The Bridge (2006 documentary film): Difference between revisions
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The documentary caused significant controversy when Eric Steel revealed that he had tricked the Golden Gate Bridge committee into allowing him to film the bridge for months and had captured 23 of 24 known [[suicide]]s which took place during filming phase of the project. In his permit application to the [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]] Steel said he intended "to capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge."<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/19/MNGENASPH31.DTL Film captures suicides on Golden Gate Bridge], Phillip Matier & Andrew Ross, ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]],'' January 19, 2005.</ref> |
The documentary caused significant controversy when Eric Steel revealed that he had tricked the Golden Gate Bridge committee into allowing him to film the bridge for months and had captured 23 of 24 known [[suicide]]s which took place during filming phase of the project. In his permit application to the [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]] Steel said he intended "to capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge."<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/19/MNGENASPH31.DTL Film captures suicides on Golden Gate Bridge], Phillip Matier & Andrew Ross, ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]],'' January 19, 2005.</ref> |
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The movie was shot with multiple cameras pointed at a notorious suicide spot on the bridge during 2004. It captured 19 people as they took their final plunge, and then offers interviews with grieving families. |
The movie was shot with multiple cameras pointed at a notorious suicide spot on the bridge during 2004. It captured 19 people as they took their final plunge, and then offers interviews with grieving families. |
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== Filming == |
== Filming == |
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Revision as of 02:44, 4 July 2007
| The Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster for The Bridge (documentary film) | |
| Directed by | Eric Steel |
| Written by | Eric Steel |
| Produced by | Eric Steel |
| Cinematography | Peter McCandless |
| Edited by | Sabine Krayenbühl |
| Music by | Alex Heffes |
| Distributed by | Koch-Lorber Films (North American DVD) |
Release date |  October 27, 2006 |
Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
The Bridge is a controversial 2006 documentary film by Eric Steel that tells the stories of a handful of individuals who committed suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge in 2004. The film was inspired by an article entitled "Jumpers," written by Tad Friend appearing in The New Yorker magazine in 2003.[1]
Synopsis
The Bridge focuses on the large amounts of suicide that occur each year at the Golden Gate Bridge, capturing footage of the suicides and interviewing family members. Also interviewed are people who have attempted suicide at the bridge, and witnesses of the suicides.
Controversy
The documentary caused significant controversy when Eric Steel revealed that he had tricked the Golden Gate Bridge committee into allowing him to film the bridge for months and had captured 23 of 24 known suicides which took place during filming phase of the project. In his permit application to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Steel said he intended "to capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge."[2]
The movie was shot with multiple cameras pointed at a notorious suicide spot on the bridge during 2004. It captured 19 people as they took their final plunge, and then offers interviews with grieving families.
Filming
Steel interviewed relatives of the suicide victims, deliberately neglecting to reveal 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 were] glad that they had participated in it."[3]
The project was kept a secret in order to avoid someone who 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 jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge every 15 days on average.[4]
Distribution
A DVD version of the film was released by Koch-Lorber Films on June 12th, 2007.
References
- ^ "Jumpers": "Jumpers" - The fatal grandeur of the Golden Gate Bridge, Tad Friend, New Yorker, October 13, 2003
- ^ Film captures suicides on Golden Gate Bridge, Phillip Matier & Andrew Ross, San Francisco Chronicle, January 19, 2005.
- ^ "The Bridge of Death" ABC News, October 20, 2006
- ^ "The bridge of suicide", Catherine Philip, The Times, February 28, 2007
External links
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