The Bridge (2006 film)
| The Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster for The Bridge |
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| Directed by | Eric Steel |
| Produced by | Eric Steel |
| Written by | Eric Steel |
| Music by | Alex Heffes |
| Cinematography | Peter McCandless |
| Editing by | Sabine Krayenbühl |
| Distributed by | IFC Films Koch-Lorber Films/E1 Films (DVD) |
| Release date(s) | October 27, 2006 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Bridge is a 2006 documentary film by Eric Steel that consists of the results of one year's filming of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2004, which captured a number of suicides, and additional filming of family and friends of some of the identified people who had thrown themselves from the bridge. The film was inspired by an article titled "Jumpers", written by Tad Friend, that appeared in The New Yorker magazine in 2003.[1]
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[edit] Filming
Steel interviewed relatives and friends of the suicide victims, not informing them that he had footage of their loved ones' deaths. He claimed that "All the family members now, at this point, have seen the film, [and are] glad that they had participated in it."[2]
The project was kept a secret in order to avoid a situation where someone would "get it into his or her head to go to the bridge and immortalize him or herself on film." During the filming, one person jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge every 15 days on average.[3]
The documentary caused significant controversy when bridge officials charged Steel with misleading them about his intentions. He secured a permit to film the bridge for months and captured 23 of 24 known suicides which took place during the filming phase of the project. In his permit application to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a government agency that does not have any jurisdiction over the bridge but that does manage nearby park areas, Steel said he intended "to capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge".[4]
[edit] Distribution
A DVD version of the film was released by Koch Lorber Films on June 12, 2007.
[edit] Soundtrack
The soundtrack of The Bridge was composed by the British film composer Alex Heffes and is called "The Shadow of the Bridge".
[edit] Reception
The Bridge received mostly positive reviews, receiving a 69 percent Fresh from 53 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which states the critical consensus as: "Tactlessly morbid or remarkably sensitive? Deeply disturbing or viscerally fascinating? Critics are divided on Eric Steel’s unique documentary on the Golden Gate Bridge, wonder of the modern world and notorious suicide destination."
Jim Emerson considered the documentary "brave and unflinching, unshakably haunting and deeply mysterious. I doubt I'll forget it until the day I die."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Jumpers" - The fatal grandeur of the Golden Gate Bridge, Tad Friend, The New Yorker, October 13, 2003
- ^ "The Bridge of Death" ABC News, October 20, 2006
- ^ "The bridge of suicide", Catherine Philip, The Times, February 28, 2007
- ^ Film captures suicides on Golden Gate Bridge, Phillip Matier & Andrew Ross, San Francisco Chronicle, January 19, 2005.
