Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991)
Directed by Leos Carax

Film Review

Les Amants du Pont-Neuf was one of the French film sensations of the 1990s, an imaginative and provocative film which was praised in some quarters as vociferously as it was pilloried in others.   Although the jury is still out as to whether it is or is not a masterpiece, it is a film that does not leave you indifferent - it is far, far too impressive and daring to leave even its most dispassionate of viewers unmoved.

The film begins with a painfully realistic depiction of night life in the streets of Paris and in a shelter for homeless people.  This sequence contains the film's most poignant images, bearing more than a passing reminiscence to the flickering black and white images of the holocaust which have long since passed into our collective consciousness.   This provides an excellent lead into the film, but it does perhaps create a false expectation that the film will make a profound comment on the issue of homelessness or social exclusion.

The film then quickly returns to the streets of Paris, specifically Pont-Neuf, closed for repairs and a squat for vagrants.  Now the gritty realism begins to become a little corrupted by sentimentality as the film appears to drift hopelessly into the traditional boy-meets-girl love story scenario.  Although that is ultimately the direction the film takes, the film's photography and editing continues to keep its shocking vividness and originality, so that there is rarely a moment where you feel you are on familiar territory.

The intensity of the performances from Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant is matched by the astonishing - indeed captivating - photography which pervades throughout the film's two hour duration.  The images range from the sheer beautiful (such as the beach scene) to the near-heart breaking.  Most astonishing of all is the incredible sequence where the lovers are dancing on the bridge amid the showers of fireworks of the bicentennial celebrations -  that just has to be one of the most amazing pieces of cinema ever made.

The film is less striking in its final section, and here the film does ultimately end up as a more conventional love story.  Fortunately, director Leos Carax still has a few more stunts to pull which just about keeps the film out of the mire of mediocrity it seems at one point to be heading for.  The film's closing sequence is instantly recognisable from an early French film classic, L'Atalante, which suggests this film more than anything may have been the inspiration for Carax's film.  His film certainly follows a similar path to that earlier film, albeit in a far more stylised way.

The making of Les Amants du Pont-Neuf took several years to get off the ground, three years to make, and was dogged with production problems along the way.  Denis Lavant suffered a broken leg whilst filming, and Carax's permit for filming on the bridge expired before he finished his work.   A huge full-scale replica of the bridge was built on a lake in the South of France, at huge cost, making this one of the most expensive films ever made in France.  As a result of this, and some ferociously negative criticism in the media, Carax was dissuaded from making another film for ten years afterwards.

Although all this makes the film an easy target for its critics, it is not fair to pass off Les Amants du Pont-Neuf as a shallow blockbuster movie.   Visually, the film stands as a work of genius and offers a breathtakingly original perspective of a traditional theme.  It is boy-meets-girl but it is all done with such style and enthralling, eye-pummelling impact that, whatever your views, the film will be sure to leave its mark.

Film Synopsis

Paris, 1989.  Leaving a shelter for homeless people, Alex, a wild-looking young man in his twenties, heads across town to his favourite spot on the Pont-Neuf.  Presently this, the oldest bridge over the River Seine, is closed for repairs, but amid the barriers and scaffolding Alex finds that an attractive young woman has taken his patch.  These two people could not be more different but they have one thing in common - they regard themselves as outsiders, strays cut off from the throng of humanity.

Beset with learning and behavioural problems, Alex has lived on the streets for years.  He has no family and his only friend is an old tramp named Hans, who helps him to get his hands on drugs and booze.   The woman, Michèle, comes from a comfortable middle-class background, but she took to the streets when she broke up with her boyfriend and learned that she is slowly losing her eyesight.  For all their differences, Alex and Michèle soon develop a close rapport which turns to friendship and then love.

Just when Alex realises he has found happiness for the first time in his life he becomes aware of attempts by Michèle's family to get in touch with their daughter.  Apparently, the latter have learned that Michèle's encroaching blindness can be revered, if she is operated on in time.  Unable to bear the prospect of losing his one true love, Alex goes out of his way to prevent the appeals from Michèle's family from reaching her.  Besides, the young woman seems to be happy the way things are, so why would she ever want to leave Alex...?