...an old-fashioned love story for adults.
Yes, "The Bridges of Madison County" is quite long at 134 minutes, probably too long for its slender narrative, and it does move leisurely along. Yet it's important for the film to take its time uncovering the nuances of Francesca and Robert's relationship; and, besides, human attraction is a hugely complex subject and one cannot take it too lightly or cover it too briefly. With the possible exception of a couple of slow spots in the middle, the film moves briskly enough, given its aforementioned leisurely pace.
The final scenes in "Bridges" are heartbreaking and genuine. It's the kind of filmmaking that never panders, never condescends, never feels contrived. The movie is both thoughtful and touching by turns, and it easily takes its place among Eastwood's best directorial efforts and Streep's best acting (for which the Academy nominated her for a Best Actress Oscar). The movie's ending moved me as few films have.
Video:
The keep case proclaims that the movie is "available on home video for the first time in its picturesque original widescreen glory," a 1.85:1 theatrical ratio. WB's prose may be on the florid side, but it aptly describes the video, which is quite deep and lush. Colors are rich and robust, facial tones are especially realistic, definition is reasonably sharp for a standard-definition release, and a touch of print grain gives the picture a natural texture.
Audio:
The soundtrack, reproduced in Dolby Digital 5.1, is quite subtle yet wonderfully, effectively, evocative. It impressively captures the sounds of country living, the birds, the crickets, the wind, the rolling thunder. The midrange is admirably clear, and the surrounds do a fine job with ambient noises and musical bloom.
Extras:
Several extras accompany the main feature. Of most importance is the audio commentary by film editor Joel Cox and director of photography Jack N. Green. They graciously praise Eastwood for allowing them a healthy degree of freedom in doing their jobs and Eastwood's superb handling of the material, all the time providing a good deal of insight into the filmmaking. Following that is a twenty-nine-minute featurette, "An Old-Fashioned Love Story: Making The Bridges of Madison County," newly produced in 2008 and including reminiscences and observations by the two stars and many of the filmmakers. After that is a four-minute music video, "Doe Eyes," a montage from the film accompanied by soundtrack music and made at the time of the film's release. Things conclude with thirty-three scene selections; a widescreen theatrical trailer; English and French spoken languages; English and French subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired.
Parting Thoughts:
While "The Bridges of Madison County" is essentially a two-character drama, it maintains one's attention throughout, perhaps because it reaches down and touches a nerve in all of us. The fact is, although the subject matter is adultery, the story tellers are so convincing in its presentation that we cannot help but feel painfully sympathetic with the participants. This may be a case of a movie being better than the book on which it's based; the film certainly moves one, sometimes to tears.
The final scenes in "Bridges" are heartbreaking and genuine. It's the kind of filmmaking that never panders, never condescends, never feels contrived. The movie is both thoughtful and touching by turns, and it easily takes its place among Eastwood's best directorial efforts and Streep's best acting (for which the Academy nominated her for a Best Actress Oscar). The movie's ending moved me as few films have.
Video:
The keep case proclaims that the movie is "available on home video for the first time in its picturesque original widescreen glory," a 1.85:1 theatrical ratio. WB's prose may be on the florid side, but it aptly describes the video, which is quite deep and lush. Colors are rich and robust, facial tones are especially realistic, definition is reasonably sharp for a standard-definition release, and a touch of print grain gives the picture a natural texture.
Audio:
The soundtrack, reproduced in Dolby Digital 5.1, is quite subtle yet wonderfully, effectively, evocative. It impressively captures the sounds of country living, the birds, the crickets, the wind, the rolling thunder. The midrange is admirably clear, and the surrounds do a fine job with ambient noises and musical bloom.
Extras:
Several extras accompany the main feature. Of most importance is the audio commentary by film editor Joel Cox and director of photography Jack N. Green. They graciously praise Eastwood for allowing them a healthy degree of freedom in doing their jobs and Eastwood's superb handling of the material, all the time providing a good deal of insight into the filmmaking. Following that is a twenty-nine-minute featurette, "An Old-Fashioned Love Story: Making The Bridges of Madison County," newly produced in 2008 and including reminiscences and observations by the two stars and many of the filmmakers. After that is a four-minute music video, "Doe Eyes," a montage from the film accompanied by soundtrack music and made at the time of the film's release. Things conclude with thirty-three scene selections; a widescreen theatrical trailer; English and French spoken languages; English and French subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired.
Parting Thoughts:
While "The Bridges of Madison County" is essentially a two-character drama, it maintains one's attention throughout, perhaps because it reaches down and touches a nerve in all of us. The fact is, although the subject matter is adultery, the story tellers are so convincing in its presentation that we cannot help but feel painfully sympathetic with the participants. This may be a case of a movie being better than the book on which it's based; the film certainly moves one, sometimes to tears.
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[release]23825[/release]