Bridges (with Gaps) Over Troubled Water

Recently I posted a sync showing that the film, The Bridge on the River Kwai inspired the Paul Simon song, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."

Link: http://filmsyncs.blogspot.com/2008/05/bridge-over-troubled-waters-to-bridge.html

I also posted a sync to the Bond film, Casino Royale references the song.

Building on that, I want to show a pattern of use of the song in the Bond films for the Roger Moore films.

The film, Live and Let Die uses water effectively but with a twist, where instead of there being a gap over land (a la The Bridge on the River Kwai) there is a gap over water. This land span is what Bond skims his boat over (twice) during the scene.




In the film, The Man With The Golden Gun, the theme of using Sheriff Pepper in a "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" sync is repeated with an exciting jump over a broken bridge. The Asian location and broken bridge paying homage to The Bridge on the River Kwai.

The sync works so that the lyrics:

See how they shine

Works to the bright shine coming off of Bond's car as he spins it around.


The question should be: couldn't that just be the natural sun light hitting the car during a complicated stunt? Sure, but filmmakers are very careful about lighting and camera angles - they're pros not likely to make amateurish goofs except when they deliberately want those things to occur. Nor are they stupid enough to get a light man and his large spotlight in the reflection of the car unless they want to do it.






In A View To A Kill, a drawbridge becomes the gap over the river with Bond (in a fire truck) spanning the gap. The song is also used during the climatic scene on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. This sync is a tougher one to get because the filmmakers are syncing the music to the film multiple times. Thus for example, the scene with the fire truck ladder knocking the top off of a pickup truck explosing a couple this works for the lyrics:


When you're down and out, when you're on the street

as well as the double entendre of:

Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down

and the scene with Bond (on the ladder) knocking the hats off of two bald guys works with:

I'll take your part

as well as the two gay guys (we are talking about San Francisco here) to:

When you're down and out When you're on the street
as well as possibly:

Sail on Silver Girl, Sail on by Your time has come to shine

Bond fans, notice also the deliberate continuity error of the American made car switching from a left-wheel model during the street scene and a right-wheel car in close-up.


This was done by mirroring the image.



Here's one version:

Bridge Over Troubled Water to The Bridge on the River Kwai

Admittedly it helps to know some films to be able to figure out sources of inspiration for musicians. But, beyond that, sometimes the music composer makes it pretty easy for anyone to figure these sources out, once they become aware that this is going on (naturally).

A case in point is the Simon and Garfunkel song, "Bridge over Troubled Waters." Not only is the song title a huge clue but with key lyrics like:

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

it suggests the question, exactly what is this bridge over troubled waters and what is being laid down?

The source of inspiration I'm referring to is the film, The Bridge On The River Kwai, with a collapsing Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) laying down over the dynamite plunger causing it to explode with the second laying down being the bridge over troubled water being the ... um ... bridge over troubled waters - with the train falling into the water.

Another nice touch is the sign Colonel Nicholson so proudly erected to the unnamed "This Bridge"
floating by in the water after the bridge's collapse to the lyrics:

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

Bridge Over Troubled Water to Casino Royale

In Casino Royale, didn't it seem odd that the water is still churning heavily minutes after the Venetian house sank?

The reason is to play a part in the filmmaker's art. That of incorporating a secret underscore to the film. Part of that score is to the Paul Simon song, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."

one interesting set of lyrics:

When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all

Has Bond nailing an operative named Gettler (seemingly a doppelgänger of Le Chiffre) through the left eye with a nail gun. This is the same eye that Le Chiffre sheds tears of blood as seen earlier in the film with Bond taking a verbal shot at Le Chiffre saying that he won't consider himself in trouble until he starts "weeping blood."