"I guess we'll always have Paris." The Greatest Romance Movies
Jul 14 '07 (Updated Jan 05 '08)
The Bottom Line These are the ten best romances I've seen. I hope you agree!
The Greatest Romance Movies
Some of you who are familiar with my film reviews might be thinking, "What is George doing, telling us about romance movies? He usually is telling us about movies where people are committing crimes; wrecking cars, blowing stuff up, or shooting each other."
Yes, gentle reader, that is true; but I occasionally I leave the crime section and settle down with a good romance movie and especially with some of the golden age actresses. When it comes to romance, nobody can come close to the old school like Vivien Leigh, Greta Garbo, Claudette Colbert, or Barbara Stanwyck. The contemporary actresses haven't a clue if you compare their performances to the actresses I mentioned. I hope I can remind you of some of your favorites and introduce you to some movies you can add to your viewing list if you need some suggestions. The following are some of the best Romance movies I've seen.
Camille
The ultimate actress Greta Garbo in a role of surpassing irony and sadness; In 1840s Paris, Garbo is a kept woman who also has a lover (Robert Taylor) on the side. Camille teaches the perversity of the world she inhabits, that she is the height of fashion yet forgotten the minute she falls ill. Through it all her impoverished suitor Robert Taylor remains constant while the rest of the world deserts her.
Anna Karenina
Another great Garbo performance as the protagonist of Tolstoy's famous story of the mother who abandons her child to be with her lover (Frederic March) who thoughtlessly deserts her, too. Done in the high style of MGM's classic era where no stone was left unturned in terms of quality sets, costuming, and supporting cast. Sumptuous and tragic.
Casablanca "I guess we'll always have Paris."
One of the greatest romance movies, Casablanca tells the story of the nightclub where fugitives from the Third Reich seek passports to the free world. The saloon keeper is Rick Blaine, an expatriate American who "sticks out his neck for no one." That is, until he meets the beautiful Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). Superb high octane romance and excitement.
It Happened One Night
Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert star in a road picture, where she is the spoiled heiress running away and he's the venal newspaper reporter looking for a scoop. The laughs come fast and furious as this couple tries to evade capture and get their romance consummated. Won all the Academy Awards that count (Best Actor, Actress, Picture, Screenplay) and was well worth it, too. Sidesplittingly funny.
Pride and Prejudice
Greer Garson stars as the headstrong Elizabeth in this adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel. The Bennett clan is impoverished but has five daughters to marry off and no money for dowries. And the girls are not that pliable either. What are the poor parents to do with such a brood? While a comedy on the surface, the story points out the dire lot of people without money or titles in those supposedly "civilized" days of the Victorian Era. Riveting.
Wuthering Heights
Another Bronte novel adapted to the screen this is a highly strung tear jerker with transcendent beauty Merle Oberon as the protagonist and Laurence Olivier as the coarse and lower class Heathcliff. Superb dark photography by Gregg Toland using deep focus lenses that were a new development at the time. Superior production values, supporting cast, sets, and costuming. Shows the hatefulness of the British class system. Part of the reason our American forefathers threw the undesirables out.
Double Indemnity
One of the premier crime dramas also contains the poisonous seeds of illicit romance in this thrilling adaptation of James M. Cain's story. Barbara Stanwyck is the nonpareil of femmes fatales in her brilliant performance opposite an electrifying Fred MacMurray - yes, you read that right. Fred MacMurray is a far cry from his staid character on "My Three Sons." Great support from Edward G. Robinson as insurance investigator. Riveting all the way through.
My Fair Lady
Audrey Hepburn plays a lower class cockney flower seller that Rex Harrison bets he can make a lady, in a question of nature or nurture. The restored video on the DVD reveals the stunning production design and beautiful sets and costuming lavished on the movie. Very well worth seeing.
Dodsworth
Dodsworth shows that even people in the autumn of life (like your correspondent)can find romance. Walter Huston stars as a retired captain of industry who meets a divorcee and ultimately starts an affair with her. Contrasting characters are given by Ruth Chatterton as the insatiately greedy wife and Mary Astor as the pleasant divorcee. This is a sleeper that deserves a far bigger audience.
A Place in the Sun
Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor star as two from opposite sides of the tracks in this highly dramatic treatment from George Stevens, an underrated director if there ever was one. The lyrical camera setups and dissolves are contrasted with the dark story making this a movie you can watch over and over. Elizabeth Taylor is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in this portrayal. Spellbinding.
Honorable Mention –
Doctor Zhivago
Boris Pasternak's novel adapted by David Lean and starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, and Alec Guinness in the story of Russia and the upheavals that take place in the early decades of the 20th century. We meet Laura through flashbacks in the search for the general's brother Doctor Zhivago.
The Big Sleep
A pairing of the classic couple Bogart and Bacall in Raymond Chandler's famous detective story. The plot is too convoluted to follow but Bogart and Bacall hit it off famously and their banter back and forth is deliciously spicy. As the mystery unwinds, the romance heightens making this a legendary classic romance.
To Have and Have Not
Another Bogart and Bacall pairing, this was their first and proved how compatible they were on the screen. In and among the usual Bogart intrigue, director Howard Hawks tried to romance Bacall but Bogie got the girl, both on screen and off. Highly satisfying movie with great supporting cast and cinematography.
Well, there you have them. I hope I was able to introduce you to some new movies to add to your list and remind you of some old favorites. Thanks for stopping by!
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