The Bridges of Madison County is a 1995 American romantic drama film based on the 1992 bestselling novel of the same name by Robert James Waller. Clint Eastwood produced, directed, and starred in the film alongside Meryl Streep. The screenplay was written by Richard LaGravenese, with changes made by Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. Kathleen Kennedy was a co-producer. The film was produced by Amblin Entertainment and Malpaso Productions and distributed by Warner Bros.

Set in 1965, the film follows Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep), an Italian war bride who lives with her husband and two children on their Iowa farm. That year, she meets Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood), a National Geographic photojournalist visiting Madison County, Iowa, to photograph its historic covered bridges. When Francesca’s family is away for a short trip, she and Robert share a passionate four-day relationship. The film was released on June 2, 1995, and earned $182 million worldwide. It received mostly good reviews, with Streep’s acting being highly praised. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 68th Academy Awards.

Plot

In the present, adult siblings Michael and Carolyn Johnson visit their mother Francesca's farmhouse in Iowa. They are surprised to learn that Francesca wanted to be cremated, and her ashes scattered from Roseman Covered Bridge, instead of being buried next to her late husband, Richard.

Michael at first disagrees, but when he and Carolyn look through a safe deposit box, they find an envelope with photos, letters, and a key. The photos show Francesca at Holliwell Covered Bridge, and the letters are from a man named Robert Kincaid.

The key opens Francesca's locked hope chest. Inside are three hardbound notebooks, several National Geographic magazines, including one featuring Madison County's covered wooden bridges, old cameras, a book, and other mementos. The magazine includes a photo of Kincaid, who photographed the bridges; he is wearing Francesca's crucifix pendant.

As Michael and Carolyn begin reading Francesca's notebooks, the film flashes back to 1965. Francesca, a WWII war bride originally from Bari, Italy, stays home while her husband and teenage children attend the state fair for four days.

Robert Kincaid, a National Geographic photojournalist on assignment to photograph the county's historic bridges, arrives at the Johnson farm, asking for directions to Roseman Bridge. Francesca rides along to show him the way. Their relationship develops over the next four days.

Francesca describes the intense relationship and its lasting influence on her and Robert, hoping Michael and Carolyn will understand and honor her final request. She and Robert fell deeply in love and nearly ran away together. Francesca, confined to a passionless marriage, was unable to abandon her teenage children and loyal husband.

Though Francesca loved Robert, she questioned whether their quickly formed relationship could survive over time. He, inspired by their brief encounter, found renewed meaning in life and his true calling as an artist. Robert's memories helped sustain her through the remaining years on the farm.

After her husband's death, Francesca tried to contact Robert, but he had left National Geographic, and his location was unknown. She later learned that he died about three years after her husband and left his belongings to her. Robert's ashes were scattered from Roseman Bridge.

In the present, Michael and Carolyn, struggling with their own marriages, are deeply moved by their mother's story. They find new directions in their lives and finally carry out their mother's wish to scatter her ashes from Roseman Bridge.

Cast

• Clint Eastwood played the role of Robert Kincaid
• Meryl Streep played the role of Francesca Johnson
• Annie Corley played the role of Carolyn Johnson and Sarah Kathryn Schmitt played the role of young Carolyn
• Victor Slezak played the role of Michael Johnson and Christopher Kroon played the role of young Michael
• Jim Haynie played the role of Richard Johnson
• Phyllis Lyons played the role of Betty
• Debra Monk played the role of Madge
• Richard Lage played the role of Lawyer Peterson
• Michelle Benes played the role of Lucy Redfield

Production

"I have done something similar in the past, traveling alone in a pickup truck to Nevada years ago while searching for filming locations for High Plains Drifter. However, I did not stop to interact with any residents during that time."

Amblin Entertainment, a company started by Steven Spielberg, purchased the film rights to Waller's novel for $25,000 in late 1991, before the book was published. By the time the film was released, the novel had sold 9.5 million copies worldwide. Spielberg first asked Sydney Pollack to direct the film. Pollack worked with Kurt Luedtke to write the first version of the script, but Pollack later stepped down. Ronald Bass was brought in by Kathleen Kennedy and Spielberg to help with the script, but they were not satisfied with the results. A third version of the script, written by Richard LaGravenese, was approved by Eastwood, who had been cast for the male lead early on. Both Eastwood and Spielberg believed the draft had potential but decided to rewrite it together to fix issues and find the best way to tell the story. Spielberg enjoyed working with Eastwood and LaGravenese so much that he considered making a film with Bridges, the actor, after Schindler's List (1993), which was being finished at the time. Both Eastwood and Spielberg liked that LaGravenese's script told the story from Francesca's perspective. However, they added a framing device where Francesca's adult children discover and read her diaries. When Spielberg decided not to direct the film, he brought in Bruce Beresford, who worked with Alfred Uhry to write another version of the script. However, Warner Bros. Pictures, Spielberg, and Eastwood preferred the version by LaGravenese, so Beresford left the project. Eastwood then asked to direct the film and co-produce it with his company, Malpaso Productions, to have more control over the project.

Catherine Deneuve and Isabella Rossellini did screen tests to play Francesca, but Eastwood had supported Meryl Streep for the role from the beginning, even though Spielberg was initially hesitant.

Principal photography for the film took 42 days and ended on November 1, 1994, ten days earlier than Eastwood's 52-day schedule. Eastwood filmed the story in the order of events from Francesca's perspective, saying, "It was important to work that way. We were two people getting to know each other, in real-time, as actors and as the characters." The film was shot on location in Madison County, Iowa, including the town of Winterset, and in the Dallas County town of Adel.

The MPAA ratings board first gave the film an "R" rating because of a line spoken sarcastically by Francesca: "Or should we just fuck on the linoleum one last time?" Eastwood appealed the decision, and the rating was changed to PG-13.

Release

The film The Bridges of Madison County opened in theaters on June 2, 1995, in 1,805 locations. It earned $10,519,257 during its first weekend, ranking second at the U.S. box office, behind Casper (which was in its second weekend and included a brief appearance by Clint Eastwood). The film was number one at the Japanese box office for nine weeks straight, earning more than $35 million. By the end of its run, it made $71,516,617 in the United States and Canada and $110,500,000 internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $182,016,617.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 90% based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 7.40 out of 10. The site’s summary says: "Sentimental, slow, emotional, and very satisfying, The Bridges of Madison County shows Clint Eastwood adapting a bestseller with strength, wit, and grace." On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 69 out of 100, based on 23 critics, which means "generally favorable reviews." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an "A−" grade on a scale from A+ to F.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "Clint Eastwood, as director and creator, has turned The Bridges of Madison County into something enjoyable—no, even better. While limited by the weak material, Eastwood improves it by removing unnecessary parts. He finds a touching, nostalgic love story at the heart of the story. The film has simplicity and kindness, and Meryl Streep gives her best performance in years. Looking strong and graceful in her simple 1965 dress, she brings out the loneliness and deep desire that artist Andrew Wyeth painted. Despite its Iowa setting and focus on American life, the film has a European feel. Its pace is calm, not slow. It respects quiet moments and pays attention to small details. It keeps a serious tone and avoids sadness until the end. It explores thoughts that might sound better in French."

Richard Corliss of Time said Eastwood is "the most reserved of directors—where the book is eager, the film quietly observes—and, here, the most polite of stars… As written by Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King), The Bridges of Madison County has a slightly deeper theme than the book. It is about the waiting and effects of passion—the slow process of evaluating, waiting to act without being rejected, and deciding what to do when desire turns into love. What happens to a woman who has stayed loyal to her husband, and to a man who now realizes he needs the one woman he can have but not keep?" Corliss concluded, "The Bridges of Madison County is Eastwood’s gift to women: to Francesca, to all the women he has loved before—and to Streep, who turns literary sentiment into smart movie emotion."

The Bridges of Madison County tied with Goodbye South, Goodbye (1996) and Carlito’s Way (1993) as the best film of the 1990s in a poll by Cahiers du Cinéma.

The film is listed by the American Film Institute in these collections:

• 2002: AFI’s 100 Years…100 Passions – #90