I got the chance to see this film for the second time after a very kind fellow IMDb user sent me a copy of it and I must say that my opinion of it has improved with the re-watch. I guess once you accept what it is and what it isn't, it becomes much easier to appreciate. It seems to have been one of those films whose making-of story was perhaps more dramatic than the film itself. It took three years to make and went three times over budget. In fact, it was the most expensive French film of its day which was caused in a large part because the delays in production meant that the period in which the film-makers were allowed to film on the Pont-Neuf ran out, leading to the construction of a huge replica bridge and surrounding buildings to exactly mimic its location in the middle of Paris. When it was released it received lots of critical acclaim but little interest from the general public and it bombed at the box office. This led to its director Leos Carax to make far fewer films (to date, he has directed a mere two others in the intervening 25 years). It reminded me a little of the Francis Ford Coppola film One from the Heart (1981) which was also a romance told in a highly expressive and expensive manner. Funnily enough, that film was also a box office disaster. It seems like very personal romantic-dramas are perhaps more sensibly told in a smaller scale. Nevertheless, for me, this very bold film is Carax best film and the sheer craziness of the production only adds to its overall impact. Set in the middle of Paris the action occurs on the Pont-Neuf bridge which is closed for renovation work, allowing for some homeless people to take up residence on it, this includes two young people who begin a love affair; one an alcoholic street performer, the other an artist who is going blind.
This is one of the last films of the cinéma du look movement and is the third film of one of its chief proponents, Carax. As such it showcases his passionate style and with its tale of young love against the odds, was a typical subject from him. While it is a very cinematic movie, the drama works quite well due to a couple of committed performances from Denis Lavant and Juliette Binoche. They are playing very unglamorous characters indeed, which may account for the film being a bit of a hard sell commercially. They are not especially likable either, with Lavant's character in particular being fairly reprehensible in many ways, his obsession with Binoche leads to some highly selfish actions, such as preferring his lover to go blind than to risk the possibility of her leaving him and inadvertently killing a man as part of his quest to achieve this. But like others in the cinéma du look this is a film which places style above substance ultimately. It benefits from good cinematography and great sound design – you really feel like you can feel Paris in this film (all the more impressive when you realise much of it is a giant model!). Perhaps though it is best remembered for some notable set-pieces though. The most famous being the sequence on Bastille Day where the lovers dance across the bridge while fireworks go off, sound-tracked to an amalgam of hip-hop, dance and classical music. This set-piece is followed up with another memorable scene where the lovers water-ski down the Seine. While the film ends with a nod to the influential L'Atlante (1934) with the central couple boarding a barge, and heading out to the sea. Ultimately, in order to fully appreciate this film, you need to surrender yourself to its look and feel and don't concern yourself very much with sense or realism. If you can do that, then there is much to appreciate in this unusual over-the-top romance.
This is one of the last films of the cinéma du look movement and is the third film of one of its chief proponents, Carax. As such it showcases his passionate style and with its tale of young love against the odds, was a typical subject from him. While it is a very cinematic movie, the drama works quite well due to a couple of committed performances from Denis Lavant and Juliette Binoche. They are playing very unglamorous characters indeed, which may account for the film being a bit of a hard sell commercially. They are not especially likable either, with Lavant's character in particular being fairly reprehensible in many ways, his obsession with Binoche leads to some highly selfish actions, such as preferring his lover to go blind than to risk the possibility of her leaving him and inadvertently killing a man as part of his quest to achieve this. But like others in the cinéma du look this is a film which places style above substance ultimately. It benefits from good cinematography and great sound design – you really feel like you can feel Paris in this film (all the more impressive when you realise much of it is a giant model!). Perhaps though it is best remembered for some notable set-pieces though. The most famous being the sequence on Bastille Day where the lovers dance across the bridge while fireworks go off, sound-tracked to an amalgam of hip-hop, dance and classical music. This set-piece is followed up with another memorable scene where the lovers water-ski down the Seine. While the film ends with a nod to the influential L'Atlante (1934) with the central couple boarding a barge, and heading out to the sea. Ultimately, in order to fully appreciate this film, you need to surrender yourself to its look and feel and don't concern yourself very much with sense or realism. If you can do that, then there is much to appreciate in this unusual over-the-top romance.