The most romantic films ever made
The great romance films make you laugh when sparks fly, weep endlessly when tragedy strikes and swoon in delight when the boy and girl finally gets together. These films are the greatest romance films ever made guaranteed to make even the steeliest of hearts flutter. Why not re-live some of the classic moments that have defined romance with us?
Casablanca (1942)
"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine..."
Humphrey Bogart’s face when he sees Ingrid Bergman walk into his joint says it all. Set in Morocco during WWII, the American expatriate encounters a former lover resulting in a heart-wrenching tale of love and sacrifice. The airport send-off scene had people talking for years debating whether Bogey did the right thing?
An Affair to Remember (1957)
“Oh, it's nobody's fault but my own! I was looking up... it was the nearest thing to heaven! You were there...”
After Carey Grant and Deborah Kerr have an affair on a cruise they promise to meet atop the Empire State Building in six months. Fate has other plans and our hearts bawled in agony. Even if melodramatic at times, it’s the film that forever made the New York Empire State Building a symbol of love.
West Side Story (1961)
“I love him, I'm his, and everything he is I am too. I have a love, and it's all that I need. Right or wrong, and he needs me too.”
From the beginning, we have deep sense of doom that street kid Richard Beymer and angelic Natalie Wood love will end in tragedy making the musical tale of two star-crossed lovers from rival gangs all the more poignant.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
The rom-com genre at its best - the film follows the 12 year love-hate relationship between two friends, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, until they finally realise they love each other! This charming film may be the most realistic depiction of love.
Love Actually (2003)
“If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love is all around…”
There are so many different entwining tales of love to love here - from Colin Firth’s poorly pronounced proposal in Portuguese, the devastated widow Liam Neeson helping his lovesick stepson make a grand romantic gesture to Keira Knightley’s carol-singing placards. The Christmas theme just adds to the magical feeling – love really does make the world go round!
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