A trustworthy value of contemporary French cinema (in 1996, the French Minister for Arts and the director of the national center of the cinematography hailed him as a French worthy ambassador), Patrice Leconte can brag himself to rank among a handful of French filmmakers whose popularity is continual in France and abroad, especially since "Ridicule" (1996) was virtually unanimously lauded. On this site, several of his films exceeded the 1000 even 2000 votes mark. This one "la Fille Sur Le Pont" is near to the 3000 votes mark and appears to be the most well-known of Leconte's flicks abroad. A word to his devotees and they seem to be numerous: I urge them to watch "Tandem" (1987). It is Leconte's towering achievement and his sleeper.
To come back to "la Fille Sur Le Pont", this cracker basically revolves around a young girl, Adèle (Vanessa Paradis). She's only 20 years old and she got a raw deal. Apparently interviewed by an emcee on the telly, she assesses her rueful life and can't see her future. One evening, she's cracking up and is about to jump from a bridge into the river Seine. Fortunately, she's saved at the last minute by a knife-thrower, Gabor (Daniel Auteuil) who becomes fond of her. He hires her as the target for his show and will make her enjoy life again. From then onwards, luck smiles on them, the lead a freewheeling adventure and Gabor becomes increasingly enamored of his young protégée.
"La Fille Sur Le Pont" is the movie in Leconte's filmography which heralds a series of films in which a love story is one of the staple elements of these flicks. It is perhaps the artistic success of this film which incited him to continue in this vein with the subsequent pieces of work "la Veuve De Saint Pierre" (2000), "Félix et Lola" (2001) and at last "Rue Des Plaisirs" (2002). In reality, Leconte had already adventured in the domain of the love story well before "la Fille Sur Le Pont". Love stories were main threads in the nearly dreamlike "Le Mari De La Coiffeuse" (1990) and "Le Parfum d'Yvonne" (1994) and they gave brilliant results.
When I read Leconte's intentions on this film, I had misgivings. The director wanted to make a work which was supposed to be a homage to the New Wave, hence the shooting of Gabor and Adèle's adventure in a black and white cinematography. Leconte had lauded François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard as "masters". Ahem!... There's no accounting for taste. But he kept his trademark and his movie remains accessible to everyone who likes being told a story. The liberties dear to the New Wave clique are subdued and tamed, a stabled content and form with perhaps an emphasis on the content, no amateurish side in the directing, except in the very first sequence and a scenario which encapsulates several directives including a classic but absorbing storytelling and an analysis of the two main protagonists' persona.
Leconte pulls off with gusto to create a timeless atmosphere. The first sequence comes out of the blue and sets the scene for the unique aura in which the film bathes. It is realism and fairy tale in the same package. Everything in the scenery, the costumes, the cinematography and the directing seem to be dovetailed to produce this pristine poise. An impression reinforced by a discerningly chosen music. But also, "la Fille Sur Le Pont" is a success story and Leconte is very astute at this game. He refuses a good number of constricting codes of the genre or diverts them in a neat way. For example, the viewer will have to wait the tail end to see Gabor and Adèle exchanging their first kiss.
The scenarist Serge Frydman did a first-class job with an abundance of witty cues. My favorite lines are: "Knives are dangerous" "you know, everything's dangerous nowadays..." or " the first time I had sex, it was uncomfortable" "yes the first time you have sexual relationships it is usually uncomfortable" "no no, it was in the toilets of a gas station. It was uncomfortable".
Always on the plus side, Leconte was obviously interested with the persona of his two main characters and perhaps more Gabor than Adèle. In spite of his apparent self-confidence and his deadpan humor, he conceals a deep vulnerability and has his own weaknesses. Like Adèle, he's unsure about the future (check the sequence when he's on the rails and a train arrives in front of him). He's a "Lecontian" hero par excellence. He's apparently sure of himself but hides a deep fragility. He is also admirably portrayed by Daniel Auteuil who garnered a deservedly César in 2000. As for Vanessa Paradis who when she was 14 years old scored a big hit in France with "Joe Le Taxi", she unveils another face of herself with unsuspected skills of actress.
With a "feel-good" sentiment which suffuses the whole movie, "la Fille Sur Le Pont" is the ideal flick to restore confidence to the ones who lost it. Gabor says that "luck is a matter of life and death" but when it affects someone at a loss, it can work wonders. A wondrous movie to rank among the magnum opus in Leconte's filmography.
To come back to "la Fille Sur Le Pont", this cracker basically revolves around a young girl, Adèle (Vanessa Paradis). She's only 20 years old and she got a raw deal. Apparently interviewed by an emcee on the telly, she assesses her rueful life and can't see her future. One evening, she's cracking up and is about to jump from a bridge into the river Seine. Fortunately, she's saved at the last minute by a knife-thrower, Gabor (Daniel Auteuil) who becomes fond of her. He hires her as the target for his show and will make her enjoy life again. From then onwards, luck smiles on them, the lead a freewheeling adventure and Gabor becomes increasingly enamored of his young protégée.
"La Fille Sur Le Pont" is the movie in Leconte's filmography which heralds a series of films in which a love story is one of the staple elements of these flicks. It is perhaps the artistic success of this film which incited him to continue in this vein with the subsequent pieces of work "la Veuve De Saint Pierre" (2000), "Félix et Lola" (2001) and at last "Rue Des Plaisirs" (2002). In reality, Leconte had already adventured in the domain of the love story well before "la Fille Sur Le Pont". Love stories were main threads in the nearly dreamlike "Le Mari De La Coiffeuse" (1990) and "Le Parfum d'Yvonne" (1994) and they gave brilliant results.
When I read Leconte's intentions on this film, I had misgivings. The director wanted to make a work which was supposed to be a homage to the New Wave, hence the shooting of Gabor and Adèle's adventure in a black and white cinematography. Leconte had lauded François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard as "masters". Ahem!... There's no accounting for taste. But he kept his trademark and his movie remains accessible to everyone who likes being told a story. The liberties dear to the New Wave clique are subdued and tamed, a stabled content and form with perhaps an emphasis on the content, no amateurish side in the directing, except in the very first sequence and a scenario which encapsulates several directives including a classic but absorbing storytelling and an analysis of the two main protagonists' persona.
Leconte pulls off with gusto to create a timeless atmosphere. The first sequence comes out of the blue and sets the scene for the unique aura in which the film bathes. It is realism and fairy tale in the same package. Everything in the scenery, the costumes, the cinematography and the directing seem to be dovetailed to produce this pristine poise. An impression reinforced by a discerningly chosen music. But also, "la Fille Sur Le Pont" is a success story and Leconte is very astute at this game. He refuses a good number of constricting codes of the genre or diverts them in a neat way. For example, the viewer will have to wait the tail end to see Gabor and Adèle exchanging their first kiss.
The scenarist Serge Frydman did a first-class job with an abundance of witty cues. My favorite lines are: "Knives are dangerous" "you know, everything's dangerous nowadays..." or " the first time I had sex, it was uncomfortable" "yes the first time you have sexual relationships it is usually uncomfortable" "no no, it was in the toilets of a gas station. It was uncomfortable".
Always on the plus side, Leconte was obviously interested with the persona of his two main characters and perhaps more Gabor than Adèle. In spite of his apparent self-confidence and his deadpan humor, he conceals a deep vulnerability and has his own weaknesses. Like Adèle, he's unsure about the future (check the sequence when he's on the rails and a train arrives in front of him). He's a "Lecontian" hero par excellence. He's apparently sure of himself but hides a deep fragility. He is also admirably portrayed by Daniel Auteuil who garnered a deservedly César in 2000. As for Vanessa Paradis who when she was 14 years old scored a big hit in France with "Joe Le Taxi", she unveils another face of herself with unsuspected skills of actress.
With a "feel-good" sentiment which suffuses the whole movie, "la Fille Sur Le Pont" is the ideal flick to restore confidence to the ones who lost it. Gabor says that "luck is a matter of life and death" but when it affects someone at a loss, it can work wonders. A wondrous movie to rank among the magnum opus in Leconte's filmography.