Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Digital Camera World
Digital Camera World
Leonie Helm

Jeff Bridges' heartwarming story will make you fall in love with film cameras again

Jeff Bridges holds up his "prized possession", two photographs of his wife from the moment they met.

Many of us keep small mementos from the early days of a relationship, but very few of us are lucky enough to have photographic evidence of the moment we met our significant others. 

A clip of American actor Jeff Bridges, 74, has recently resurfaced on Instagram where he talks about the moment he met his now wife while working on a film almost 40 years ago – which incredibly was caught on camera by a member of the crew. 

While working in Montana on the film Rancho Deluxe in the mid-Seventies, a young Bridges already had two decades of acting under his belt. 

So, it's safe to say he knew what he was doing on the set, but off it, was a very different story.   

"We're sitting there doing this scene," says Bridges in the full clip, which you can see below, "and I can't help looking at this gorgeous, I didn't know if she was a guest at the hotel or a waitress, but I just couldn't take my eyes off her."

After getting the guts to ask out this mystery woman, Bridges reveals that he was swiftly rebuffed. 

"It's a small town," she replied, "Maybe I'll see you around."

ABOVE: Watch the original interview, from the Oprah Winfrey Network

A few nights later, the two met again.

"We danced, and that was about it, man. I mean, I was head over heels, the first time I saw her you know."

He then reveals that after he and his wife had been married for about ten years, he received a letter from "the makeup man" on Rancho Deluxe.

The crewman revealed that he found a couple of photographs of Bridges "asking a local girl out" while he was going through some old documents. 

"And then out of this envelope falls these two pictures of the first words I ever spoke to my wife. I have them in my pocket, they're my prized possession."

Bridges then shows two small photographs to the camera, one of both him and his now-wife Sue, and one of her alone.

Despite the cost-effectiveness, efficiency and convenience of digital photography, in recent years many people have either gone back to film or discovered it for the first time.

The magical nostalgia that film photography evokes is one of the reasons it has found its second wind. Finding an old photo from years ago in a box in the attic, or like Bridges being sent some from an old friend, is a strong way to reconnect with the past. 

It's no wonder companies are jumping back on the bandwagon with cameras like the Pentax 17.

Recapture the magic and take a look at the best film cameras out there right now. Browse the best 35mm film to use, and don't forget the best instant cameras to capture those analog moments instantly.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.