Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Girl on the Bridge Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 11, 2024

Patrice Leconte's "Girl on the Bridge" (1999) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by critic Manuela Lazic; the short film "La batteur du Bolero"; and vintage trailer. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You can't fool me with your silly offer. You think a sad girl on a bridge is easy meat. Yours for the asking.

A cold night in Paris. A giant bridge somewhere on the Seine River. A girl looks at the dark water underneath her and prepares to jump. She is trembling, breathing heavily. In a few minutes, it will all be over -- the pain eating her on the inside, the misery around her that has made her life unbearable. She leans over, and her tiny fingers slowly begin releasing the rusty metal ramp they have been holding for some time.

But right before the girl jumps to her death, a stranger emerges and makes a lousy attempt to engage her. At first, he only restates the obvious -- if she jumps into the freezing water, her tiny body will be instantly paralyzed. It is what a hypothermic shock does, so she will have to suffer more before she dies. Instead of trying to change her mind, the stranger then tells the girl that he is a knife thrower looking for a human target. She is young, not bad-looking either. He can use her. But the girl is not looking for a job, she is trying to end her life, so she takes a deep breath and finally jumps into the freezing water. Just seconds later, the astonished stranger jumps after her.

At a nearby hospital, the girl and the stranger, while covered with electric blankets, resume their discussion and learn each other’s names. She is Adele (Vanessa Paradis), he is Gabor (Daniel Auteuil). Then, before they leave together, Adele lets Gabor show her a trick with a pesky fly and a tiny sugar cube.

For an entire day, Adele is then treated like a princess. She gets a new haircut, several types of lipstick, perfumes, and a beautiful dress. Gabor also gets them a room in one of the most expensive hotels in town. When the concierge requests Gabor’s credit card, he creates a huge scene and pretends to have been insulted. Does the concierge think that Gabor will run away without paying the bill? But a few hours later, while accompanied by Adele, the penniless Gabor books a gig at an overcrowded circus -- he will throw his knives at his new human target while she is covered with a massive white sheet. The performance wins standing ovations.

The special chemistry that materializes between Adele and Gabor instantly resets their lives. It resets their luck, too. At a popular casino where Gabor is not allowed to gamble, Adele wins a small fortune playing roulette. After going on the road, somewhere in rural Italy, Adele and Gabor also win a brand new car in a raffle drawing. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize that their special chemistry may not be enough to keep them together. As if to make a point, fate then separates them and dispatches them in opposite directions -- Adele to Greece, while Gabor to Turkey.

Patrice Leconte’s Girl on the Bridge is a romantic fairy tale for adults, shot entirely in black-and-white and frequently mimicking the aesthetics of a silent film. In fact, only a few small edits could have transformed it into a silent film that would have been just as effective because most of the best material is already dialog-free.

The magic happening on the screen is a combination of wonderful acting and terrific camera work, with a splash of seductive music that feels just right. Paradis looks naturally precious and innocent, while the noticeably older Auteuil conveys the attractive confidence and mystique of a man who has traveled and seen a lot. The screenplay demands that their characters complement each other, and before the camera they absolutely do, easily making their minor triumphs and failures appear entirely authentic. Predictably, Leconte, a director with an impeccable grasp of cinematic elegance, always positions the camera right.

Is there anything in Girl on the Bridge that could have been managed better? Yes, the final act. There should have been substantially more footage shot either in Turkey or Greece. It feels like a lot of the developments there are either too random or rushed, so the buildup before the inevitable reunion is somewhat underwhelming.

Girl on the Bridge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Girl on the Bridge arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I have two DVD releases of Girl on the Bridge in my library, but the only one that is English-friendly is this R4 release from Australian label Madman Entertainment. I pulled it out to do direct comparisons with the Blu-ray release, but only tested two sequences and placed it back on my shelf. Why? Because the gap in quality between these releases is humongous.

It is very easy to tell that Girl on the Bridge has been fully restored because the entire film sparkles and produces astonishingly beautiful visuals. I am not exaggerating. I was so impressed with what I was seeing on my system, if I did not know that it was a 1080p presentation, I would have guessed that it was a native 4K presentation. Delineation, clearly, sharpness, and depth are outstanding, even in areas with plenty of darker nuances and unique shadows. On the DVD release I have, which boasts a good anamorphic presentation of Girl on the Bridge, darker areas almost always look soft and rather anemic. Yes, some of these limitations are unavoidable in standard definition, but the 1080p presentation easily creates the impression that a veil of some sort has been removed and now the entire film looks as it should. Also, the density levels of the visuals are exceptional, which is one of the main reasons it is very easy to speculate that the 1080p presentation looks like a native 4K presentation. Image stability is outstanding. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The surface of the visuals is immaculate as well. All in all, Girl on the Bridge looks sensational on Blu-ray, without a shadow of a doubt the best it ever has on any home video format. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Girl on the Bridge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Several sections of the film feature wonderful music. While dynamic intensity there is impossible to compare to that of big-budget action films, I think that there are plenty of wonderful nuances to like. The dialog is crystal-clear and very easy to follow. This said, I am a little surprised that a 5.1 track is not included because one was present on various DVD releases of Girl on the Bridge.

Girl on the Bridge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• La batteur du Bolero (1992) - a short film about a slightly bored percussionist who has to endure a highly demanding performance of Maurice Ravel's famous Bolero. Jacques Villeret, the star of the classic French comedy The Dinner Game, plays the percussionist. Fully restored. Music DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. 1080p. (9 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Girl on the Bridge. Music only. (2 min).

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Manuela Lazic.

Girl on the Bridge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

During the DVD era, two of my favorite 'imports' were from Australian label Madman Entertainment. The first was the label's DVD release of the three-hour-long Director's Cut of Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue. For a long, long time, it was the only English-friendly release of it. The second was the label's DVD release of Patrice Leconte's Girl on the Bridge, which I still have. I like Girl on the Bridge a lot. It is a romantic fairy tale for adults whose brilliant simplicity touches the heart in a special way. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release offers a terrific presentation of it, so I am thrilled to have it in my library. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.