Genre: Drama, Romance | PG-13, 2
hr. 15 min.
Directed By: Clint Eastwood | Written
By: Richard La Gravenese
In Theaters: Jun 2, 1995 Wide | On
DVD: Sep 25, 1997 | Warner Bros.
Bridges of Madison County is a love story of epic proportions,
set in sprawling Iowa in the United States of America. It’s a story of a chance
meeting and unrequited passion as well as unfulfilled life expectations. It’s a
story that changed the lives of Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) and Francesca (Meryl
Streep) and renewed in equal proportion passion for life and familial duty. It
was adapted and directed by Clint Eastwood who also is the leading actor in the
full feature. The story begins with the convergence of the children of a
recently deceased parent as they are receiving the last testament of their
mother. The surviving brother and sister are curious to hear what her final
request is and it’s with shock that they realize what she desires for her
remains. Their characters in my opinion are not developed enough and feel as
undeveloped parts of the story that merely serve to create some depth to the
main story line.
When a professional photographer (Kincaid) on assignment by
National Geographic gets lost in the maze of backwater roads with absolutely no
signage, he meets Francesca and they begin their journey together to find the bridge
that is also his assignment and that will end up being a memory for her to hold
on to. Death has a nasty way of opening the Pandora’s Box, an
opportunity that Francesca uses to explain to her two children about the most
memorable encounter and choice that she has lived with for many years. An
encounter that has brought to the fore a reason she claims has enabled her live
as long as she had. She makes use of this time to explain to her children her
choice for cremation. Her choice is totally contrary to their expectations and
totally unfathomable to only son.
A pivotal junction in the film is reached by the lovers on
the 2nd day of their passionate encounter raising the question, what
is the way forward for them, how will they exist beyond tomorrow, is this a normal
routine for him to meet, sleep with a new woman and move on to his next
assignment? Are they to exist as if nothing has transpired between them? All
these questions are left unanswered…
The family setting and normalcy that marriages generally ebb
towards over years of cohabitation is met by a new path with new possibilities,
heightened passion and the opportunity to achieve personal ambitions that would
not be achieved otherwise. It’s a lingering question that mostly mature and
older people can ask when faced with such opportunities. “Is it worth it to
take this chance or do I already have my portion for this lifetime and therefore
be content?” This is the question she finally struggles with, which proves to
be the hardest decision in her life. In analyzing the progression there really
couldn’t have been any other conclusion to this story, for it wouldn’t have
been the amazing story it has evolved to be.
Societal customs and norms play a big role in this movie; the
picture perfect homes and family units with faithful marriages and close knit
communities common in rural towns is depicted fluidly in this film through the
stigmatization of a woman who is found out to have been unfaithful in her
marriage and is treated as a leper by her community. The news of her unfaithfulness
becomes the talk of the town even reaching the visiting photographer’s ears.
The disdain on their faces and ever-present sneers are sufficient to keep your
bedroom affairs on the straight and narrow.
This is a brilliantly shot film with beautiful
cinematography and succinct scoring which brings out the moods and emotions in
the story. The movie is characterized by slow, deliberate Hollywood style
filming with mostly wide panning shots for outdoor scenes and medium to close
shots for interior scenes. Natural lighting, slightly emphasized puts the
characters in an authentic and relatable light. Except for the Hollywood-esque
escalation of the romance between two strangers that grew to full blown love in
less than 4 days, the story still melts the hearts and creates a longing for
depth in relationships.
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