Top 5

Top 5 Romantic Films

You know you've seen them. They've  resonated in your psyche and you don't know why.  Not necessarily great love stories, or even great films, but stories that taught you something about this ever elusive sentiment.

So, figure out why they've stuck with you and list them here!

Re:Top 5 Romantic Films

My Top 5 in this category are:

Closer:  I happen to love this film, but many folks I know thought it was too...unhappy? I did not think it was unhappy really, but i did think that it showed how complex relationships are and how unknowable people can be.  Life does not have the scripted happy ending, with Nessun Dorma exploding in the background. Life is not as dramatic, or clear cut.  

The Fountain:  Another film I know alot of people I know just didn't get. This was Aronofsky's love letter to us all- what's not to love?!

Wuthering Heights:  Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon- the chemistry and performance of a lifetime.

Camille:  One of the most amazing Garbo films.  A story of a woman who was not what she seemed- she was  more.

The Princess Bride:  This film fits into so many categories, it never ceases to amaze me.

Re:Top 5 Romantic Films

filmgal81:

My Top 5 in this category are:

Closer:  I happen to love this film, but many folks I know thought it was too...unhappy? I did not think it was unhappy really, but i did think that it showed how complex relationships are and how unknowable people can be.  Life does not have the scripted happy ending, with Nessun Dorma exploding in the background. Life is not as dramatic, or clear cut.  

The Fountain:  Another film I know alot of people I know just didn't get. This was Aronofsky's love letter to us all- what's not to love?!

Wuthering Heights:  Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon- the chemistry and performance of a lifetime.

Camille:  One of the most amazing Garbo films.  A story of a woman who was not what she seemed- she was  more.

The Princess Bride:  This film fits into so many categories, it never ceases to amaze me.

Ok, filmgal, I'll play.

Casablanca - The romance is fleeting and the story tragic in some ways, but the intertwining of the Rick and Ilsa characters is heartbreaking.

Bridget Jones' Diary - The retooling of Pride and Prejudice for girls who aren't stick thin (I relate, see).

When Harry Met Sally - It's more than just the fake orgasm scene.  It's the best thing written by Nora Ephron ever and possibly Meg Ryan's best performance (think about it).

Roman Holiday / Sabrina - Two of the best Audrey movies are some of the most heartfelt romances on film.

The Philadelphia Story - It's more situational, a little screwball, and fraught with triangles, but this hilarious movie featuring the other Hepburn puts together Cary Grant as the smitten ex-husband, Jimmy Stewart as the smitten but snarky gossip reporter, and Katharine Hepburn as the high-ideals object of everyone's affection.  What's not to love.

Hey, I loved the Fountain; I don't know why people have reacted to it the way they have, it's not any more or less mindbendy than Requiem for a Dream or Pi, Aronofsky's previous efforts.  Also, the Princess Bride will be a perennial fave of mine, but I've seen it so many times, and it's so screwy, my heart doesn't melt as much as it does to these other films.  I saw Wuthering Heights a long time ago, I have to see it again, but it's one of my favorite books in the whole world!

Re:Top 5 Romantic Films

In order of preference:

1. Emma

2. Sense and Sensibility

3. Sleepless in Seattle

4. Pride and Prejudice

5. Memoirs of a Geisha

As you can see I'm a sucker for period films, and chivalry. While feminists say that chivalry is just veiled chauvinism I personally think it was significantly more noble, an attempt to honor and respect the opposite sex. I put sleepless in there (and was considering You have mail) because it's a very classic romantic film that I enjoy thoroughly, but is certainly American.

Lastly, memoirs of a geisha probably isn't considered a romantic film, but I felt that it depicted an aspect of traditional Japanese life where, traditionally, romance didn't exist, but romantic elements are certainly there. I also recently learned that until the Japanese came into contact with the West they didn't have a word for romance. They write the word romansu in katakana because it is a borrowed word, which essentially means that they lacked the concept most likely because marriages were arranged (and romance wasn't a factor in that arrangement). I really enjoyed this film, despite it being about Japanese life (pre and post WWII and the bombing) and using a predominantly Chinese cast! Zhang Zhiyi (pronounced jong jurii or something close to that) is definitely chinese!

Re:Top 5 Romantic Films

Roman Holiday is a great film!  I also really love Audrey's role in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Casablanca is also timeless, proving that whether love last a year or just moment, it does not diminish its value.

I was not in love with the Sabrina starring Audrey Hepburn. I prefer the remake with Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond and Greg Kinnear. I know, how could I choose the remake over the classic ( and with such a class act as Audrey in the starring role), but there you have it.   :)

pippin06:

Ok, filmgal, I'll play.

Casablanca - The romance is fleeting and the story tragic in some ways, but the intertwining of the Rick and Ilsa characters is heartbreaking.

Bridget Jones' Diary - The retooling of Pride and Prejudice for girls who aren't stick thin (I relate, see).

When Harry Met Sally - It's more than just the fake orgasm scene.  It's the best thing written by Nora Ephron ever and possibly Meg Ryan's best performance (think about it).

Roman Holiday / Sabrina - Two of the best Audrey movies are some of the most heartfelt romances on film.

The Philadelphia Story - It's more situational, a little screwball, and fraught with triangles, but this hilarious movie featuring the other Hepburn puts together Cary Grant as the smitten ex-husband, Jimmy Stewart as the smitten but snarky gossip reporter, and Katharine Hepburn as the high-ideals object of everyone's affection.  What's not to love.

Hey, I loved the Fountain; I don't know why people have reacted to it the way they have, it's not any more or less mindbendy than Requiem for a Dream or Pi, Aronofsky's previous efforts.  Also, the Princess Bride will be a perennial fave of mine, but I've seen it so many times, and it's so screwy, my heart doesn't melt as much as it does to these other films.  I saw Wuthering Heights a long time ago, I have to see it again, but it's one of my favorite books in the whole world!

Re:Top 5 Romantic Films

Ah, Sense & Sensibility  has always been one of my personal favorites as well.

I've heard the argument against chivalry before, and i think that just because the lines between chivalry and chauvinism were blurred at times doesn't mean that theer wasn't a distinction.  As you said, you can be chivalrous without being patronizing.   There was a politeness, a gentlemanliness then, that is sorely lacking today, in many ways.  No, this does not mean women are looking/waiting to be rescued, we can cut the heads off our own dragons, but i think it nice to know that a guy would try.

rjsprague:

In order of preference:

1. Emma

2. Sense and Sensibility

3. Sleepless in Seattle

4. Pride and Prejudice

5. Memoirs of a Geisha

 

As you can see I'm a sucker for period films, and chivalry. While feminists say that chivalry is just veiled chauvinism I personally think it was significantly more noble, an attempt to honor and respect the opposite sex. I put sleepless in there (and was considering You have mail) because it's a very classic romantic film that I enjoy thoroughly, but is certainly American.

Re:Top 5 Romantic Films

This is a tough one...I can't think of a lot of romantic films I've seen, but I'll give it a shot.

Across the Universe - I love the Beatles, I love sporadic singing, I love the 60's and I love Love.  It seemed a little "Higschool Musical Does the Sixties" at times, but I loved some of the cameos and cultural references of the era (despite not particularly liking Bono, I thought he did a fantastic job), and albeit sappy love story.

Princess Bride - A classic.  I'm a closet fairy tale fan, and this is one of the best.  It turns the genre on its head a little, adds a lot of comedy and relies on some less-than-perfect characters with some glaring flaws to create a story that somehow still remains romantic.

Say Anything - I'm always a fan of the daughter/son-likes-the-girl/guy-dad/mom-does-not films.  These seemed especially prevalent in the 80's, and I think SA is the shining example. SA edged out Valley Girl by a hair in this category for me, mostly because Nicolas Cage suffered a devastating setback in my mind after remaking Bangkok Dangerous (and it wasn't because the first was any good).

Big Fish - I know its fictional, but its a powerful love story none-the-less.  You get to see the couple through their entire lives together, beginning to end, and how committed and how much they loved each other to the end.  Its ridiculously beautiful.  I can barely handle the end of the movie.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Maybe a bit out of place in this categorie, but I think it deserves a mention.  I think it highlights the idea that love wouldn't exist without pain, and gives us an appreciation of memories and past relationships.  Its better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

Bah, one short.  Wait!

Once - Probably my favorite, because of a) the music, and b) the fact it does not end like most romances.  It is a beautiful and very innocent story, of a complicated friendship/romance.  Don't want to give too much away for those who haven't seen it, but it truly is a beautiful story of two people meeting exactly when they needed to.

Re:Top 5 Romantic Films

It was hard for me to make a list of a definiative five.  For some reason I feel better just naming these two.

Punch-Drunk Love

Surviving Desire