Sur la route de Madison

The family of Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep) is dealing with her final wish after her death. She wants to be cremated and her ashes scattered from Roseman Bridge. They discover pictures taken in 1965 and her emotional affair with famed National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) whose ashes were scattered from the bridge. Her kids read her accounts of those four days. Her family went to the Illinois state fair. Robert was on assignment to film the bridge and stopped to ask directions from Italian war bride Francesca.

It's a simple bittersweet story. Director Clint Eastwood doesn't add anything overtly melodramatic. Meryl Streep is pitch-perfect. She's an expert on calibrating her accents but it's her every simple gesture that is so precise. She could teach an acting class from this movie. The story is basically laid out in the first ten minutes before either Streep or Eastwood is even on the screen. That is its most obvious drawback. It's not a movie of twists and mysteries. It is however a movie of emotional depth and her children are a big part of it.

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.

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.

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.

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.