The Bridges of Madison County in the context of "Bellingham, Washington"

The Bridges of Madison County is a 1995 American romantic drama film based on the 1992 bestselling novel of the same name by Robert James Waller. It was produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also starred in the film alongside Meryl Streep. The screenplay was adapted by Richard LaGravenese. Kathleen Kennedy was co-producer. It was produced by Amblin Entertainment and Malpaso Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The Bridges of Madison County is set in 1965 and features Italian war bride Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep), who lives with her husband and two children on their Iowa farm. That year she meets National Geographic photojournalist Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood), who comes to Madison County, Iowa to photograph its historic covered bridges. With Francesca's family away for a short trip, the couple have an intense, four-day love affair. The film was released on 2 June 1995 and earned $182 million worldwide. It received generally positive reviews upon release, with high praise directed towards Streep's performance, earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 68th Academy Awards.

Robert James Waller (August 1, 1939 – March 10, 2017) was an American author best known for The Bridges of Madison County. He was also a professor, photographer, and musician.

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,548. The county seat is Winterset. Madison County is included in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Madison County is famous for being the county where John Wayne was born, and for a number of covered bridges. These bridges were featured in Robert James Waller's 1992 novella The Bridges of Madison County, as well as the 1995 film and 2014 musical based on it.