The Bridge of San Luis Rey

2004 Drama

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. more..

Director: Mary McGuckian

Starring: Gabriel Byrne, F. Murray Abraham, Kathy Bates, Geraldine Chaplin,Robert De Niro

 24 Reviews  1 Awards

Reviews

  • Ultimately comes across as a soporific costume drama featuring a gallery of miscast stars.

    Frank Scheck - The Hollywood Reporter

    27 April 2013

  • Though handsomely mounted, this parable of intersecting destinies and implacable tragedy is as lifeless as a wax tableau.

    Maitland McDonagh - TV Guide

    27 April 2013

  • 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.

    Jonathan Holland - Variety

    27 April 2013

  • An honorable but dull attempt to translate a neglected literary source to the screen.

    Ben Kenigsberg - Village Voice

    27 April 2013

  • May be the opposite of trash, but it is something just as disposable: dead literary meat. Dragged down by a stuffy screenplay clotted with generic period oratory, overdressed to the point that the actors seem physically impeded by their ornate costumes, and hopelessly muddled in its storytelling, the movie is edited with a haphazardness that leaves many dots unconnected.

    Stephen Holden - The New York Times

    27 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Costume Design (Mejor Diseño de Vestuario)

    Goya Awards (2005)

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