The Bridges of Madison County earlier about "the dreams of a woman named Francesca," gave him the idea for the novella, which was completed in eleven days. After he had written "Bridges", Waller came to believe that he had based the character of Francesca Johnson on his wife, Georgia, whom Francesca physically resembles. According to Marc Eliot, Waller's novella is a modernization of the Noël Coward play "Still Life" (1934), which was adapted into David Lean's film "Brief Encounter" (1945). "Still Life" is about 'the desperation, guilt, and temptations of two married people who meet, fall in love, commit adultery, and then separate forever." In
Post Mortem (Coward play) Post Mortem (Coward play) Post Mortem is a one-act play in eight scenes, written in 1930 by Noël Coward. He wrote it after appearing in, and being moved by, an earlier play about World War I, "Journey's End" by R. C. Sherriff. As soon as he had completed writing it, however, he decided that it was suitable for publication but not for production. The play was first staged in a prisoner of war camp in Austria in 1944. In 1966, the first full public performance was mounted by Lord Williams's Grammar School, Thame. A television version was broadcast in 1968.