Girl on the Bridge - Vanessa Paradis

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Girl on the Bridge')

Directed by Patrice Leconte
France 1999

Vanessa Paradis conveys the instinct and desire of the child woman with flirtatious innocence. To dismiss Adele as a nymphomaniac would completely miss the point. She likes to give, she enjoys the warmth, she expects truth. Her disappointments are legion and she blames herself. When luck is bad, it sticks like tar. Adele is a tar baby until she discovers in the knife thrower a conduit for hope.

Daniel Auteuil replaces his natural charm with a world weary acceptance of age as a chasm between possibility and defeat. More than anything, the knife thrower is an artist, a man who has spent his life perfecting skills that lose their novelty and curb expectation. In his eyes, you see fear with every throw of the blade. "After 40, you get erratic."

Leconte's genius is in making a fable breathe and allowing romance the freedom to find itself.

Excerpt from Angus Wolfe Murray's review at Eye For Film located HERE

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Theatrical Release: March 31st, 1999

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DVD Comparison:

Legend Films - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Fox / Pathè - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Per-Olof Strandberg for Pathe caps!

(Legend Films - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Fox / Pathè - Region 2 - PAL RIGHT)

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	Legend Films - Region 1 - NTSC	Fox / Pathè Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:31:42	1:27:42 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.61 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Legend
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 2.0)	French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles	English (burned-in)	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Legend Films Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Edition Details: • none DVD Release Date: July 1st, 2008 Keep Case Chapters: 21	Release Information: Studio: Fox / Pathè Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Trailer (1:42) DVD Release Date: 20 Nov 2000 Transparent keep-case Chapters 12

Comments:

ADDITION: Pathè/Fox - Region 2 PAL - July 08': Big thanks to Per-Olaf for supplying the caps.

As we anticipated the PAL edition is superior on all fronts - also single-layered and anamorphic but progressive, a shade sharper and smoother, better subtitle font and 5.1 audio. Plus it actually has an extra - albeit just a 1:42 trailer.

To cap it off the 7.5 year older Pathè edition is cheaper. 'Nolo contendere' - get the UK disc.

***

I have a pet-peeve. I get infuriated when Region 1 DVD produces a product of an above-average foreign film, in a sloppy, disrespectful transfer. Tack on some more irk when there are superior DVD editions already in existence (for 7 years). Hence, a strong reason for DVDBeaver's evolution and why we encourage the choices available when you become a 'region free' patron.

Enter Legend Films. Leconte's enigmatic film is offered in a single-layered, bare-bones, anamorphic, interlaced transfer (see combing in last capture) with burned-in subtitles. Audio is 2.0 channel French and sounds clear enough to discern dialogue but nothing else worth discussing.

There are no extras. I like, but not love Girl on the Bridge, and wish to discourage anyone from purchasing this NTSC DVD - even at the less than $15 price tag. Save your money and go region-free instead.

Pathe Distribution in the UK has a superior edition available HERE (for less money!). Buy that one - not the Legend release (we'll compare one day). Nuff' said.

Gary W. Tooze

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(Legend Films - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Fox / Pathè - Region 2 - PAL RIGHT)