Review of The Bridges of Madison County (1995) by Andrew M — 28 Dec 2011
What else can be said about this masterpiece? Beautifully directed, acted and executed in nearly every area in which beauty could be introduced. One of the greatest love stories of all time and it rises head and shoulders above the surface of it's juvenile premise of "lust" that I felt was going to be the theme throughout; I was wrong, very wrong and pleasantly surprised to find that the film housed a deeper and more significant look at passion found in the twilights of pandering youth and post commitment.
The charisma that Streep and Eastwood have in nearly every scene is something I didn't expect, and the heart hollowing final sequences act as a reminder of this; its not about a crime of passion, it's about an acknowledgement of what makes us human, what makes the heart ache and yearn for such unmeasureable accounts of desire, and not only that, simply being understood with absolute certainity.
We all end up in places, perhaps not intended, unsure of what the next page holds, and often, that page holds something unexpectedly perfect beyond anything you could have predicted, those accounts are the ones focused on in this film, the rare bounty, the tripped up foot over a buried chest of emotional wealth.
Perhaps, if I could, I'd have changed the source material slightly and allowed the characters to maintain their integrity and honor, but, that's only in a perfect world as I'd be a fool to insinuate I'd have been immune to those temptations.
In that regard the film stays consistent with our human nature, with our flawed design. In the end all I can say is that It's quite simply one of those movies you don't want to end, the hours representing the four days feels like a welcomed life that none of us will probably ever have.
They don't make movies like this very often anymore, most romance films have a basis of comedy or crude vulgarity, it's such a pleasure to see that people (well, in his defense Eastwood does come from a different era) still have a sense of the human heart, still have a sense of the delicate nature of love and don't need trashy gimmicks to coast through artificial charisma and half baked atmosphere.
Well done Clint, you've really solidifed yourself as one of the all time best Directors, actors and film entrepreneurs of all time.
This review of The Bridges of Madison County (1995) was written by Andrew M on 28 Dec 2011.
The Bridges of Madison County has generally received very positive reviews.
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