Plot: What’s it about?
Walter Bridge (Paul Newman) is a conservative and traditional man, he believes he is the head of his household and that his family should live by traditional values. He and his wife India (Joanne Woodward) have been married for some time and raised three children, but it seems the world has been changing around them. As India and Walter have been living in the traditional fashion, the world has become a daring and adventure filled place. This is never more evident than when their children start to grow up and move into their own lives, which turn out to be different directions than the parents would want. One daughter (Kyra Sedgwick) leaves for New York to become an actress, their son (Robert Sean Leonard) drops out of school to join the military forces, and their youngest has taken up with an unsavory young man, at least by their standards. As her children begin to enter this new world, India wonders if her life has been a waste, as she has been sheltered and missed out on all of this adventure and excitement. But Walter is steady as always and is sure the world they have created will hold firm, even if India has her doubts.
This film looks good, has a good premise, and boasts and impressive cast, but in the end, it falls short of its own potential. I was interested in some of the storylines that weave in and out here, but the transitions are too weak to support all the subplots, so the film lags a lot. So we have a lot of good little pieces, but they never form a whole picture and that means the movie never hits the mark. This is a real shame, as even with this weak material, the actors are flawless and a treat to watch. Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Kyra Sedgwick, and Blythe Danner all seem in fine form, but even their performances can’t hide the flaws present here. This seems to be a thin picture to me, as we never go too deep into the events or characters, which is a real let down. But if you’re a fan of these Merchant Ivory pictures, then you might want to check this one out for the acting and costumes, both of which are solid. I recommend this a rental to those interested, but I am very disappointed with Mr. & Mrs. Bridge.
I love the performances here and even with weak material to work with, the cast seem in top notch form at all times. The finest turn here comes from Joanne Woodward, who shines in this role and should have taken some awards for her performance, in my opinion. She was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe, but was denied both times and that is a real shame, as this is a superb turn. Her character is given the most attention in the film and as such, she is allowed more depth and she uses it, filling her role with doubt and at times, fear. I wish the writing have her even more depth however, as I think Woodward was limited by the episodic structure of the picture. But even so, she works wonders with the role and deserves a lot of credit for it. Other films with Woodward include The Three Faces of Eve, Philadelphia, They Might Be Giants, The End, and A New Kind Of Love. The rest of the cast includes Paul Newman (Slap Shot, The Color of Money), Blythe Danner (Meet The Parents, Mad City), Kyra Sedgwick (Singles, Phenomena), Margaret Welsh (Ratchet, Smooth Talk), and Austin Pendleton (Short Circuit, My Cousin Vinny).
Video: How does it look?
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This is a decent presentation, but the lack of anamorphic enhancement leaves behind a lot of shimmering and edge enhancement, which lowers the score somewhat. I was never overtaken by these flaws, but they do pose a problem and I think a new anamorphic transfer would have cleaned them up. But the warm colors come off well here, as does the contrast, which is well balanced and allows for solid detail. This is a good transfer, but it should have better, so in the end, I find it to be about average.
Audio: How does it sound?
As you can imagine, this material doesn’t need much in terms of dynamic audio, so the included 2.0 surround track is adequate. I am a little let down with the sound of the music, which just isn’t as rich or full as I would have liked. But the rest of the elements come off well enough, so no serious complaints to be made here. The field is limited, but well used and I found the sound effects to be very well present, much better than I expected in fact. The dialogue is the main focus here, coming across in crisp form and with no volume issues in the least. This disc also houses subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, but no other supplements were packed in here.
