MovieChat Forums > Marion Bridge (2003) Discussion > What is Marion Bridge?

What is Marion Bridge?

posted 16 years ago by davesato
9 replies | jump to latest

Enjoyed the movie. The name Marion Bridge was only brought up once when Angie was looking at old photos. Was there something I missed that gave Marion Bridge more meaning?

[–] carl-pgh 16 years ago

"Marion Bridge" refers to one of the bridges over the Mira River, the longest in river Nova Scotia.

For the working class families of Sydney/Whitney Pier (North America's First Steel Town), the Mira River was the place to have a weekend cottage or camp. It's about 25 minutes out of town. Places like Marion Bridge provided an escape, both literally and figuratively, from the industrial backdrop of living in Sydney, or the Pier (the opening credits shows the remnants of the steel mills there).

Summer is so fleeting and so lovely, the days, and the shadows cast, so long, in that part of the world; you have to take advantage while you can, and hold on to those memories, either thru the Nova Scotian winter or while you are away earning a living in Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, etc., etc.

The closing credits soundtrack is "Song for the Mira". However, they are not driving over the Mira River. It is the Seal Island Bridge over the Bras D'or.

Hope this helps.

[–] richard-III 15 years ago

Aha, thank you for the information.

"The Beamer Xperience: 9 feet wide home cinema bliss."

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] gbrycki 15 years ago

It is what Agnes would have named Joanie, had Agnes kept her. It comes from an old country song. Here is the chorus to that song, "Marion Bridge".

Can you imagine the peace of the universe
More fit for princess and kings
I'll give ten of your cities for Marion Bridge
and the pleasure it brings

You can hear this song at the end of the movie, when they (the 3 sisters, Joanie and Jonie's adoptive mom) all go to the beach.

[–] hd11gc 14 years ago

its also a small rural community on Cape Breton Island

[–] lulupalooza 14 years ago

I thought that was Jonie and her boyfriend at the beach...didn't look like the adoptive mom to me; it seemed to be a dark-haired young man.

"Don't get chumpatized"! -The King of Kong (2007)

[–] artemis1644 12 years ago

I thought it was definitely Jonie's adoptive mom. Remember Chrissy has short hair. It would be very appropriate for it to be Chrissy. When Agnes took Jonie home that one time, Chrissy gave Agnes a friendly wave from the porch. The 3 sisters created more extended family for Jonie.

[–] don-249 14 years ago

The correct third line is:

I'll trade ten of your cities for Marion Bridge

[–] goleafsgo27 13 years ago

Shall we try again?
The lyrics of the chorus of Song For The Mira, as sung by the actresses who played the sisters in Marion Bridge:

Can you imagine a piece of the universe
More fit for princes and kings?
I'll trade you ten of your cities for Marion Bridge
and the pleasure she brings.

Other versions of the song have "give" in place of "trade" and/or "it" in place of "she". There are myriad versions to be found on the Web, but the song was written by Allister MacGillivray in 1973.
And it most definitely is the adoptive mom, not a male, on the shore, making a total of five female persons there when the sisters arrive. Thanks and drive safely on your way home.