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
Cultural impact of Noël Coward Fever", "Private Lives", "Design for Living", "Present Laughter" and "Blithe Spirit", have entered the regular theatre repertoire. His stage and film acting and directing career spanned six decades, and his cabaret performances were very popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Coward won an Academy Honorary Award in 1943 for his naval film drama "In Which We Serve". Many of Coward's plays were adapted for film. Coward was knighted in 1969 and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. A statue of Coward was unveiled by the Queen Mother in the foyer of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane