Despite an all-star cast and some impressive visuals, The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a lifeless, slow-going adaptation of Thornton Wilder's classic novel.
Despite an all-star cast and some impressive visuals, The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a lifeless, slow-going adaptation of Thornton Wilder's classic novel.
audience
34
liked it
Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 1,843
Thornton Wilder's award-winning novel is given a lavish screen adaptation in this historical drama from writer and director Mary McGuckian. In Peru in 1714, a rickety bridge collapsed as five people were attempting to cross, forcing them to plunge to their deaths. Brother Fray Juniper (Gabriel Byrne) is a Franciscan monk who has been given the duty of looking into the tragedy by the archbishop of Lima (Robert De Niro), and to learn what he can about the victims. It is Juniper's belief that these
particular people died for some reason, and that it is his duty to determine why God chose these five people to perish, while others in the vicinity survived. After five years, Juniper delivers his findings to the archbishop as well as the viceroy of Peru (F. Murray Abraham), as Juniper tells them of the lives of the troubled Dona Maria (Kathy Bates), the nun Pepita (Adriana Dominguez), warm-hearted Uncle Pio (Harvey Keitel), street kid-turned-actress La Perichola (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), and others involved in the tragedy. The Bridge of San Luis Rey also features Geraldine Chaplin, John Lynch, and brothers Mark Polish and Michael Polish. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
As a director, McGuckian is overwhelmed by the immensity of her cast, and her misguided attempt to make a Hollywood epic on a European production budget.
Audiences may wonder why a picture with Robert De Niro, Kathy Bates and Harvey Keitel would be so bereft of hype. After you've endured the film, all 120 airless minutes, you'll understand the rationale behind the quiet release.
How bad could a movie be that features talent as serious as Robert De Niro, Kathy Bates, Gabriel Byrne, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham and Geraldine Chaplin? That bad, alas.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a beautiful movie. The film's shooting locations are exquisite. The sets are stunning. The costumes are gorgeous. The actors are superlative. Too bad the movie sucks.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey raises an important philosophical question: Is it better to fall to one's death from a rickety rope bridge overlooking a deep gorge or watch this miserable movie about several people sharing that awful fate?
A little long and a little boreing but good over all.
March 26, 2007
FanGirl Browncoat
Super Reviewer
Eh, I wasn't really expecting anything as I watched this, and I'm glad I didn't. It was alright, but I was glad that De Niro and Keitel covered their accents (unlike what the synopsis says) so at least you could focus what was going on and not have a blaring reminder of who they really are. None of the characters
really caused me to feel for them, and in fact it was the opposite. You actually end up disliking pretty much all of them, so when they die you don't really care. It had some pretty witty and heartfelt moments, but they weren't enough to save this boring movie. De Niro as the Archbishop was by far the most compelling performance, with an incensed religous yet arrogant ferver that was entertaining to watch. But other than that the other actors were fairly drab. Not the worst movie out there, but definitely not one of the best. It's sad to say but almost anything would be better to watch than this.
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