THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 3, 1995 TAG: 9506030040
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
AFTER SO LONG without a meaningful relationship film, moviegoers may go overboard for ``The Bridges of Madison County,'' a subtle tale of an oh-so-wary love affair that dares to take its own time.
They should. Here is a movie that doesn't play the love game safely. Instead, there is a wary cat-and-mouse game in which man and woman cautiously weigh their choices before they finally decide that it's worth the risk.
Who would have thought we'd ever see the summer movie in which Clint Eastwood sidles up to Meryl Streep and, in effect, says ``Make my night?''
The man with no name meets the woman with two Oscars. Will anyone believe this? Does the unlikely chemistry work? That is the charm of this bridge over movie cliches.
``The Bridges of Madison County'' is about love as a last resort, not as a hormonal rush. Robert and Francesca aren't hot numbers who rush across wheat fields for a passionate embrace. They are two sleep-walkers who, until now, never realized they were dozing.
Romance has been making a comeback in movies of late (``While You Were Sleeping'' and ``French Kiss''), but there is still a noticeable pull-back to things cynical and comedic.
``Bridges,'' however, goes all the way by having Eastwood pack a camera rather than a magnum. It has a scene in which a couple just dance together - leaving the audience just SITTING there, contemplating the passion that might be building.
It is a big chance to take. At the conclusion, the woman sitting behind me yelled: ``This is the worst movie I've ever seen. I think it lasted four years.''
This is a movie you should see all alone. You won't have to worry about whether that other person is getting restless.
Let's go through our usual Meryl Streep homage. Streep is no less than brilliant in this film. Francesca is one of her more subtle and contrived performances.
Contrived, yet brilliant? Yes. Streep is a craftswoman who is always fascinating to watch, but we are nonetheless always aware that she is working a craft. We are always conscious that she is ``acting'' with a capital ``A.'' She is one of the few who can keep us interested even though we see all her tricks.
Streep plays Francesca Johnson, the wife of an Iowa farmer. At the outset, we get little clues that she is listless and unhappy. She is glad that her likable husband and the children are going to be gone for four days at the state fair.
She meets National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid, who has been sent to the region to photograph bridges. Within four days, they develop a relationship that they will remember forever - and keep secret forever. It's noble adultery, to be cherished and hidden from a hypocritical world.
The film belongs almost entirely to Streep. With the teasing qualities of a whodunit mystery, she carefully gives us little clues about her character.
Eastwood, on the other hand, merely reacts to her in a taciturn way that is acting at its most restrained. But who would have ever thought Eastwood would turn out to be Gary Cooper?
As with ``Unforgiven,'' Eastwood is a better director here than he is an actor.
The movie is much better than its source novel, thanks in great measure to Richard LaGravenese's level-headed script. The novel, by Robert James Waller, has been roundly criticized by the so-called ``sophisticates.'' It has sometimes been dismissed as little more than a romance fantasy for middle-agers. The movie cannot be dismissed so easily.
It's subtlety is an uncompromising retreat from Hollywood's usual obsession with commercialization. ILLUSTRATION: "THE BRIDGES OF MADISION COUNTY"
Rated; PG-13
Starring: Clint Eastweood, Meryl Streep
Director: Clint Eastwood
Mal's rating ****
[Color Photo]
Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood play lovers in "The Bridges of
Madision County."
by CNB