The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

Richard LaGravenese (screenplay)
Robert James Waller (novel)

Release Date:

2 June 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson, for four days in the 1960s.

Plot Keywords:

Bridge | Love | Housewife | 1960s | Photographer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Robert Kincaid
Meryl Streep	...	Francesca Johnson
Annie Corley	...	Carolyn Johnson
Victor Slezak	...	Michael Johnson
Jim Haynie	...	Richard Johnson
Sarah Kathryn Schmitt	...	Young Carolyn
Christopher Kroon	...	Young Michael
Phyllis Lyons	...	Betty
Debra Monk	...	Madge
Richard Lage	...	Lawyer Peterson
Michelle Benes	...	Lucy Redfield
Alison Wiegert	...	Child #1
Brandon Bobst	...	Child #2
Pearl Faessler	...	Wife
R.E. 'Stick' Faessler	...	Husband
Tania Mishler	...	Waitress #1
Billie McNabb	...	Waitress #2
Art Breese	...	Cashier
Lana Schwab	...	Saleswoman
Larry Loury	...	UPS Driver
James Rivers	...	James Rivers Band
Mark A. Brooks	...	James Rivers Band
Peter Cho	...	James Rivers Band
Eddie Dejean Sr.	...	James Rivers Band
Jason C. Brewer	...	James Rivers Band
Kyle Eastwood	...	James Rivers Band
George Orrison	...	Café Patron
Ken Billeter	...	Café Patron
Judy Trask	...	Café Patron
David Trask	...	Café Patron
Edna Dolson	...	Café Patron
Dennis McCool	...	Café Patron
Michael C. Pommier	...	Café Patron
Jana Corkrean	...	Café Patron
M. Jane Seymour	...	Café Patron
Karla Jo Soper	...	Café Patron

Directed by
Clint Eastwood

Writing credits (WGA)
Richard LaGravenese		(screenplay)
Robert James Waller		(novel)

Produced by
Clint Eastwood	....	producer
Kathleen Kennedy	....	producer
Michael Maurer	....	associate producer
Tom Rooker	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Lennie Niehaus

Cinematography by
Jack N. Green		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joel Cox

Casting by
Ellen Chenoweth

Production Design by
Jeannine Claudia Oppewall		(as Jeannine Oppewall)

Art Direction by
William Arnold

Set Decoration by
Jay Hart

Costume Design by
Colleen Kelsall

Makeup Department
Michael Hancock	....	makeup artist (as Mike Hancock)
J. Roy Helland	....	hair stylist: Meryl Streep
J. Roy Helland	....	makeup artist: Meryl Streep
Carol A. O'Connell	....	hair stylist (as Carol O'Connell)

Production Management
Jim Behnke	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Bannerman	....	first assistant director
Robert Lorenz	....	second assistant director
Bill Bannerman	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Edward Aiona	....	property master
Charles Breen	....	assistant art director (as Charles W. Breen)
Edward England	....	construction coordinator
Tyler Osman	....	construction foreman
Ricky Riggs	....	stand-by painter
Michael Sexton	....	assistant property master
Robert Lucas	....	lead man (uncredited)
Christopher Woodworth	....	lead painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Alexander)
George H. Anderson	....	dialogue editor (as George Anderson)
Bub Asman	....	supervising sound editor
Patrick Bietz	....	foley editor
Kevin Boyd	....	cable
Neil Burrow	....	foley editor
Willie D. Burton	....	sound mixer
Lucy Coldsnow-Smith	....	supervising dialogue editor
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	sound effects editor
Mike Dobie	....	sound effects editor
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Les Freshholtz)
Richard Friedman	....	adr supervisor (as Dick Friedman)
Eric Gotthelf	....	foley mixer
Joseph A. Ippolito	....	dialogue editor (as Joey Ippolito)
Scott D. Jackson	....	foley supervisor
Constance A. Kazmer	....	dialogue editor
James J. Klinger	....	sound effects editor
Gary Krivacek	....	sound effects editor
Marvin E. Lewis	....	boom operator (as Marvin Lewis)
Darrin Martin	....	assistant sound editor
John Morrisey	....	sound effects editor
Alan Robert Murray	....	supervising sound editor
Kim Nolan	....	assistant sound editor (as Kimberly Nolan)
Jayme S. Parker	....	dialogue editor (as Jayme Parker)
Vern Poore	....	sound re-recording mixer
Madeleine Swift	....	assistant sound editor
Greg Thompson	....	assistant sound editor
Butch Wolf	....	foley editor
Troy Porter	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jeff Denes	....	special effects
John Frazier	....	special effects consultant
Joe Pancake	....	special effects
Frances Pennington	....	special effects (as Francis Pennington)
Steve Riley	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
Pauline Lomas	....	stunts (as Pauline Arthur)
Shelley Phillips	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen S. Campanelli	....	Steadicam operator
Stephen S. Campanelli	....	camera operator
Colin J. Campbell	....	chief lighting technician
Bill Coe	....	first assistant camera (as William Coe)
Dick Deats	....	key grip (as Dicky Deats)
Jerry C. Deats	....	dolly grip
Frank R. Jimenez Jr.	....	rigging gaffer (as Frankie R. Jimenez Jr.)
Michael E. Matteson	....	best boy grip
Ken Regan	....	still photographer
Frank Scheidbach	....	assistant lighting technician
John Waldo	....	second assistant camera (as John A. Waldo)
Dean M. Simmon	....	film loader (uncredited)

Casting Department
James Axotis	....	extras casting
Gabriela Leff	....	casting assistant (as Gabby Leff)
Michelle Vanderpool-Kohrs	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Davenport	....	wardrobe supervisor
Kelly Lindquist	....	set costumer: men
Deedee Montesanto	....	set costumer: women

Editorial Department
Michael Cipriano	....	assistant film editor
Patrick Flannery	....	assistant film editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Bob Putynkowski	....	color timer
Don Roth	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Robert Fernandez	....	scoring mixer (as Bobby Fernandez)
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Bruce Ricker	....	music consultant
Peter Afterman	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Gene Biernot	....	transportation captain
Keith Dillin	....	transportation coordinator
Larry Stelling	....	picture car coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Marco Barla	....	unit publicist
Lisa A. Becker	....	production secretary
Adam Bernhard	....	production associate
Paul A. Calabria	....	animal trainer (as Paul Calabria)
B. Ted Deiker	....	production associate
Matt Freeman	....	assistant: Kathleen Kennedy
James W. Gavin	....	helicopter pilot
Ken Haber	....	location manager
Cate Hardman	....	script supervisor
Jeff Kloss	....	production accountant (as Jeffrey Kloss)
Linda Mason	....	craft service
Jason D. McGatlin	....	assistant production secretary (as Jason McGatlin)
Erich Moeller	....	production associate
Maggie Pierson	....	assistant: Meryl Streep
Ken Regan	....	technical consultant
David Romano	....	assistant production accountant
Melissa Rooker	....	assistant: Clint Eastwood
Kara Sjoblom	....	production associate
Roselyn Winward	....	assistant production accountant
Channing Work	....	production associate
Gillian Wynn	....	production associate
Kaylene Carlson	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jenny Elsinger	....	set production assistant (uncredited)
Tony Kerum	....	caterer (uncredited)
Stephen A. Marinaccio II	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Gerald F. Nichols	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents) (as Warner Bros.)
• Amblin Entertainment (producer) (as Amblin/Malpaso)
• Malpaso Productions (producer) (as Amblin/Malpaso)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• ELKE (1995) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment (1995) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS) (Pan and scan)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1998) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Canada) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1996) (Greece) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (Argentina)
• Warner Bros. (Spain)

Other Companies

• Avid Film Composer  edited on
• BT Industrial Supply  expendables
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Citizens of Madison County, Iowa  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film
• Citizens of West Des Moines, Iowa  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film
• Citizens of Winterset, Iowa  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.®)
• Iowa Film Commission  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film (as the Film Commission of Iowa)
• Malpaso Records  soundtrack on (as MALPASO Cassettes and CDs)
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Panavision  camera and lenses
• Tony's Food Service  caterer
• Vista Group  the producers gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help and cooperation of: for their support and friendship during the production of this film
• WB Music Corp.  copyright owner: all original music compositions
• Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.  copyright owner: all original music compositions

Also Known As:

"Los puentes de Madison" - Argentina, Mexico (imdb display title), Peru (imdb display title), Spain
"Broarna i Madison County" - Finland (Swedish title), Sweden
"Die Brücken am Fluß" - Austria, Germany
"Sur la route de Madison" - Canada (French title), France
"Мосты округа Мэдисон" - Russia
"A szív hídjai" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"A sziv hídjai" - Hungary
"As Pontes de Madison" - Brazil
"As Pontes de Madison County" - Portugal
"Broene i Madison County" - Norway (imdb display title)
"Broerne i Madison County" - Denmark
"Co sie wydarzylo w Madison County" - Poland
"Els ponts de Madison" - Spain (Catalan title)
"Hiljaiset sillat" - Finland
"I ponti di Madison County" - Italy
"Madison Megye hídjai" - Hungary
"Madisonas apgabala tilti" - Latvia
"Madisonské mosty" - Czech Republic
"Madisonské mosty" - Slovakia
"Mostovi okruga Madison" - Croatia (imdb display title)
"Mostovi okruga Medison" - Serbia (imdb display title)
"Najini mostovi" - Slovenia
"Oi gefyres tou Madison" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Podurile din Madison County" - Romania
"Yasak iliski" - Turkey (Turkish title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 on appeal for some sexuality and brief strong language (re-rating on appeal)

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Philippines:R-18 | France:Unrated | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | USA:R (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:12 (w) | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (re-rating on appeal) (certificate #33820) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:R(A)

Filming Locations:

Adel, Iowa, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

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.

Goofs:

Factual errors: After Francesca's husband and children return from the Illinois State Fair, her husband indicates it took them about 3 1/2 hours to drive back. That would barely get them from Madison County to the Illinois border. The Illinois State Fair is held exactly 374.28 miles from Madison County, at least a 9 hour drive in 1965

Quotes:

Robert:When I think of why I make pictures, the reason that I can come up with just seems that I've been making my way here. It seems right now that all I've ever done in my life is making my way here to you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist: Undercover (#4.13)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Casta Diva

Meryl Streep Italian Style

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.