The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

Richard LaGravenese (screenplay)
Robert James Waller (novel)

Release Date:

2 June 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson, for four days in the 1960s.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Bridge | Photographer | Housewife | 1960s

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Robert Kincaid
Meryl Streep	...	Francesca Johnson
Annie Corley	...	Carolyn Johnson
Victor Slezak	...	Michael Johnson
Jim Haynie	...	Richard Johnson
Sarah Kathryn Schmitt	...	Young Carolyn
Christopher Kroon	...	Young Michael
Phyllis Lyons	...	Betty
Debra Monk	...	Madge
Richard Lage	...	Lawyer Peterson
Michelle Benes	...	Lucy Redfield
Alison Wiegert	...	Child #1
Brandon Bobst	...	Child #2
Pearl Faessler	...	Wife
R.E. 'Stick' Faessler	...	Husband
Tania Mishler	...	Waitress #1
Billie McNabb	...	Waitress #2
Art Breese	...	Cashier
Lana Schwab	...	Saleswoman
Larry Loury	...	UPS Driver
James Rivers	...	James Rivers Band
Mark A. Brooks	...	James Rivers Band
Peter Cho	...	James Rivers Band
Eddie Dejean Sr.	...	James Rivers Band
Jason C. Brewer	...	James Rivers Band
Kyle Eastwood	...	James Rivers Band
George Orrison	...	Café Patron
Ken Billeter	...	Café Patron
Judy Trask	...	Café Patron
David Trask	...	Café Patron
Edna Dolson	...	Café Patron
Dennis McCool	...	Café Patron
Michael C. Pommier	...	Café Patron
Jana Corkrean	...	Café Patron
M. Jane Seymour	...	Café Patron
Karla Jo Soper	...	Café Patron

Directed by
Clint Eastwood

Writing credits (WGA)
Richard LaGravenese		(screenplay)
Robert James Waller		(novel)

Produced by
Clint Eastwood	....	producer
Kathleen Kennedy	....	producer
Michael Maurer	....	associate producer
Tom Rooker	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Lennie Niehaus

Cinematography by
Jack N. Green		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joel Cox

Casting by
Ellen Chenoweth

Production Design by
Jeannine Claudia Oppewall		(as Jeannine Oppewall)

Art Direction by
William Arnold

Set Decoration by
Jay Hart

Costume Design by
Colleen Kelsall

Makeup Department
Michael Hancock	....	makeup artist (as Mike Hancock)
J. Roy Helland	....	hair stylist: Meryl Streep
J. Roy Helland	....	makeup artist: Meryl Streep
Carol A. O'Connell	....	hair stylist (as Carol O'Connell)

Production Management
Jim Behnke	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Bannerman	....	first assistant director
Robert Lorenz	....	second assistant director
Bill Bannerman	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Edward Aiona	....	property master
Charles William Breen	....	assistant art director (as Charles W. Breen)
Edward England	....	construction coordinator
Tyler Osman	....	construction foreman
Ricky Riggs	....	stand-by painter
Michael Sexton	....	assistant property master
Robert Lucas	....	lead man (uncredited)
Tom Osman	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Christopher Woodworth	....	lead painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Alexander)
George H. Anderson	....	dialogue editor (as George Anderson)
Bub Asman	....	supervising sound editor
Patrick Bietz	....	foley editor
Kevin Boyd	....	cable
Neil Burrow	....	foley editor
Willie D. Burton	....	sound mixer
Lucy Coldsnow-Smith	....	supervising dialogue editor
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	sound effects editor
Mike Dobie	....	sound effects editor
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Les Freshholtz)
Richard Friedman	....	adr supervisor (as Dick Friedman)
Eric Gotthelf	....	foley mixer
Joseph A. Ippolito	....	dialogue editor (as Joey Ippolito)
Scott D. Jackson	....	foley supervisor
Constance A. Kazmer	....	dialogue editor
James J. Klinger	....	sound effects editor
Gary Krivacek	....	sound effects editor
Marvin E. Lewis	....	boom operator (as Marvin Lewis)
Darrin Martin	....	assistant sound editor
John Morrisey	....	sound effects editor
Alan Robert Murray	....	supervising sound editor
Kim Nolan	....	assistant sound editor (as Kimberly Nolan)
Jayme S. Parker	....	dialogue editor (as Jayme Parker)
Vern Poore	....	sound re-recording mixer
Madeleine Swift	....	assistant sound editor
Greg Thompson	....	assistant sound editor
Butch Wolf	....	foley editor
Troy Porter	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jeff Denes	....	special effects
John Frazier	....	special effects consultant
Joe Pancake	....	special effects
Frances Pennington	....	special effects (as Francis Pennington)
Steve Riley	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
Pauline Lomas	....	stunts (as Pauline Arthur)
Shelley Phillips	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen S. Campanelli	....	Steadicam operator
Stephen S. Campanelli	....	camera operator
Colin J. Campbell	....	chief lighting technician
Bill Coe	....	first assistant camera (as William Coe)
Dick Deats	....	key grip (as Dicky Deats)
Jerry C. Deats	....	dolly grip
Frank R. Jimenez Jr.	....	rigging gaffer (as Frankie R. Jimenez Jr.)
Michael E. Matteson	....	best boy grip
Ken Regan	....	still photographer
Frank Scheidbach	....	assistant lighting technician
John Waldo	....	second assistant camera (as John A. Waldo)
Dean M. Simmon	....	film loader (uncredited)

Casting Department
James Axotis	....	extras casting
Gabriela Leff	....	casting assistant (as Gabby Leff)
Michelle Vanderpool-Kohrs	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Davenport	....	wardrobe supervisor
Kelly Lindquist	....	set costumer: men
Deedee Montesanto	....	set costumer: women

Editorial Department
Michael Cipriano	....	assistant film editor
Patrick Flannery	....	assistant film editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Bob Putynkowski	....	color timer
Don Roth	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Robert Fernandez	....	scoring mixer (as Bobby Fernandez)
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Bruce Ricker	....	music consultant
Peter Afterman	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Gene Biernot	....	transportation captain
Keith Dillin	....	transportation coordinator
Larry Stelling	....	picture car coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Marco Barla	....	unit publicist
Lisa A. Becker	....	production secretary
Adam Bernhard	....	production associate
Paul A. Calabria	....	animal trainer (as Paul Calabria)
B. Ted Deiker	....	production associate
Matt Freeman	....	assistant: Kathleen Kennedy
James W. Gavin	....	helicopter pilot
Ken Haber	....	location manager
Cate Hardman	....	script supervisor
Jeff Kloss	....	production accountant (as Jeffrey Kloss)
Linda Mason	....	craft service
Jason D. McGatlin	....	assistant production secretary (as Jason McGatlin)
Erich Moeller	....	production associate
Maggie Pierson	....	assistant: Meryl Streep
Ken Regan	....	technical consultant
David Romano	....	assistant production accountant
Melissa Rooker	....	assistant: Clint Eastwood
Kara Sjoblom	....	production associate
Roselyn Winward	....	assistant production accountant
Channing Work	....	production associate
Gillian Wynn	....	production associate
Kaylene Carlson	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jenny Elsinger	....	set production assistant (uncredited)
Tony Kerum	....	caterer (uncredited)
Stephen A. Marinaccio II	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Gerald F. Nichols	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (presents) (as Warner Bros.)
• Amblin Entertainment (producer) (as Amblin/Malpaso)
• Malpaso Productions (producer) (as Amblin/Malpaso)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• ELKE (1995) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment (1995) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS) (Pan and scan)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1998) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Canada) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1996) (Greece) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (Argentina)
• Warner Bros. (Spain)

Other Companies

• Avid Film Composer  edited on
• BT Industrial Supply  expendables
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Citizens of Madison County, Iowa  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film
• Citizens of West Des Moines, Iowa  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film
• Citizens of Winterset, Iowa  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.®)
• Iowa Film Commission  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film (as the Film Commission of Iowa)
• Malpaso Records  soundtrack on (as MALPASO Cassettes and CDs)
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Panavision  camera and lenses
• Tony's Food Service  caterer
• Vista Group  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film
• WB Music Corp.  copyright owner: all original music compositions
• Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.  copyright owner: all original music compositions

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 on appeal for some sexuality and brief strong language (re-rating on appeal)

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:12 (w) | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (re-rating on appeal) (certificate #33820) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:R(A) | Iceland:L | Philippines:R-18 | France:Unrated | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Adel, Iowa, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Filmed in sequence.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The note that Francesca writes and the note that she sticks to the bridge have different handwriting.

Quotes:

Francesca:And in that moment, everything I knew to be true about myself up until then was gone. I was acting like another woman, yet I was more myself than ever before.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Bart on the Road (#7.20)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

I See Your Face Before Me

A cinematic silk purse from a literary sow's ear ...

I only managed about two pages of the book before feeling physically ill by the trite dialogue, heavy dependence on cliche and ham fisted, adolescent romance prose style. So a film of the book 'The Bridges of Madison County' did not fill me with joy and pleasureable anticpation.

Yet Clint Eastwood has waved a magic wand, and worked wonders on the lack lustre source material, by pairing it down to produce a beautiful, warm film with only one real flaw (more on that later)

The film's overwhelming main strength is the casting of Meryl Streep. As Francesca she dissolves into the role - at times her gestures and dialogue seem so natural and unforced it is as if Eastwood had installed a fly-on-the-wall camera into the house of a real Iowan housewife. She lifts the film - which does centre on themes which could appear trite in the wrong hands - to the level of profound piece of art. Her selflessness and devotion to her family, and tortured sense of divided loyalites are presented so powerfully, and so plausibly, that the final scene in the car at the end (those who've seen it will recall immediately what I mean) pulls at your emotions so hard you'd swear it was you who was making the decision. I defy anyone with a pulse not to shed copious amounts of tears at this point --- you would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved on some level by this great, great performance.

Clint Eastwood provides good, solid support in the sense that he doesn't overact, and allows Meryl to become the heart of the film. This is a wise decision - part of the terrible weakness of the book was its dependence upon the inane thoughts and ramblings of Robert Kincaid. The film is beautifully directed, beautifully photograhed and beautifully scored - the radio tunes and the non-diegetic Bridges Love theme really enhance the romantic, lush tone and mood of the film.

My only problem is with the misguided decision to cast Francesca's older children and flash back periodically to them reading through their Mother's journals. The acting in these parts is mediocre at best, and they detract from the elegance and poignant mastery of Meryl Streep's central performance. The ashes scene at the end is - I feel - necessary for closure, but the rest of the scenes featuring the chldren should have been scrapped. The Francesca and Robert sections stand alone and require no interruption - these other segments cheapen the mastery of Meryl.

Above all, this is a film which (on paper) can be dismissed as pure soap opera. But it transcends these potentially trite themes to make a universal story of love, selflessness, devotion and choice, that speaks eloquently to the viewer, no matter what your age or experience. It's a truly heartbreaking tale of transitory experience and the power of memory. It will make you think about your own life, and about your closest family members and relationships.

And its finest quality has to be the magic of Meryl Streep who proves, yet again, why she is uniquely the best actress we have ever had. As Clint Eastwood said about casting this role: 'I only made one phonecall'. He knew as you will too - no other actress could have brought so much depth, warmth, beauty, charisma and humanity to this character. As a humble film lover, it's all I can do to applaud her from the depths of my heart. Bravo, Queen Meryl!