User reviews

Meryl Streep is absolutely astonishing. I forgot it was her ten seconds into the film. That opening breakfast scene where all of her story is written in her magnificent face. As an Italian I know there is no acting involved here. She IS Italian. She reminded me of Anna Magnani in "Bellissima" there is not a single false note. Clint Eastwood, clearly, dedicates the film to her and the results are pure magic. The film is based on an unreadable book- at least I couldn't get through it, in spite of the brevity of the volume - the film however, is bound to become a classic thanks to the powerful chemistry of the stars. If you love film,like I do, I recommend you to see it once and let yourself be taken away by the truths in Meryl's eyes then go again and take note. Look at every one of her moments, from how she closes the refrigerator door to her laughter. Look at her reaction when she discovers that Clint stopped at Bari, her home town, just because he thought the place was pretty. Look at her hands, her walk and then go back to her eyes. It's a treat of the first order. Clint, in front as well as behind the camera,does a miraculous job. I passionately recommend it, no matter how young you are.

When the soul of a movie is reflected in an actor's eyes then you have a miracle, you have something that's going to last. Meryl Streep in "The Bridges Of Madison County" is such a miracle to me. I never thought for a moment that she, no matter how wonderful an actress she is, could fool me. Meryl Streep could never be Italian. Well, there I was, thinking and pre-judging like people I detest. I was so wrong. Not just because she fooled me, although there is no fooling involved here. She won me over. I forgot she was Meryl Streep, the actress, and I lived Francesca's story to the fullest because, I suppose, that's the mystery of great acting, I was confronted by her sheer undiluted truth. The truth in her eyes in every one of her gestures. The truth on her brow. Her thinking, transparent. Clint Eastwood does the right thing putting the entire film at her service and placing himself as the foil to liberate that powerful latent side of Francesca. I though it was ironic and I'm not sure if was meant to be that a wonderful woman like Francesca will sacrifice, what could arguably be call the love of her life, for those children. The grown children's mediocrity was kind of shocking to me. Will the revelation of their mother's secret, reveal a latent, greater side to their natures. I hope so. Francesca deserved extraordinary children. Try no to miss this little miracle.

On the page "The Bridges of Madison County" often read like a reject from Mills and Boon and yet it was tremendously popular. People who normally wouldn't read this sort of thing were not only reading it but quoting it. You could say that for some people it held the kind of camp appeal that bad books sometimes do for the so-called intelligentsia. Personally, I am inclined to think that its tale of middle-aged romance struck a cord. It may not have been well-written but many people recognized in its two central characters a reflection of themselves. It spoke of a great passion and a great loss; a "Brief Encounter" for the nineties. Still, it never quite seemed like a vehicle for Clint Eastwood; (once upon a time you might have envisaged Arthur Hiller doing it), yet here it is, larger than life on the big screen and utterly lovely, utterly heart-breaking.

Perhaps Eastwood chose to film it as a vehicle for himself. He wears the mantle of the ageing Lothario perfectly at an age when most romantic leads are played by much younger men, (or are simply non-existent), yet who blanched when Gary Cooper or Cary Grant were wooing Audrey Hepburn well into their old age. Admittedly Eastwood isn't entirely comfortable in this sort of role. He's not a versatile actor. His best performances have been as tortured losers or just old-fashioned tough guys but under his own direction he blossoms here. Of course, the 'romantic' in Eastwood has never been hard to find. You need look only to the scores he has composed. (He has written the main love theme here and his use of classic jazz standards by the likes of Dinah Washington and Johnny Hartman adds considerably to the film's beating heart).

What is remarkable is that essentially Eastwood's film is really something of a chamber piece for two players. A few other characters flit into the frame but for most of the time there is no one on screen but Eastwood and co-star Meryl Streep and this is one of Streep's great performances. As Francesca, the woman who finds in Eastwood's photographer Robert the one great passion in her life albeit briefly and at a time when the likelihood of such a thing happening was remote indeed, Streep is extraordinary. Sometimes Streep can overwhelm a project; her versatility doesn't always work in favour of lesser material. But here she seems to have tapped quite effortlessly, not just into the consciousness of her character, but into her very soul as well. And if that sounds cheesy, let me assure you it isn't. Cheesiness isn't in Streep's vocabulary, even if it is in mine! Perhaps Eastwood was able to discern in Robert James Waller's novel the seeds of a great love story or perhaps he just felt he could bring his artistry to bear on some unlikely source material. Whatever, it's paid off. On screen "The Bridges of Madison County" is a great love story; there won't be a dry eye in the house.

I admire the likes of Woody Allen, Chaplin and Clint Eastwood (just to name a few), who possess(ed) the chops to write, direct AND act. They're complete artists, and I wish I could be like that (I'll be already too happy if I can ever achieve my life passion of writing and directing, though, since my acting would be less convincing than Owen Wilson playing Hamlet).

Even though Eastwood didn't write this (Richard LaGravenese did it beautifully, based on a novel by Robert James Waller), he does a good job in front of the camera while also directing this human encounter between a photographer (played by himself) and an Italian housewife (Meryl Streep, magnificent) in 1960s Iowa. Their four days together would change their lives forever.

The premise doesn't sound too original, but Eastwood wonderfully captures all the raw emotions between these people, who seem throughly genuine, alive, and passionate. Lennie Niehaus' beautiful music score helps enhance the romantic atmosphere, and the slow pace is never a bore since it's necessary to make you live those brief but special moments with them. From westerns to female boxers to jazz musicians to war dramas, Clint Eastwood knows how to tell a good story, and "The Bridges of Madison County" ranks among his best. 10/10.

The book on which this film is based is a very thin volume, thin in every department. As a matter of fact I gave up after a few pages. The film is something else entirely. Meryl Streep plays an Italian living in rural America and she is out of this world. Her opening scenes at the breakfast table are staggeringly beautiful, it could have been a silent movie, we would've understood and live Francesca's story just by looking into Meryl's beautiful face. Every laugh, every move, every nuance is so Italian and so real that I went to look up her background to see if there was some Italian blood in her. Apparently not, but she reminded me of Anna Magnani and of my mother - she's Italian too, so I should know. Clint Eastwood's performance is tender, powerful and generous. I started going to the movies in the 70's and part of the fascination was to go and see movies with adults doing adult things, behaving and reacting to life the way adults do. "Five Easy Pieces" "Coming Home" "Sophie's Choice" and then the old great old ones from "Sullivan's Travels" to "All About Eve" As a side note I should inform the decision makers that on my second visit to the theater I took five kids with me, two 17 year old boys and three girls, 18, 16 and 16. They went back to see it a few days later with some of their contemporaries. The comment of one of the boys was: "It made me think of things I don't usually think about". He invited his mom to the movies to see "Bridges of Madison County" According to his mother, that was the first time ever, but, as it happens, not the last.

The Bridges of Madison County is a romantic masterpiece, but it's so incredibly heart wrenching, most people only want to see it once. I have a DVD copy in my collection, but the cellophane is still on it. It's a wonderful movie in every facet, and some-including yours truly-name it as legendary Meryl Streep's finest performance. Clint Eastwood wears two hats, and his thoughtful and sensitive directing makes it seem like you're watching someone's life unfold, rather than going to the movies.

Richard LaGravenese's screenplay brings an entirely new meaning to the story, and if you run out and buy a copy of the original novel after watching the movie, you'll be severely disappointed. The book contains a love story between an unsatisfied housewife and a visiting photographer. The movie proves their sacrifice had meaning. The film starts out informing the audience that Meryl Streep has died and she wishes her ashes to be scattered over the bridges of Madison County, rather than to be laid to rest next to her husband. Her adult children, Annie Corley and Victor Slezak, are understandably confused, but when they come across a set of journals written by their mother, they learn of a brief love affair she had when they were children. Annie and Victor are struggling in their own lives, and learning more about their mother helps them navigate and learn. If you can believe it, the book doesn't include any of that! The housewife doesn't die, her children don't grow up, and she isn't able to continue to mother them beyond the grave. Where's the poignancy? Where are the final tears they could have wrung out of their readers? To me, the parallel storyline with the adult children is what makes this movie a tear-jerking classic. There are so many beautiful scenes that have staying in my memory, as I'm sure they've stayed in yours, even though it's been over ten years since I've watched it. I remember how many Kleenexes I went through during each part of the movie, which is probably why I haven't broken open that cellophane. My heart breaks when Meryl presses a shaky hand to the car door, and although I'm not a mother myself, I appreciate her wonderful expression as she closes her heart before greeting her children.

Getting past the tears, there's so much wonderful acting in this movie that makes you wonder how Meryl ever lost the Academy Award, and why Clint wasn't even nominated, since it's his finest hour as well. Perfectly cast as a drifter with dreams that have passed him by, he could have easily come across as either a sleazy Harold Hill-type who wants a fling with a grateful housewife, or an unrealistic romantic. He's neither, and because the love they share is mutual, the story works.

If you've never seen it, you've got to pick the right moment to watch The Bridges of Madison County for the first time. Don't watch it after a breakup, and don't watch it when you're feeling blue. You'll need all your strength to get through it. But you'll be rewarded. You'll get to see two career-best performances in an indelible love story, and you'll find yourself wondering if Meryl Streep is secretly Italian and has hidden her accent in all her other movies.

Streep delivers a fantastic and convincing performance full of subtlety...but the film is paced extremely slow and the flow is constantly broken by the jarring transitions to her present day children reading her diary. The acting in those sequences is strikingly bad and destroys any sense of immersion in the story. A cut of this film without those sequences would be at least one star higher...maybe more since I cannot truly tell if I would have been more drawn into the story without them.

When I was a senior in college, Robert James Waller taught what was to be his last business course at UNI. I was fortunate enough to have been a part of that class. He was leaving teaching for a "special project". Little did I know, it turned out to be the book that later turned into a movie.

The similarities between Robert Kincaid and Mr. Waller are many. Mr. Waller was a photographer and a musician with a way about him that I have yet to see again in my 51 years, so similar to the character in the movie. He was those things in addition to being a business consultant and college professor with notable accomplishments. Some of my fondest memories from class were not only his lessons, but also being able to enjoy classes where he shared his photography and music.

When I graduated from college, I was given a questionnaire to fill out. One of the questions was along the lines of something that I would never change about my college experience. My response was how fortunate I was to attend Mr. Waller's class and how I had hoped he would not leave. Alas, he went on to further success.

I watched the movie last night with my wife, who had not seen it yet. I was flooded with many wonderful memories of Mr. Waller along with a good friend of mine that played in the band in the road house scene. While the son and daughter characters in the movie are a tad hokey, I think the movie still stands up.

R. I. P. Mr. Waller, you are missed by many.

It isn't often I become in awe of somebody's acting skills, however great they are. Mostly, because the very best acting really shouldn't make an impression of its own. That is its very definition.

Case in point: Meryl Streep. It is hard to deny that she is more Goddess than actor to most people, much like Jack Nicholson, she's become an icon unto herself. This regardless of whether you like her or not.

Which makes it so much more impressive when Streep pulls off a magic trick of major magnitude: making the audience forget it's actually her. She does so quickly and seemingly effortlessly, which is crucial to the suspension of disbelief required to become involved in this sappy love story. It's no minor feat, considering she's Meryl-f*cking-Streep! (attach as many exclamation points as you like, depending on how gay you are).

So, what about the movie itself? Clearly a superior work to the underlying novel, thanks to skillful direction and overall good performances. Definitely moving in a bitter-sweet way. In my opinion, it's just a little too soppy for me to think it's truly great. But despite its being such a blatant tearjerker, it's nevertheless appealing and gripping. Something to cleanse your sinuses and refresh your soul.

Kudos especially to Eastwood, who has repeatedly proved himself a far superior director than actor (and that's saying some). But overall, this is Meryl Streep's victory over her own cult status. Halle Berry was right: she must be the best actress of all time.

This is a film I'll never forget, especially after seeing it about a dozen times. But what makes this movie so unforgettable, aside from Meryl Streep's and Clint Eastwood's honest performances, is what it reveals about married life, especially mature relationships.

Yes, this film is heartbreaking, but above all, it is an honest reflection about what the heart really wants, despite ones better judgment, and ultimately the compromises we all must face in our lifetime and the feelings we must suppress and deny, even at the expense of finding true happiness.

This film is an absolute revelation about family, the sacrifices we make, and the circumstances we must settle for. Yet, it is also a story of loyalty and the difficult choices we face and live with, despite our deepest and most forbidden desires of the heart.

I was surprised by several elements of the movie - Clint directs with more sensitivity than I would have thought possible and his own portrayal of Robert is very good also. I admire Meryl Streep more than any other actor and she is very good in this, too. You can feel the sexual tension between the actors and that is when the movie is at its best - the little moments when dialogue is at a minimum but there is a lot going on. It was also nice to see a couple of approximately the same age, and also nice that Meryl's husband wasn't made out to be this total jerk, thereby giving a segment of the audience the reason to understand why she is having an affair. Sometimes things just happen between people and that's what I got out of this movie.

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!

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this romance about a brief encounter between a photographer for National Geographic and a lonely immigrant woman (Meryl Streep, given another accent to try for size). It is a flashback story, triggered by Streep's children sorting out her belongings years later when she has died, and we see just what this brief relationship meant to her. The film lingers on the objects around the lead characters to put across the experience of their attraction to each other.

What could have been preposterous works really well – the couple dance together in the kitchen, they go sight-seeing, they obviously get along. The story just about sweeps you along, even though you know it is silly, and it is nice to see Eastwood in a quieter role after all the shoot-fests he's famous for. Just the pleasure of watching these two versatile actors together is worth any clunky scenes in ‘The Bridges of Madison County'. A film anyone with a touch of romance in their soul can truly appreciate.

The image of Clint Eastwood, firmly ingrained in the minds of the movie-going public is that of a man of few words and lots of actions to back up what little words he does employ. So to see this multi-talented and complex man directing himself and starring in an old fashioned romantic story is a pleasant surprise. Made even more pleasant in how well it was done.

The children of Meryl Streep are gathered for her funeral and are astonished at a request left by her not to be buried next to her husband and their father. Instead she wants to be cremated and her ashes thrown off a wooden bridge in the area and in the creek it runs over. Later on her grown children Annie Corley and Victor Slezak find a letter among their mother's effects and it's a lengthy one and she explains her reasons for this.

One day back in the early sixties when the kids and husband Jim Haynie left for the state fair, National Geographic Photographer Clint Eastwood stops by and asks Streep for directions. He's in the area to photograph the picturesque Bridges Of Madison County. Meryl is attracted by the stranger and it takes awhile, but before long she realizes she's found the true love of her life.

The issue of Meryl being Italian is there, but not overstated in the screenplay. She like thousands of others was a war bride brought over from Europe by GIs. There was a no fraternization policy that was enforced somewhat, but true love or true hormones obey no government edicts. A lot of these marriages worked. In fact Meryl's to Jim Haynie worked because no one found out about her indiscretion to Eastwood until after both of them died. She says herself that the transition from Italy to Iowa was a traumatic one, but she wanted to make it because she'd be going to America and a better life.

Meryl Streep received one of her sixteen Academy Award nominations for this role, the only recognition the Academy gave to The Bridges Of Madison County. Sad too because Clint Eastwood who is a man always challenging himself showed that their could be a tender a romantic side to Dirty Harry Callahan. In fact while watching The Bridges Of Madison County I guarantee you won't once think of any of Clint's action heroes.

Director Eastwood also exquisitely photographed the Iowa countryside on location in Winterset Iowa which already had its place in Hollywood lore as the birthplace of John Wayne. The Bridges Of Madison County is one of those tender romantic stories showing the fires of romance can still burn in people other than the young. But the film is for romantics of all ages.

I think this movie of one of the best movies I have ever seen. Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood really did a great job in this movie. for him to come in and change her life in just four days is amazing. To fall in love with some one in just four days is just wonderful to me. I watch it on Starz, and it played everyday for a week and I watch it every day it came on. she was a strong lady to stay there and be unhappy for all of those years. It is simply a beautiful movie. I love the part when he was picking flowers for her and she told him that the flowers were poison and then she started to laugh, that was hilarious to me. Because just in the few minutes she had know him he brought out something in her something that has not been released. She was more herself in this movie.I would surely recommend this movie to some one else.

..... not a huge fan of adultery in films as a believer......Streep gets across the Italian ancestry without too heavy an accent and gives a remarkably fine performance, doing so much with her eyes and expressive face that she doesn't even need dialogue. She shows us the pain just below the surface--and the boredom and loneliness of the housewife who yearns for something missing in her marriage relationship. And Clint Eastwood scores too, this time without guns or tough guy lines that we're used to hearing from him. He does an honest, realistic and natural job of acting that makes him seem what he is supposed to be--a traveling photographer with the National Geographic intent on filming some of those lovely New England bridges. The story moves just a little too slowly for comfort at times and this is the only major flaw because it's told in such an honest fashion from beginning to end. Streep's children are extremely well played and their viewpoint is understandable when they discover the diaries she has kept of her four day love affair.....Touching and straightforward in its simplicity, there is much to admire about the film. Streep and Eastwood are at their level best. The color photography is a treat and so is the unobtrusive background score.

I've watched this movie yesterday evening and it had a great effect on me.In my opinion this movie is outstanding because it reflects an average life,which is then becoming a really extraordinary one,representing that everyone's life can change from one moment to the other.And I think this meaning tells something to everyone,because everyone has dreams that seem that one can't fulfill,but this story says the opposite,so that at any time can come an opportunity that you have to recognize and be brave enough not to release.Another thing is that you may have to live your whole life in only four days and you have to be able to live it so that after it you can say that you had a really wonderful life. My favorite part of the movie was when Robert was leaving and the two cars were staying at the lamps one behind the other...it was a very touching scene,I think. So to draw the conclusion:I can recommend to everyone to watch the movie THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY because after watching it you're getting an other state of mind,a better one,that doesn't allows you to give up hoping for a better life...

I don't get what the hype was about this book or this movie. It was FOUR DAYS of her life, yet decades later, she remembers it like it was yesterday? Please. It was FOUR DAYS. You can't fall in love, true love, with someone in FOUR DAYS and then remember every second of that weekend decades later. I don't buy it.

Francesca broke the rules of marriage. There was no reason for her to have an affair. None at all. She brought it all upon herself.

And what did the photographer care? He was just passing through town and had ladies like her everywhere. What made her so special? She was a married woman with kids. A true love would not make you break your vows to your husband and take advantage of you in your own home like that. I didn't buy the "love" story at all.

This movie is about LUST. Plain and simple. No love. If she would've gotten out of that truck it would've been for lust, not love. And then what? Would it have been forever? Anyone who breaks the vows of marriage does not live "happily ever after". If it wasn't that photographer, it would've been someone else. Anyone who gave her the slightest bit of attention. It just happened to be him.

If you are looking for a true love story, this isn't the movie for you.

Before sitting down to watch this film, you need the following equipment : a comfy armchair, a HUGE bucket to collect all your tears and a big Bath Towel to wipe your eyes ! This has to be one of the most romantic and sad films made for decades, at least since the 1940's and 1950's. Not only is it highly romantic, but the underlying eroticism will have you in a state long before the middle of the film.

To start with, when the film begins, all its protagonists are already dead..... Eastwood, Streep and Streep's husband. This is already tear-provoking in itself. The film is therefore presented as a series of flashbacks in conjunction with Streep's childrens' reading of her diaries.

The whole thing is very thoughtfully done, picture quality is excellent, the sets and lighting are magnificent. Streep's innocence ( "What is this passion that's invading me ???" )is extremely beautiful and natural. Eastwood plays it sober but with just the amount of passion to keep the spectator's heart pounding sufficiently quickly !!

Even if you are against infidelity, it's difficult NOT to want these two to make out so to speak, as you can feel the passion "boiling up below the skin's surface" ( excuse the culinary imagery please !! )

The tears really start to gush during the scene in the rain when Streep and her husband are behind Eastwood in his truck at the traffic lights -the waiting seems endless and the spectator can feel the frustration Streep is undergoing through this scene. We see Eastwood's truck turn off to the left and .......... oh ! its difficult to describe it !

The final scene where the ashes are tossed into the river is of course heart-tearing and we see how Streep's children reflect on their own personal lives in the light of what they read in her diaries.

It's very difficult to put into words the emotion felt on watching this film, so I'll stop here but would recommend this as one of the most romantic films of the last century which will be a source of inspiration to future generations.

I watched this wonderful movie 3 times in cinema and a few times at home and it still makes me cry each time, because the story sets a rare example of how more important it is to keep a marriage intact rather than following your heart, which is usually not in the best interest of everyone involved. It's Meryl Street's best role, for me.