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The Bridge of San Luis Rey (DVD, 2005)

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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.

Product Identifiers

UPC0794043841521

eBay Product ID (ePID)47789238

Product Key Features

ActorRobert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Kathy Bates

RatingG

Movie/TV TitleBridge of San Luis Rey

DirectorMary Mcguckian

FormatDVD

Release Year2005

GenreDrama

Additional Product Features

Number of Discs1

Country/Region of ManufactureUSA

Leading RoleRobert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Kathy Bates

Release Date20051011

Film CountryUSA

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4.7

3 product ratings

2 users rated this 5 out of 5 stars
1 users rated this 4 out of 5 stars
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by ornofay01
13 Oct, 2016
Not accurate historically
The movie is beautifully made with some good acting by well known actors. The format used to develop the story line is quite clumsy and it is not give a very correct historic presentation. There was no marquesa de Montemayor, although there is a close denomination for the lesser rank of conde (earl). Maria Micaela Vargas, La Perricholi, had already had her bout with smallpox by the time she was an actress. She did have one son with her lover Viceroy Manuel de Amat Junyent, named Manuel after his father not Jaime, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence of Peru in 1821, so he did not die in the scene of the bridge break. The other aspect I find out of character is the overt French influence at the viceregal court, the furnishings are correct but it was not the actual way people behaved in Peru at that particular time and place, the clothing men used may have followed fashionable trends but the women had their own peculiar way of dressing and their deportment followed strictly Castilian manners in every way. These flagrant mistakes are in Thornton Wilder's "The Bridge of San Luis Rey", so the movie follows the author's imaginary visions. Of the characters in his book only two are historical, the Viceroy and La Perricholi, and the rest are a product of his imagination. The marquesa de Montemayor’s habit of letter writing to her daughter is loosely based on Madame de Sevigne and the bridge is based on the great Inca suspension bridge across the Apurimac river, built around 1350, still in use in 1864, and dilapidated but still hanging in 1890. The worst offense in the novel is the timeframe, as the events related in the book take place on July 20, 1714, however, Manuel de Amat was the 31st Viceroy of Peru from 1761 to 1776 and Micaela was his mistress from 1762 until his return to Spain at the end of his tenure. In 1763 she became a popular actress, retired in 1788, and a year after Amat's death, she married in 1795 Vicente Fermín de Echarri, with whom he had no issue. She became a widow in 1806, dedicated the rest of her life to prayer and charitable works as a tertiary Carmelite and finally died May 16, 1819. Be that as it may and in spite of these incongruities and anachronisms, the movie is quite entertaining and has very magnificent settings so it is well worth watching.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
by PfAxdFXiTWS@Deleted
18 Sep, 2018
Bridge of San Luis Rey
A very good movie adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s book. I watched it after I read the book and liked the movie version too
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
by F50f-uKcTq6@Deleted
15 Jul, 2016
One of the better CD's out there!
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned