Earlier today my wife asked me what movies I thought were romantic. The question was occasioned by TCM’s airing The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (it’s playing right now) which my wife and I agreed was a very romantic movie. Coming a bit closer to a recent movie, we also agreed that Murphy’s Romance was a romantic movie.
Here are some other movies I think are romantic:
Love Letters
A Portrait of Jennie
Random Harvest
Strictly Ballroom
Mr. Lucky
Now Voyager
just to name a few.
Romantic? Not romantic? What movies do you think are romantic? I think romance is sort of out of fashion. I don’t find most rom-coms romantic in the slightest and most aren’t even funny. The Notebook?
Update
I’ve thought of a picture I need to add to the list:
I Know Where I’m Going
which to me is one of the most romantic pictures ever made.
Correct me if I am wrong, but the basic premise of “The Ghost And Mrs. Muir” is that Mr. Muir is dead, and Mrs. Muir is hooking up with someone else’s ghost.
I mean, sure, her vows were “til death do us part”, but she is confronted with incontrovertible evidence that her husband isn’t lost to her forever, and she hooks up with someone else.
Of course, to be fair, her husband didn’t care enough to haunt her.
Sunrise may be the best romantic film I’ve seen.
I used to watch old movies as a kid. The two that stood out for me that were ultra romantic were The Enchanted Cottage, and Jean-Louis Trintgnant’s A Man and A Woman.
As my wife said about Sunrise, after he decides not to kill her it’s a romantic picture. I agree with The Enchanted Cottage.
Not really my category, but the ones that come to mind are: Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Pride and Prejudice (2005), and Princess Bride.
I have mixed feelings about When Harry Met Sally, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, perhaps because there is content that detracts from the romantic elements.
I think there’s an argument for Casablanca. I don’t see any of the rest of those pictures as particularly romantic. If anything, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is an anti-romance. It’s a character study.
Two for the Road (to the best of my knowledge the first major Hollywood movie to be told non-linearly) could be interpreted as romantic. I don’t see it that way but I can see how some would.
The problem with Breakfast at Tiffany’s, among many, is that Fred was gay.
I suppose there are different ways to view romantic films. Does it evoke romantic feelings in the viewer, does it authentically describe someone else’s romance, or does it have something to say about romance? Does it tell a love story, does it matter if the romance fails, or does it simply have an evocative romantic moment?
I recently re-watched Romeo + Juliet (yes, the Claire Danes / Leonardo DiCaprio / Miami Vice version), and like the original, it is very much about romance, but the romance of teenage infatuation, burning bright and tragic. Similarly, I think Breakfast at Tiffany’s is more about romantic infatuation that seems doomed, but unlike Romeo & Juliet, it is easier to enjoy their moments and discovery.
TB: George/Paul is not gay in the movie though.
I agree with PD in one of his choices, the Pride and Prejudice (2005). There was so much romantic intrigue in that particular film. I also think there is a gender distinction regarding the way men/women view what would be considered romance in a movie.
@PD Shaw
I love Audrey Hepburn. Because of that, I can watch it, but they butchered the book. Truman Capote is one of the few 20th century writers I can stand, and he almost has a permanent place in my pantheon of artists. He has free visitation rights, though.
I would recommend The Grass Harp, and at one time, I had a collection of his short stories.
If you have only seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s as a movie, never, ever, ever read the book. Most people will be highly disappointed. If you must, read a lot of Capote’s other works first.
A recent one about teenaged romance that was well done IMO is The Fault in our Stars.. The subject matter (kids with cancer) could have been mawkish or cloying but I thought the young actors pulled it off surprisingly well.
Two favorites of mine that are not primarily romances but have a romance as a subplot: The Last of the Mohicans and It’s a Wonderful Life”.
Agree that romance is out of style, sadly in real life as well as in the movies.
The 1992 version of The Last of the Mohicans was butchered, but it was a vast, vast improvement over the book. If you read the book with the right mindset, it is hilarious, but forget the movie plot.
James Fenimore Cooper was trying to write a progressive novel, but his lead character is anything but progressive by today’s standards. Hawkeye considers the Indians savages, but unlike other white men, he considers them noble savages.
To be fair, I might have read it after reading Mark Twain’s critique.
So I’m guessing True Romance, Pulp Fiction and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind don’t count as romantic movies in this crowd….
“I also think there is a gender distinction regarding the way men/women view what would be considered romance in a movie.”
Agreed. Princess Bride is a Romance in the Chivalry-sense; the male must overcome obstacles to obtain love that often does not involve the woman in anything but an indirect sense, and she is often idealized in a somewhat inapproachable way. I know women who love Princess Bride, who does not wish to be pursued, or does not like the line “As you wish”? But I would imagine more men than women prize it as a romantic movie.
IOW, give me a task to complete. Do you want me to take time off work? Do you want me to call the plumber? Do you want me to sue your boss? What do you want from me?
You don’t understand . . .
Other romantic movies unmentioned:
Return of the Living Dead (“Come on, baby, it’s only me!” “Okay….”)
Highlander
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Okay, one of those is a joke.
Lol at PD’s last!
My wife considers both “A Princess Bride” and “When Harry Met Sally” romantic. I agree with PB for the reasons stated by PD. My wife has convinced me about WHMS – all the little interstitial nits with the old couples really propel it in that direction. But minus that I’m not sure the story quite meets the description. (I love both those movies, btw.)
One that should qualify:
Gone with the Wind
One that’s a stretch but fun for discussion:
The Silence of the Lambs
My wife and I are having fun with this discussion, so thanks everyone!
My wife suggests the musical version of “The King and I”, which reminds me of another and somewhat unusual choice from Deborah Kerr’s movies, “The Life and Times of Colonel Blimp”.
I’ll stop for now by mentioning that most romantic of John Julius films, “Conan the Barbarian”, and yes, I’m serious about that.
that’s all for now.
The Life and Times of Colonel Blimp was written, produced, and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Their pictures are among my favorites. That reminds me of a picture I need to add to the list.
They also made another picture with Deborah Kerr that’s very weird and very sensual: Black Narcissus. It’s shot in that gorgeous old super-saturated British Technicolor.
The first part of UP I thought was a good romance.
Muir has a romantic ending but what stood out when I saw it recently was the music. Laura is the only film that has a score that rivals it in lush romanticism that I can think of offhand.
I saw Colonel Blimp for the first time just two or three years ago. It became an immediate favorite.
A lot of people in my generation find Before Sunrise to be the archetypical romantic movie. I’m not a huge fan though.
Are fidelity and monogamy essential? If not, I would say 8 1/2 is pretty damn romantic.
Another that just came to mind was The Year of Living Dangerously.
…
How can you favor Return of the Living Dead over Return of the Living Dead II?
It sure resonated with my wife and me.
It’s not just the music. It’s the way the music works with the great second unit photography of the Northern California coast and the interplay among the music, the photography, and what’s going on with the characters.
You’re right, I got ’em mixed up! The scene I mentioned was in II, so that’s even the one I meant. Rookie mistake. Smh