Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Encyclopedia
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge is a 1990 Merchant Ivory
film based on the novels by Evan S. Connell
of the same name. It is directed by James Ivory
, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
and produced by Ismail Merchant
.
of Kansas City, Missouri
, during the 1930s and 1940s. The Bridges grapple with changing mores and expectations. Mr. Bridge, played by Paul Newman
, is a lawyer who resists his children's rebellion against the conservative
values he holds dear. Mrs. Bridge, played by Joanne Woodward
, labors to maintain a Pollyanna view of the world against her husband's emotional distance and her children's eagerness to adopt a world view more modern than her own.
The movie features Blythe Danner
as Mrs. Bridge's troubled friend, Simon Callow
as a foreign psychiatrist the Bridges find unsavory, Saundra McClain as the Bridges' maid, and, as the Bridge children, Kyra Sedgwick
, Robert Sean Leonard
, and Margaret Welsh. It was filmed entirely on location in Kansas City
, Paris
, France, and Ottawa
, Canada.
It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
(Joanne Woodward).
1991 Kansas City Film Critics Circle
1991 Academy Awards
1991 Golden Globes
1991 Independent Spirit Awards
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...
film based on the novels by Evan S. Connell
Evan S. Connell
Evan Shelby Connell, Jr. is an American novelist, poet, and short story-writer. He has also published under the name Evan S. Connell, Jr. His writing has covered a variety of genres, although he has published most frequently in fiction.In 2009, Connell was nominated for the Man Booker...
of the same name. It is directed by James Ivory
James Ivory (director)
James Francis Ivory is an American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant...
and produced by Ismail Merchant
Ismail Merchant
Ismail Merchant was an Indian-born film producer, best known for the results of his famously long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included director James Ivory as well as screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
.
Plot
The film tells the story of a traditional family living in the Country Club DistrictCountry Club District
The Country Club District is the name of a group of neighborhoods comprising a historic upscale residential district in Kansas City, Missouri, and Johnson County, Kansas, USA, developed by noted real estate developer J.C. Nichols. The district was developed in stages between 1906 and 1950...
of Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, during the 1930s and 1940s. The Bridges grapple with changing mores and expectations. Mr. Bridge, played by Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
, is a lawyer who resists his children's rebellion against the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
values he holds dear. Mrs. Bridge, played by Joanne Woodward
Joanne Woodward
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward is an American actress, television and theatrical producer, and widow of Paul Newman...
, labors to maintain a Pollyanna view of the world against her husband's emotional distance and her children's eagerness to adopt a world view more modern than her own.
The movie features Blythe Danner
Blythe Danner
Blythe Katherine Danner is an American actress. She is the mother of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.-Early life:...
as Mrs. Bridge's troubled friend, Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
as a foreign psychiatrist the Bridges find unsavory, Saundra McClain as the Bridges' maid, and, as the Bridge children, Kyra Sedgwick
Kyra Sedgwick
Kyra Minturn Sedgwick is an American actress.Sedgwick is best known for her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama The Closer. Sedgwick's role in the series won her a Golden Globe Award in 2007 and an Emmy Award in 2010...
, Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...
, and Margaret Welsh. It was filmed entirely on location in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France, and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada.
It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Joanne Woodward).
Cast
- Paul NewmanPaul NewmanPaul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
as Walter Bridge - Saundra McClain as Harriet
- Joanne WoodwardJoanne WoodwardJoanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward is an American actress, television and theatrical producer, and widow of Paul Newman...
as India Bridge - Margaret Welsh as Carolyn Bridge
- John BellJohn Bell- Law and politics :* John Bell , English barrister* John Bell , professor of law and Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge* John Bell , Member of Parliament from Thirsk...
as Douglas Bridge (as a boy) - Kyra SedgwickKyra SedgwickKyra Minturn Sedgwick is an American actress.Sedgwick is best known for her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama The Closer. Sedgwick's role in the series won her a Golden Globe Award in 2007 and an Emmy Award in 2010...
as Ruth Bridge - Simon CallowSimon CallowSimon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
as Dr. Alex Sauer - Remak RamsayRemak RamsayRemak Ramsay is an American veteran stage, film and television actor.Ramsay was born Gustavus Remak Ramsay in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Caroline V...
as Virgil Barron - Addison Myers as Man at Businessmen's Table
- Roger Burget as Man at Businessmen's Table
- Blythe DannerBlythe DannerBlythe Katherine Danner is an American actress. She is the mother of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.-Early life:...
as Grace Barron - Austin PendletonAustin PendletonAustin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.-Life and career:...
as Mr. Gadbury - Gale GarnettGale GarnettGale Zoë Garnett is a New Zealand-born Canadian singer best known in the United States for her Grammy-winning folk hit "We'll Sing in the Sunshine." Garnett has since carved out a career as a writer and actress.-Biography:...
as Mabel Ong - Al ChristyAl ChristyAlbert Christopher Ladesich , better known as Al Christy, was an American actor, advertising executive, and radio and television announcer....
as Judge - Joe Tinoco as Plaintiff
- Ben Stephenson as Law Clerk
- Diane Kagan as Julia
- Alison Sneegas as Band Vocalist
- Mark Yonally as Youth at High School Dance
- Buck BakerBuck BakerElzie Wylie Baker Sr. , better known as Buck Baker, was an American race car driver.-Racing career:...
as Scoutmaster - Robert Sean LeonardRobert Sean LeonardRobert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...
as Douglas Bridge (grown-up) - Danny CoxDanny CoxDanny Bradford Cox , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1983 to 1988, the Philadelphia Phillies from 1991 to 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992, and then the Toronto Blue Jays from 1993 to 1995, when he retired...
as Country Club Steward - Robyn Rosenfeld as Genevieve
- Roch Leibovici as Watch Seller on the Quai
- Hubert Saint-Macary as Copyist in the LouvreLouvreThe Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
- Laurence Goua as Principal Can-CanCan-CanThe Can-can is a dance. It may also refer to:* Popularly, the Galop Infernal movement of Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, commonly associated with the dance* Can Can , a 2007 fragrance by Paris Hilton...
Dancer - The Nicolodis as Moulin RougeMoulin RougeMoulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
Tumblers - Judy Judd as First Bridge Player
- Nora DenneyNora DenneyNora "Dodo" Denney was an American stage, television, and film actress.One of her most notable roles was as Mrs. Teavee in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder and Jack Albertson. She was initially the producers' second choice behind Jean Stapleton who did the pilot for All in...
as Second Bridge Player - Robert Levine as Avrum Rhinegold
- Charles PerkinsCharles PerkinsCharles Nelson Perkins, AO, commonly known as Charlie Perkins, was an Australian Aboriginal activist, football player and administrator. He was known as Kumantjayi Perkins in the period immediately following his death...
as Jazz Musician - Allen Monroe as Jazz Musician
- Richard Ross as Jazz Musician
- Milton Abel as Jazz Musician
- Spencer Keesee as Couperin
- Marcus GiamattiMarcus GiamattiMarcus Giamatti is an American actor, best known for being a regular member of the cast of the CBS drama series Judging Amy.-Background:...
as Gil Davis - Robin Humphrey as Bridal Gown Lady
- Kathy Quinn-Byrne as Paquita
- John AnthonyJohn AnthonyJohn "Jack" Anthony is a professional Australian rules football player who plays for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League . Anthony used to play for the Collingwood Football Club, but left the club at the end of the 2010 season.- Early life :Anthony originally played as a...
as Rod - Jennifer Conforti as Rod's Girl
- Tom HallTom HallTom A. Hall is a game designer born in Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science. In 1987, he worked at Softdisk Inc., where he was both a programmer and the editor of Softdisk, a software bundle delivered monthly...
as Aztec Room Waiter - Joanne Carr as Prison Matron
- Robert WestenbergRobert WestenbergRobert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor and acting teacher. He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.-Early Life:...
as Ruth's Boyfriend - Florence Hall as The Barrons' Maid
- Lee Lambert as Corporal Cipkowski
- Jocelyn Hamilton as Florist's Assistant
- Andy Knott as Flower Shop Owner
- Melissa NewmanMelissa NewmanMelissa Newman is an American actress appearing primarily in movies and television. She is mother of sons, Peter and Henry Elkind, with her husband Raphael "Raphe" Elkind. Her mother is Joanne Woodward and father was Paul Newman....
as Young India at the Pool - Linden AshbyLinden AshbyClarence Linden Garnett Ashby III , best known as Linden Ashby, is an American actor and martial artist.-Early life:...
(uncredited) - Malachy McCourtMalachy McCourtMalachy Gerard McCourt is an Irish-American actor, writer and politician. He was the 2006 Green Party candidate for governor in New York State, losing to the Democratic candidate Eliot Spitzer. He is the younger brother of Frank McCourt.-Personal life:Born in Brooklyn, New York, McCourt was raised...
as Dr. Forster (uncredited) - Richard Alan Nichols as Italian Man
- Salvatore Licata as young child (uncredited)
Awards
1990 New York Film Critics Circle Awards- Won : Best Screenplay for Ruth Prawer JhabvalaRuth Prawer JhabvalaRuth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant...
- Won : Best Actress for Joanne Woodward
1991 Kansas City Film Critics Circle
- Won : Best Actress for Joanne Woodward
1991 Academy Awards
- Nominated : Best Actress in a Leading RoleAcademy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for Joanne WoodwardJoanne WoodwardJoanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward is an American actress, television and theatrical producer, and widow of Paul Newman...
1991 Golden Globes
- Nominated : Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Joanne Woodward
1991 Independent Spirit Awards
- Nominated : Best Female Lead for Joanne Woodward