Daniel Buain, Klaus-Michael Grüber, Marion Stalens
• Directors: Leos Carax
• Writers: Leos Carax
• Producers: Alain Dahan, Albert Prévost, Bernard Artigues, Christian Fechner, Hervé Truffaut
• Format: PAL
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004CML5

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

From The New Yorker

Delayed for almost a decade, Leos Carax's long and gloriously infuriating movie has finally made it to these shores. Set around 1989, when France was celebrating the bicentennial of the Revolution, it is mostly set on the Pont-Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris. Carax can hardly bear to leave the place, and neither can his characters: a tramp called Alex (Denis Lavant) and a half-blind runaway named Michèle (Juliette Binoche). They stumble into love, and their inarticulate affair is expressed in a storm of elemental images: grime, water, fire, and booze. Few films cover such a forbidding distance; Carax starts with handheld shots of the Parisian homeless and gradually rises to the climactic serenity of a waterskiing sequence along the Seine, with fireworks serenading the ecstatic Binoche. Like much of the picture, the scene makes very little sense, but it hooks into Carax's romantic, antisocial provocations, and you aren't going to forget it in a hurry. In French. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A film that puts a face on the homeless, August 4, 2000

By 

J. lopez "Joe Vector" (Buffaloro) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lovers on the Bridge [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Lovers on the Bridge is an intensely disturbing but ultimately life affirming film about a young woman artist named Michele,who after being jilted by her Lover decides to take to the street and live as a vagabond.She eventually takes up residence,with her cat Louisiana,on a bridge in Paris over the Seine river that's closed for repairs.She meets a young homeless man named Alex who has been on the street,the bridge in particular,much longer than Michele.He's lonely and he falls for her instantly.She's terrified of intimacy after what happened with her former Lover.To complicate matters,she has a rare eye disease that is destroying her eyesight.Binoche is totally convincing in her role.She conveys intelligence and an ethereal quality,you wonder how she could have come into this situation.It's easily an Oscar caliber performance.You wonder if she actually did live on the street during production.Denis Lavant as Alex,an insecure,shy,but ever hopeful street performer is just as effective as Binoche.You can feel his pain and frustration just by watching the expressions on his face.In spite of the situation he's in,he still inspires hope.The Director takes great care with the subject matter.He handles the issue of homelessness with compassion,respect,and affection.He wisely remains objective and allows the viewer to simply watch Michele and Alex's relationship develop.He never attempts to get you to pity or feel sorry for them.My only complaint with the story is that we never learn enough about Alex's past.How he reached this point and why.Filled with lush cinematography(the streets of Paris,the Seine river,some classic art work),an honest portrayal of the homeless,terrific performances by a talented cast,and some mesmerizing visuals(a fireworks display,water skiing on the Seine,Alex as a human flamethrower),Lovers on the Bridge is a film well worth your time.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Scent of Heartbreak, March 20, 2005

By 

David S. Jenkins (On the Road) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lovers on the Bridge (DVD)

Proof positive that the French function on an entirely different intellectual plane that their American counterparts. It's sometimes hard to believe that our two cultures inhabit the same planet. Imagine if your only island of sanity and security was an endangered bridge in the midst of one of the world's most exquisite cities. Imagine yourself without love or hope in the center of the most romantic of capitals. Imagine the moist chill as you awaken, hung over, under a sheet of plastic and litter, knowing your day holds nothing but the need to beg and steal to survive, devoid of any hope for salvation. And then imagine it all somehow turning towards a warmer sun... at least for the moment... after a crime you may or may not have committed. Think and feel what that moment would taste like. Binoche is captivating, riveting in a performance of courage and risk, an extraordinary actress by any measure. Paris has never seemed more beautiful, especially when devoid of human traffic in the hours where those from the other side of life wander its streets. An incredible film, and for anyone who has known heartbreak, a work that will imprint itself on your heart.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, Mesmerizing, Outstanding, January 24, 2006

By 

L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (Huntington Beach,CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Lovers on the Bridge [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This review refers to "Lovers on the Bridge"("Les Amants du Pont-Neuf")VHS(Miramax)

Well, you already know from my title of this review that I have fallen head over heals in love with "Les Amants du Pont-Neuf".I viewed it last night and have not been able to get it out of my head. It is a film in which the characters, the story, and the setting touched me very deeply.

The film opens with a very hard but real look at homeless life in the streets of Paris. It is very tough to take and not for the sensitive. As we slowly move to the Pont-Neuf bridge, we meet two denizens that have found shelter while it is being refurbished and closed to the public, and learn the meaning of true love. Michelle, a young woman losing her sight, and Alex a street performer who can not sleep without the aid of drugs form a beautiufl bond. They share everything, and seem to make the best of their situation at every moment. When Michele's past throws a new twist to into their lives, their love goes through a long and heartwrenching test.

Written and Directed beautifully by Leos Carax, this film seems very real. Carax, doesnt dwell on the small stuff, nor does he feel the need to explain the events, but leaves the audience to just absorb the story and in some cases, come to their own conclusions. I enjoyed this style very much. Juliet Binoche is simply amazing. She is so versitile, and will have you falling in love with her 'Michelle' as she always does. Denis Lavant is outstanding as the man who will do anything to keep his love by his side.

This film runs a little over 2 hours, and I didn't want it to end, nor did I even realize the time had gone by so quickly. I was totaly immersed in this film.It won three awards from the European Film Awards.Best Actress for Julitte Binoche, Best Editing, Nelly Quettier, and for the exquisite filming by Jean-Yves Escoffier,Best Cinematographer. This edition of the VHS is in French and has subtitles in English (ASIN: B00003L9CA). It is a full frame picture(modified to fit your screen), and has excellent sound in Hi-Fi Stereo.

The film is a stunning, mesmerizing, and an outstanding study of "The Lovers On The Bridge". A must see for fans of 'La Binoche', French films or just fine filmmaking.....Laurie

also recommended:
Three Colors Trilogy (Red / White / Blue) [Import](All-region)(Remastered)

The Passerby ( La Passante du Sans-Souci ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]
and on the lighter side for Binoche fans:
A Couch in New York