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The Bridge of San Luis Rey, 2004

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

English

Spain, UK, France

Rating:5.0
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Profile of The Bridge of San Luis Rey

The Bridge of San Luis Rey can be described as emotional and contemplative. The plot revolves around the clergy, social decay, and religions or cults. The main genres are drama and period. In terms of style, The Bridge of San Luis Rey is gory. In approach, it is serious and realistic. The storytelling is slow paced. The Bridge of San Luis Rey is located in Peru. It takes place in the 18th century. It is a remake and based on a book.

Summary of The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Author Thornton Wilder won the Pulitzer Prize for his second novel, THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY, which was originally published in 1927. Wilder passed away in 1975, but if he were still alive he'd surely be surprised and delighted to learn that the novel has been brought to the screen for a third time. Director Mary McGuckian follows in the footsteps of Charles Brabin, who constructed an Oscar-winning silent movie around Wilder's words in 1929; and Rowland V. Lee, whose version appeared in theaters during 1944. For her interpretation, McGuckian assembles an all-star cast, which includes Robert De Niro, Kathy Bates, Harvey Keitel, and Gabriel Byrne.

Set in Peru during the 1740s, McGuckian's film tells the tale of an ill-fated train journey that came to a tragic end as a rickety rope suspension bridge collapsed beneath its weight in the Peruvian mountains. The story of the passengers aboard the train is told in flashback via the recollections of a priest, Brother Juniper (Byrne), who has written a novel about the accident. Juniper is on trial for heresy due to the affirmations contained in his book; he believes that God must have plucked these people from the earth for a divine reason. De Niro plays the Archbishop who is trying Juniper, while the fated passengers who slowly roll towards their destiny include The Marquesa (Bates), Uncle Pio (Keitel), The Viceroy of Peru (F. Murray Abraham), Camila Villegas (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), and Pepita (Adriana Dominguez). As the trial and train journey unravel concurrently, McGuickan gently guides her celebrated cast through material that remains faithful to Wilder's novel, while cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (THE OTHERS) beautifully captures the period on camera.

Details

Language: English
Country: Spain, UK, France
Release date: 10 June 2005
Runtime: 120 min

Cast and Crew

Robert De Niro as Archbishop of Peru in The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Robert De Niro

as Archbishop of Peru

Kathy Bates as The Marquesa in The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Kathy Bates

as The Marquesa

Harvey Keitel as Uncle Pio in The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Harvey Keitel

as Uncle Pio

Photos

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)

Clips

The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Bridge of San Luis Rey: Trailer

Critics Reviews

TV Guide
Though handsomely mounted, this parable of intersecting destinies and implacable tragedy is as lifeless as a wax tableau.
Variety
The stellar cast can do little to paper over the cracks in an awkward, unevenly-paced script that is composed of a series of sometimes-attractive scenes with little emotional undertow.
Likely to see
Not for me

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