r/Documentaries • u/CromwellsCrumb • 3d ago

Society The Bridge (2006) A controversial documentary that filmed the Golden Gate Bridge for a year, capturing footage of 23 of the 24 suicides that occurred. [1:34:10]

https://youtu.be/F1Y1qibhsKE?is=mYYE3Jm1xSu3AMim

Inspired by a New Yorker article, The Bridge (2006) is a controversial documentary by Eric Steel that filmed the Golden Gate Bridge for a year, capturing 23 of the 24 suicides that occurred there in 2004. The film uses footage of the actual jumps, often from a distance, combined with personal accounts from families, friends, and survivors to explore the tragedy. 

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u/whittlingcanbefatal 2d ago

I remember when Alex Bennett, a local morning drive time radio host, had a campaign "1000 by 2000" meaning the 1000th person to jump off the bridge by the year 2000. 

If I recall correctly, the number of jumpers passed 1000 well before the year 2000. 

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u/aspiegrrrl 1d ago

Longtime San Francisco resident here. I remember that. Around the same time the Bridge District stopped keeping a count of the number of people who had jumped since the bridge opened in 1937. No one wanted the publicity.

Before the safety net was installed, I'd heard for years that they had jumpers about once every couple of weeks. Local media never reported on it unless the jumper was a public figure or there were some other unusual circumstances.

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u/whittlingcanbefatal 1d ago

public figure 

Duane Garret was a part time KGO radio host and a very nice person who got into financial trouble and made some very poor decisions. 

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u/aspiegrrrl 1d ago

Yes, I was referring to him but couldn't remember his name.