The Bridge (documentary film)
Encyclopedia
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 jumped off the bridge. The film was inspired by an article titled "Jumpers", written by Tad Friend
, that appeared in The New Yorker
magazine in 2003.
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.
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".
, 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."
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Eric Steel
Eric Steel
Eric Steel is a filmmaker and producer, best known for his controversial documentary The Bridge. He graduated from Yale University in 1985.-The Bridge:Steel's directorial debut was the 2006 documentary The Bridge...
that consists of the results of one year's filming of the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
in 2004, which captured a number of suicides, and additional filming of family and friends of some of the identified people who had jumped off the bridge. The film was inspired by an article titled "Jumpers", written by Tad Friend
Tad Friend
Tad Friend is a staff writer for The New Yorker. His current focus of coverage is the entertainment industry, and he often writes the "Letter from California" for The New Yorker. His memoir, Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor, was published by Little, Brown in...
, that appeared in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine in 2003.
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."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.
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
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...
, 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".
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of The Bridge was composed by the British film composer Alex Heffes and is called "The Shadow of the Bridge".Reception
The Bridge received mostly positive reviews, receiving a 69 percent Fresh from 53 reviews on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 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."