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.
- Director
- Writers
- Richard LaGravenese(screenplay)
- Robert James Waller(novel)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Richard LaGravenese(screenplay)
- Robert James Waller(novel)
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 7 wins & 18 nominations total
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Sarah Zahn
- Young Carolynas Young Carolyn
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Tania Burt
- Waitress #1as Waitress #1
- (as Tania Mishler)
- Director
- Writers
- Richard LaGravenese(screenplay)
- Robert James Waller(novel)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
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>
- Taglines
- The human heart has a way of making itself large again even after it's been broken into a million pieces.
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated PG-13 on appeal for some sexuality and brief strong language
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThe 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.
- GoofsA 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.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Clock (2010)
- SoundtracksDoe 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
Top review
Understated Romance
This is an understated romanctic film. This is probably down to the competent directing from Eastwood, and the exceptional acting ability of Streep, which she executes without much effort - at least it appears that way! Streep's character, Francesca, who is somewhat of a dreamer, was in search of an illusionary life, which was unobtainable, mainly because it only existed inside her head of fantasies. Indeed, the fantasy of the romance is only her interpretation of it via her journals. In reality, her romantic interlude would have turned sour because it would not live up to her expectations in everyday life, just as her idea of the American way of life didn't, being married to an ordinary farming lad.
As an Italian homemaker, Francesca is stereotyped from the start as the opera loving romantic, cooking breakfast for a largely unappreciative family in a mundane world, which she once viewed through rose tinted spectacles, whilst daydreaming back home in Italy.
The film's message is that romance can be deceptive, in that it misleads women into mundane lives that bear no reality to what they have been taught about it. But, women who crave romance, should demand it, and not be afraid to ask for it, or to admit to liking it for that matter. This is what Francesca should have done with her husband.
As an Italian homemaker, Francesca is stereotyped from the start as the opera loving romantic, cooking breakfast for a largely unappreciative family in a mundane world, which she once viewed through rose tinted spectacles, whilst daydreaming back home in Italy.
The film's message is that romance can be deceptive, in that it misleads women into mundane lives that bear no reality to what they have been taught about it. But, women who crave romance, should demand it, and not be afraid to ask for it, or to admit to liking it for that matter. This is what Francesca should have done with her husband.
helpful•3933
- alexandra-25
- Nov 17, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Los puentes de Madison
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- 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
- Runtime2 hours 15 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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