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The Bridges of Madison County

  • 19951995
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
80K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,918
96
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
Trailer 3 for The Bridges of Madison County
Play trailer1:16
6 Videos
76 Photos
  • Drama
  • Romance

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

IMDb RATING
7.6/10
80K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,918
96
  • Director
    • Clint Eastwood
  • Writers
    • Richard LaGravenese(screenplay)
    • Robert James Waller(novel)
  • Stars
    • Clint Eastwood
    • Meryl Streep
    • Annie Corley
Top credits
  • Director
    • Clint Eastwood
  • Writers
    • Richard LaGravenese(screenplay)
    • Robert James Waller(novel)
  • Stars
    • Clint Eastwood
    • Meryl Streep
    • Annie Corley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 280User reviews
    • 77Critic reviews
    • 69Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 7 wins & 18 nominations total

    Videos6

    The Bridges of Madison County
    Trailer 1:16
    The Bridges of Madison County
    Flower Prank
    Video 1:09
    Flower Prank
    Pendant
    Video 1:31
    Pendant
    Standing in the Rain
    Video 1:19
    Standing in the Rain
    Fight
    Video 0:54
    Fight
    Phone
    Video 1:23
    Phone

    Photos76

    Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Chevy Chase at an event for The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Clint Eastwood, Candice Bergen, and Frances Bergen at an event for The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Jodie Foster at an event for The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell at an event for The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
    Don Johnson at an event for The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Clint Eastwood
    Clint Eastwood
    • Robert Kincaidas Robert Kincaid
    Meryl Streep
    Meryl Streep
    • Francesca Johnsonas Francesca Johnson
    Annie Corley
    Annie Corley
    • Carolyn Johnsonas Carolyn Johnson
    Victor Slezak
    Victor Slezak
    • Michael Johnsonas Michael Johnson
    Jim Haynie
    Jim Haynie
    • Richard Johnsonas Richard Johnson
    Sarah Zahn
    Sarah Zahn
    • Young Carolynas Young Carolyn
    • (as Sarah Kathryn Schmitt)
    Christopher Kroon
    Christopher Kroon
    • Young Michaelas Young Michael
    Phyllis Lyons
    Phyllis Lyons
    • Bettyas Betty
    Debra Monk
    Debra Monk
    • Madgeas Madge
    Richard Lage
    • Lawyer Petersonas Lawyer Peterson
    Michelle Benes
    Michelle Benes
    • Lucy Redfieldas Lucy Redfield
    Alison Wiegert
    • Child #1as Child #1
    Brandon Bobst
    • Child #2as Child #2
    Pearl Faessler
    • Wifeas Wife
    R.E. 'Stick' Faessler
    • Husbandas Husband
    Tania Burt
    Tania Burt
    • Waitress #1as Waitress #1
    • (as Tania Mishler)
    Billie McNabb
    • Waitress #2as Waitress #2
    Art Breese
    • Cashieras Cashier
    • Director
      • Clint Eastwood
    • Writers
      • Richard LaGravenese(screenplay)
      • Robert James Waller(novel)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The path of Francesca Johnson's (Meryl Streep's) future seems destined when an unexpected fork in the road causes her to question everything she had come to expect from life. While her husband and children are away at the Illinois State Fair in the summer of 1965, Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) happens to turn into the Johnson farm and asks Francesca for directions to Roseman Bridge. Francesca later learns that he was in Iowa on assignment from National Geographic Magazine. She is reluctant seeing that he's a complete stranger, and then she agrees to show him to the bridges and gradually she talks about her life from being a war-bride from Italy which sets the pace for this bittersweet and all-too-brief romance of her life. Through the pain of separation from her secret love and the stark isolation she feels as the details of her life consume her, she writes her thoughts of the four-day love affair which took up three journals. The journals are found by her children after the lawyer was going over Francesca's will and all of the contents which produces a key to her hope chest in the bedroom which contained some of hers and Robert's things. The message they take from the diaries is to what you what you have to do to be happy in life. After learning that Robert Kincaid's cremated remains were scattered off Roseman Bridge and that their mother requested that she too be cremated and her ashes to be scattered off Roseman Bridge, the children must decide whether to honor their mother's final wishes or bury her alongside their father as the family had planned. Adapted from the novel by Robert James Waller, this is the story of a special love that happens just once in a lifetime, if you're lucky. —Mark Fleetwood <mfleetwo@mail.coin.missouri.edu>
    • rural setting
    • husband wife relationship
    • extramarital affair
    • love letter
    • goodbye
    • 151 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The human heart has a way of making itself large again even after it's been broken into a million pieces.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Romance
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 on appeal for some sexuality and brief strong language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The residence used by the filmmakers for Francesca's house was burned in a fire by arson on October 6, 2003, almost a year after the Cedar Bridge was also destroyed.
    • Goofs
      A modern solid-state dial-tone is heard when characters use the telephone. The model telephone depicted and the era would have the more traditional deep dial-tone.
    • Quotes

      Robert Kincaid: This kind of certainty comes but just once in a lifetime.

    • Connections
      Edited into The Clock (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Doe Eyes (Love Theme from 'The Bridges Of Madison County')
      Composed by Lennie Niehaus and Clint Eastwood

      Conducted by Lennie Niehaus

      Piano solo performed by Michael Lang

    User reviews280

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    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!
    helpful•164
    62
    • Jen_UK
    • Sep 11, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 2, 1995 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Los puentes de Madison
    • Filming locations
      • Roseman Bridge, Winterset, Iowa, USA
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Amblin Entertainment
      • Malpaso Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $24,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $71,516,617
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,519,257
      • Jun 4, 1995
    • Gross worldwide
      • $182,016,617
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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