THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY to Close May 18- Page 9

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 12:46pm

Right, he is now emotionally available, when in the past we knew he wasn't. That song provided a back story, and clues us in on why he's sad when talking about her.

That's great storytelling in my view and totally worked with the show.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 12:58pm

So if Robert's central character flaw is being emotionally unavailable - and during the events of the show, he has RESOLVED that flaw - doesn't it follow that Robert is therefore essentially perfect, as others have been saying?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 1:25pm

I guess, but no one is perfect. To me, he's just a good guy.

[kidmanboy]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 3:12pm

I don't know why anyone would assume Robert is a perfect man. If anything, he seems a bit selfish in thinking Francesca should leave her family and run away with him.

When I listen to "Another Life", I wonder if Robert and Francesca's romance could have possibly cooled in the same way. Robert and his wife had an initial spark as well. However, by having this four-day affair, and leaving their love and potential future unresolved, both characters are left with a perpetual "what if?" which may be (and is most likely) a bit of a fantasy compared to what the reality would have been if they stayed together. That doesn't mean, however, that this affair didn't transform them somehow - make them approach their lives from this point differently. And in that way their relationship was successful. To me, that is what the final two numbers are about - the lasting impression each left. And also how, perhaps, Robert solved Francesca's "what if" by making her come to terms with her previous choices and how they've led her to her present situation and her family. Francesca's feelings in "Almost Real" that she has no regret and was lucky to have what she had, is increcibly mature....perhaps a bit too mature for some of the audience to digest and for a society that seems to revel in drama, divorce, etc.
That also seems, to me, to be the moral of the show (the large effect "one second" can have on your life, appreciating life's path and the choices you've made, self love)- and the reason why the final 20 or so minutes, which some people seem to dismiss, are so pivitol.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 4:02pm

And also how, perhaps, Robert solved Francesca's "what if" by making her come to terms with her previous choices and how they've led her to her present situation and her family.

And, in the same vein, she chooses her family/home again when she decides not to go with Robert. Perhaps after that moment she doesn’t feel so “stuck”; before Robert came into her world, she may not have felt like she had any choice in whether she stayed with her family or not. Now, she can be comforted by the fact that she had the opportunity to leave and, yet, chose to stay instead.

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 4:12pm

What they should have done is at the moment when Francesca decides to leave her family, the show should have split into two narratives and we could see what would have happened in both. That would explore the whole se/allora experience for Francesca...

Updated On: 5/12/14 at 04:12 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 4:20pm

One group calls her Frannie, the other calls her Francesca. We'll know which is which because she wears an apron as Frannie, and the lighting will be blue.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 4:29pm

YES! Will it also be incredibly confusing to the audience and mediocre throughout? Damn, that sounds like a GREAT show!

Updated On: 5/12/14 at 04:29 PM

[binau]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 4:42pm

It won't be incredibly confusing if the audience sits close enough and pays attention.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 4:53pm

Lol. Yes, because tons of reviewers and patrons were alllll wrong.

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 4:54pm

One imagines that if in one reality she is with her family and then the other reality she is only with Robert, that wouldn't be very hard to follow.

I mean, you wouldn't want to do something like this and just have the same characters in both realities.

Plus, when she is with Robert, she would be smiling. When she is with the family, distant and vacant. I think it would work.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 4:56pm

Perfect idea

[binau]

Posted: 5/12/14 at 5:22pm

"Lol. Yes, because tons of reviewers and patrons were alllll wrong."

I'm glad we're on the same page :)