Skinny Bridge

The Skinny Bridge, known in Dutch as the Magere Brug, is a historic wooden drawbridge crossing the River Amstel in central Amsterdam, Netherlands, connecting Kerkstraat with Nieuwe Kerkstraat. A bridge was first built at the site in 1691 and became known as the Magere Brug because it was so narrow that pedestrians could barely pass one another. It was replaced by a wider bridge in 1871, while the present structure dates from 1934, when architect Piet Kramer redesigned it in the traditional style. The white-painted double drawbridge is now one of Amsterdam’s best-known landmarks and is illuminated by more than a thousand lights after dark.

The Skinny Bridge has appeared in Dutch in Seven Lessons (1948), Puppet on a Chain (1970), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), China White (1989), Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and Ted Lasso (2020–2023). The bridge has frequently been used to establish Amsterdam through views from the Amstel and the surrounding streets.

In Dutch in Seven Lessons (1948), originally released as Nederlands in zeven lessen, the Skinny Bridge appears during the film’s tour of Amsterdam. The partly staged travelogue follows an English cameraman attempting to capture different aspects of the Netherlands in seven days. During the Amsterdam section, the bridge is seen from a boat on the Amstel as the cameraman records the city and its landmarks. The production is also notable for containing Audrey Hepburn’s first screen appearance, although she is not involved in the Skinny Bridge sequence.

In Puppet on a Chain (1970), the Skinny Bridge appears during the film’s extended speedboat chase through Amsterdam. Interpol narcotics agent Paul Sherman pursues Meegren through the city’s canals and waterways, with the chase passing along the Amstel and beneath and around several Amsterdam bridges. The Skinny Bridge is prominently visible during this sequence before the pursuit continues farther along the river.

In Diamonds Are Forever (1971), the Skinny Bridge introduces the Amsterdam section of the film. A sightseeing boat approaches the bridge while its guide tells the passengers about Amsterdam, only for the tour to be interrupted when the body of diamond smuggler Mrs Whistler is pulled from the Amstel. Mr Wint and Mr Kidd stand on the Skinny Bridge posing as tourists and photographing the scene after having murdered her. The camera then moves from the bridge towards James Bond, who is driving through Amsterdam under the identity of diamond smuggler Peter Franks on his way to meet Tiffany Case.

In China White (1989), the Skinny Bridge appears as Danny and Bobby take a boat trip through Amsterdam. The film, which centres on a conflict between Chinese and Italian criminal organisations fighting for control of the city’s heroin trade, makes extensive use of real Amsterdam streets and waterways. During the canal journey, the distinctive white Skinny Bridge is seen from the Amstel as part of the cityscape surrounding the characters.

In Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), the Skinny Bridge is visible during the confrontation between Deuce Bigalow and Inspector Gaspar Voorsboch. After Voorsboch reveals himself as the man responsible for the murders of European gigolos, he holds Deuce at gunpoint while driving through Amsterdam. Their car travels along the Amstel near Achtergracht, with the Skinny Bridge clearly visible across the river during the sequence.

In The Fault in Our Stars (2014), the Skinny Bridge appears during Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters’ visit to Amsterdam. The bridge is shown in a series of views establishing the city as Hazel and Augustus arrive for their trip to meet writer Peter Van Houten. The shot looks towards the bridge across the Amstel, placing the landmark among the Amsterdam locations shown before the story continues to the hotel, restaurants and canals visited by the pair.

In Ted Lasso (2020–2023), the Skinny Bridge appears in the season 3 episode “Sunflowers”. After AFC Richmond plays a friendly match against Ajax, Roy Kent insists that Jamie Tartt continue training during the team’s night off and takes him running through Amsterdam. Jamie turns the run into a tour of the city and brings Roy to the Skinny Bridge, specifically pointing out its connection to the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. The two continue their run across the bridge as their increasingly exhausting tour of Amsterdam continues.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Skinny Bridge (2023)

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