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Here’s looking at movie romances, kid
What makes for a great Valentine’s Day? A viewing of any one of these, my personal favorite movie romances of all time.
1. Casablanca (1942): Duh. Anyone who doesn’t put this unassailable classic at or near the top of their list needs to rewatch the movie (or watch it, period) and reconsider. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are the ultimate Hollywood couple, directed by Michael Curtiz.
2. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg(1964): Musicals are often romantic affairs, but none more so than this French heartwarmer, in which every single line is sung. Andrew Lloyd Webber only wishes he could produce a sung-through musical this affecting. With Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo, directed by Jaques Demy.
3. City Lights (1931): Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece is rightly thought of primarily as a comedy, but the foundation of the comedy is a lovely romance that culminates in the most beautiful movie ending of all time. Fun trivia: the flower girl, Virginia Cherrill, was Cary Grant’s first wife.
4. Adam’s Rib (1949): Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert may have helped pioneer the couple at odds in “It Happened One Night,” but Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn perfected it in this hilarious story about husband and wife lawyers on opposite sides of a divorce case. Directed by George Cukor.
5. Beauty and the Beast (1991): A recent Amazon.com poll listed this as one of the worst date movies of all time, probably because people think of it as a cartoon for kids. Wrong, wrong, wrong. No movie, outside of maybe “The Wizard of Oz,” has greater power to move me to tears.
6. Before Sunrise/Before Sunset (1995/2004): OK, so I’m cheating by putting two movies in one entry, but one film is not complete without the other. Not only is the original the best story of romance on a whim, but the sequel is emotionally richer, as it explores how the couple has changed since they first met. With Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, directed by Richard Linklater.
7. To Catch a Thief (1955): When people think of Alfred Hitchcock, romance doesn’t usually spring to mind, yet two of his films make my cut. Many critics would cite “Notorious” as his most romantic film, but no list of mine would be complete without the most radiant appearance of the most beautiful movie star of all time: Grace Kelly. This movie contains my favorite seduction scene of all time (fireworks, anyone), and my favorite exchange: “Do you want a leg or a breast?” “You make the choice.”
8. Notorious (1946): Alfred Hitchcock’s second most romantic film - even if it does have the longer kiss. With Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.
9. The Clock (1945): This movie is surprising in many ways. It offers a rare non-singing role for Judy Garland (who, unsurprisingly, is luminous), while Robert Walker is utterly winning, though he would later go on to be utterly evil in “Strangers on a Train.” Though the movie wasn’t filmed in New York, it still captures the feel of the Big Apple better than either the overrated “An Affair to Remember” or “Sleepless in Seattle” - or either version of “Love Affair,” for that matter. Seek this one out - it finally became available on DVD last week.
10. Annie Hall (1977): Many people bemoan the fact that this movie beat “Star Wars” for the Best Picture Oscar, and yeah, “Star Wars” deserved it, but this movie won for a reason: it’s one of the funniest and most insightful tales of why couples make up, break up and make up, etc. Woody Allen directs and romances Diane Keaton.
Honorable mentions; Almost any romance with the most lovable of actresses, Audrey Hepburn, and “Jerry Maguire,” which contained the line, “That’s not a dress, that’s an Audrey Hepburn movie.”
Just for comparisons’ sake, here’s a list of the best movie romances of all time as determined by the Zagat movie survery:
Classic
“Casablanca” - O’ course.
“The Lady Eve” - An inspired choice, since many think of this Preston Sturges movie as a screwball comedy first. But darnedf if Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck don’t love each other.
“The African Queen” - Bogie and Kate.‘“Nuff said.
“It Happened One Night” - It practically invented the romantic comedy.
“Gone with the Wind” - I’ve always found it rather overrated, but I’ll concede the choice.
“The Philadelphia Story.” - Cary, Kate and Jimmy. ‘Nuff said.
“Notorious.” - See above.
“Brief Encounter” - Early David Lean, before he got into epics.
“How Green was My Valley” and “The Quiet Man” - A pair of John Ford films are a touch dated but still very compelling. And there was scarecely a more fiery couple than John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.
Modern
“Annie Hall”
“The Graduate” - Katharine Ross was awfully cute.
“Doctor Zhivago” - Here’s epic David Lean, and this deserves to be on the list for the theme alone.
“A Room with a View” - I’ve always been somewhat cool to Merchant/Ivory movies, but I prefer “The Remains of the Day” myself.
“Charade” - Cary n’ Audrey. Any questions?
“Manhattan” - Woody Allen’s Valentine to that island as much as romance itself.
“Harold and Maude” - I’ve not seen it yet, but some love this quirky comedy of a January-December romance, and some don’t.
“The Apartment” - “Shut up and deal.” One of Billy Wilder’s very best, and that’s saying a lot.
“Romeo and Juliet” - Franco Zefferelli’s version is a good way to get high school students into Shakespeare. Worked for me.
“Walk the Line” - Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon did ace their roles.
No, “When Harry Met Sally …” and “Pretty Woman” didn’t make these lists. Color me surprised.
But now, as ever, it’s your turn. What movies make Valentine’s Day ideal?
For a new Valentine’s Day movie, look for my review of “Music and Lyrics” by clicking here.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Lists
Comments
By SRCputt
February 14, 2007 4:32 PM | Link to this
Sticking with the currents debate, Moulin Rouge is a love it or hate it movie, and I fell for it big time. But here’s a film that never gets the credit it should: Shadowlands, where Anthony Hopkins’ C.S. Lewis is quite surprised to have fallen for Debra Winger almost in spite of himself. One of the truly great adult romances of my lifetime.