Since the dawn of cinema, Love – in all its wonderful, complicated guises – has been a driving force in storytelling for the silver screen. Depending entirely on how you feel about the role capital-L Love plays in your life, here is a list of ten movies you might want to share with loved one(s) this Valentine’s Day.
Gone With The Wind
David O Selznick’s 1939 epic American Civil War drama remains an exhausting and unforgettable experience. Starring Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, Gone With The Wind is not only one of the most monumental love stories ever filmed, but also one of the greatest movies ever made.
Titanic
The big, thumping heart at the core of James Cameron’s 1997 ‘King of The World’ blockbuster is the romance between Kate Winslet’s feisty Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio’s ragamuffin Jack. While, today, the bloated set-up feels like treading water, once Titanic ploughs into the iceberg the film remains an immensely watchable experience.
She’s Out Of My League
Helped enormously by the effervescent performances of its leads (Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve), and an engaging supporting cast of rogues, misfits, friends and family, 2010’s She’s Out Of My League is an uplifting and often hilarious take on the ‘nerdy boy’ meets ‘glamorous girl’ formula.
An Affair to Remember
Hollywood teamed up two of its top-notch stars – Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr – perfectly for this 1957 romance about two people who meet aboard a transatlantic ocean liner enroute to New York from Europe. Even though they are both engaged to marry someone else, they gradually fall in love before fate intervenes – resulting in final scenes that are right up there with the most famous tear-jerkers of all time.
Now, Voyager
In this 1942 classic, unattractive and repressed spinster Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) is unhappily trapped at home with her fearsome and controlling mother. When a caring doctor insists that Charlotte go on a cruise, she meets the enigmatic Jerry who is also escaping from his own miserable life. Unconventional in its time, Now, Voyager is a classic and unforgettable romance.
Moonstruck
Cher was at the peak of her powers when she brought the sensational Loretta Castorini to life in this under-rated 1987 romantic comedy with a script by John Patrick Shanley (Doubt). Nicholas Cage is the perfect foil for his co-star’s delightful histrionics, while Olympia Dukakis is magnificent as Loretta’s indefatigable Mom. And Cher, Shanley and Dukakis took home an Oscar each to prove it.
King Kong
When Kong finally loses his grip of the roof of New York’s Empire State Building and plummets some 102 floors to the pavement below, it’s almost impossible to ignore that big lump in your throat. In Peter Jackson’s 2005 version, the extreme efforts that Kong goes to protecting his friend Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) from the perils of his island home are extraordinary. The perfect film to give your partner the hint that they’re just doing enough to make you feel all that special.
Cleopatra
Joseph L Mankiewicz’s lavish telling of the love affair between the young Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) and Marc Antony (Richard Burton) is a magnificent cinematic experience. Famous for practically bankrupting 20th Century Fox due to its massive budget (including the record-setting US$47 million – in today’s currency – that Ms Taylor was paid), this film also marks the occasion when Taylor met Burton for the first time. And what those two didn’t know about love and romance probably doesn’t exist.
As Good As It Gets
Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear worked magic with their superb performances as the unlikely trio who end up bound together (through thick and thin) as a result of some utterly compelling circumstances. Nicholson and Hunt won Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars for their performances, and As Good As It Gets rewards every viewing, every time.
Misery
When famous novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued from his crashed car by his “Number One Fan” Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), it would appear that Miss Wilkes’ motivation is to nurse her favourite writer back to health. Somewhat regrettably, however, Annie discovers that the plotline of Sheldon’s latest Misery novel is not to her liking, and the one-sided love affair goes right off the rails.
This list was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.
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