| THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY |
1995 | Directed by Clint Eastwood |
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The film tells the simple story of an Iowa housewife, Francesca Johnson, who meets a traveling
National Geographic photographer named Robert Kincaid, who has arrived in Madison County, Iowa
to shoot its picturesque covered bridges. The two begin a four-day affair while her husband
and children are out of town that reawakens long-lost passions and yearnings in Francesca.
Kincaid, meanwhile, confronts his own roving, rootless nature; he asks Francesca to come with
him, but they both know that after their brief interlude, they can never be together again. |
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A framing story follows Francesca's children, after her death many years later, as they discover
their mother's secret and take stock of their own lives.
| ADDITIONAL CAST & CHARACTERS |
Clint Eastwood
Meryl Streep
Annie Corley
Victor Slezak
Jim Haynie |
... Richard Kincaid
... Francesca Johnson
... Caroline Johnson
... Michael Johnson
... Richard Johnson |
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Meryl Streep, Entertainment Weekly, March 2000
"I had a picture of who this was - I knew it was an Italian war bride, and I had grown up down
the street from one. Her husband was a tall, blond man, and she barely spoke any English. Over the
years she learned - she was a very bright, interesting woman - but there was always something
exotic about her. Anyway, the book had this woman in jeans and braless. It was just hard for
me to understand her. I had a pretty vivid picture of her, and I didn't want to complicate it
(laughs) with the authors actual intent. I honestly didn't finish the book. I started it and
then thought, I'll wait for the screenplay. The screenplay had a
woman in it."
Meryl Streep, More Magazine, December 2002
"Clint called me and said 'Just read the script. I want you to push past whatever you think
you know about the book'. And the script was beautiful."
In 1993, Sydney Pollack was the front-runner for the director's chair for this film and it was expected that Robert Redford would star. At the time, other contenders for the female lead included Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, Barbara Hershey and Anjelica Huston.
The Cedar Bridge, where Francesca met Robert, was destroyed in a fire on 3 September 2002.
Francesca's House was burned in an arson fire on 6 October 2003, almost a year after the Cedar Bridge was destroyed.
Meryl Streep allegedly put on 15-20 pounds of weight for her role in this film as a middle-aged housewife.
In her autobiography Catherine Deneuve mentions how she traveled to London to audition for the lead role.
Additional Information at the Internet Movie Database
Full cast & credits, trivia and business information
| AWARDS / NOMINATIONS FOR MERYL STREEP |
1996 (Nomination) Academy Award - Best Actress
1996 (Nomination) Golden Globe Award - Best Actress
1996 (Nomination) Screen Actors Guild Award - Best Actress
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Features: none
Video: Widescreen, Color
Languages: English (Dolby)
BUY DVD AT AMAZON.COM |
DVD Release: March 26, 1997
Region Code: 1
Distributor: Warner Home Video
ASIN: 0790729369
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