Saturday, February 14, 2009

Reels of Romance

How about some escapism this Valentine's Day? A good, classic romance movie fits the bill. Here are some suggestions:


Classic Favorites


Casablanca (1942) — An intense love triangle between a jaded nightclub owner in French-occupied Morocco during World War II (Humphrey Bogart), his ex-lover (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband, a famous Czech rebel and nationalist (Paul Heinreid), is at the center of this movie, which is perhaps the greatest love story ever committed to film.


Gone With the Wind (1939) — The beautiful and scheming Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) is a Southern belle whose world changes forever with the outbreak of the Civil War. Obsessed by her first love, who is married to another, Scarlett struggles to survive the war and its aftermath, as well as her passionate, tortured relationship with the man who may be her soul mate, Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).


Roman Holiday (1953) — This romantic comedy stars Audrey Hepburn as the bored Princess Anne, who escapes her entourage during a diplomatic visit to Rome and sets out to have fun, aided by a handsome American newspaper reporter (Gregory Peck) who angles for an exclusive interview but ends up--surprise!--falling in love with her.


From Here to Eternity (1953) — Set on an army base in Hawaii in the days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, this film is the story of the love affair between a sergeant (Burt Lancaster) and the wife (Deborah Kerr) of his commanding officer. Watch for the famous beach scene, when Lancaster and Kerr kiss in the sand as the waves crash over them.


An Affair to Remember (1957) — Terry (Deborah Kerr) and Nickie (Cary Grant) meet and fall in love on a ship traveling across the Atlantic Ocean. Both engaged to other people, they say goodbye, but agree to meet atop the Empire State Building in six months if their feelings remain the same.



I wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day. I received my valentine this morning - a call via Skype from my husband in Nigeria. A great way to begin the day.

3 comments:

Beverly said...

Those are such classics, aren't they. It was just a few years ago that I finally saw Casablanca all the way through. I loved An Affair to Remember.

Have a good day. Skype is great, isn't it. I haven't used it, but I understand it is just the thing to have for visiting with friends and family who are faraway.

Anonymous said...

GWTW and Roman Holiday - boy are those perfect old movies. I truly wish they would make those kinds again. I miss them.

Happy Valentine's Day!

srp said...

Even the good ones today are remakes of the old movies.... we were watching one on TMC (I think it was called something like "The Shop Around the Corner") and I kept thinking the premise was so familiar... two people fall in love through anonymous letters to each other.... OH! RIGHT! "You've Got Mail".