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| Lovely Bridge |
LOVE: A four letter word that has different
meanings to different people. To some, it is blind. To others it is the epitome
of life upon which humanity rests. If it wasn’t for love, many fairy tales would
not have the infamous closing quote “and they lived happily ever after”. Love
is the adhesive that keeps relationships together. So when a story of a man
and woman was told, about their love, so strong that to keep it alive they
chose not to be together, I was captivated.
"The Bridge of Madison County" tells the
story of a recently deceased mother of two who leaves behind a box that
will change her children’s lives. A box that contains instructions on how she would
like to be cremated, but most importantly, a diary narrating the story of a man
she once deeply fell in love with. That man was not their father. Based on the best-selling novel of the same
name by Robert James Waller, the Bridge of Madison County touches closely on
what we perceive relationships should be.
The plot of the movie is told through the voice of Michael (played by
Victor Slezak) and Carolyn (played by Annie Corley) who embark on reading a
diary that baffles them and alters their perception of the mother they thought
they knew.
As they continue reading, we are taken back
in time to when the story actually took place. It is there and then that we are introduced to
Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep) and her average “perfect”
family. The husband and children leave for the Illinois State Fair. It is
during this time, the children would eventually find out, that their mother had a four-day
affair with Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood), a photographer who had
come to Madison County, Iowa, to shoot a photographic essay for National
Geographic. Being new to the area, he finds himself
lost and ends up at the Johnsons. The mysterious, adventurous and well-travelled aspects of Roberts’s character are very intriguing
to Francesca. It takes no time at all for the two to fall madly and deeply in
love; a love that will impact not only them, but the relationships of her children,
both of whom are having marital problems of their own at the time of the discovery.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, The Bridge of
Madison County is a simple well told story and yet it is very difficult to explain
why the movie is also very moving. Is it
the idea that despite being married for a very long time and seemingly happy
with two children, there really could be no love existing between husband and
wife? Is it the idea that despite being
a woman in your 50s, a stranger can show up and give you those heat flushes
and make you forget everything that is important and consequently make you feel
and behave like a teenager? Is it the idea that, despite finding true love, we
at times settle for less and not take the risk of pursuing our dreams because
of what society might think? Is it the idea that someone might come and change
your life completely?
With a story arch that slowly develops to a
climax that sees Francesca opting not to open the door and run away with Robert, The Bridge of Madison County is
perhaps one of those love stories that do not have an happy ending. The
story however does not portray Richard Johnson (Francesca's husband) as a bad husband raising questions as to how easily can a lasting marriage be threatened.
Merly Streep once again proves why she is
one of the best actresses to ever grace our screens. I however find objectionable
how she overplays her character with overly done sighs, hot flushes and
reflective moments that you’d expect a 13 year old in love would have. Perhaps the fact that the
film is being directed by a man contributes to this. Men have
different perceptions as to how love should be compared to women. We tend to
see love in the physicality while women’s love is more emotional and expressive. Despite having known Clint Eastwood as the
western cowboy character, it was refreshing to see
him take up the mushy, sentimental role which he executes well with a touch of
his bad boy masculinity. I found the dialogue a bit over the top in
some scenes. With cheesy lines like "This kind of certainty comes but once
in a lifetime….I don’t want to need you because I can’t have you” says Robert to
Francesca. There are moments I wanted to scream “get a grip people”. So moving
is the film though that it makes you reflect if such love does exist or are the
relationships we have come to accept a fallacy. I rest peaceful with the fact
that it is just a movie.
With long dialogue scenes and numerous
close-ups but simple basic shots, the cinematographer Jack N. Green did a good
job capturing those seductive moments especially with the scenes in the
bathroom and bedroom with candle lights that set the romantic mood with slow
music playing in the background.
Taken at face value, the Bridge of Madison
County can easily be seen as condoning unfaithfulness in relationships and
justifying it. It is however much deeper and reflective about the fact that life
is not always about what you want and that happiness can be sacrificed in the name of those you love. Truly, the meaning of love does have different
definitions to different people.
Movie
rating: 7/10
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