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PrintRomance in the Movies
From the Winter 2011 issue of SONOMA magazine
William Holden studies Kim Novak, a vision in pink at the top of the stairs. Moonglow pulses in the background, the beat settling at last in Novak’s hips. She glides toward him, rhythmically clapping. They intersect in a slow, sensual dance. The music pauses, they do, too; it starts up again, the lovers follow. In the dark, as we watch, the tension is palpable. We’re practically screaming, “Get together, you two!”
Watching them dance in Picnic, we invest in their romance, unlikely as it is: this discouraged drifter returned to his hometown and the sad-eyed girl who’s tired of “just being pretty.” By the time they reach the railroad tracks and finally kiss, Josh Logan’s camera panning up to the starry sky, we indulge our own romantic imaginations…where the sexiest moments happen anyway.
Good movies understand subtlety. Good movies know that the audience feels things they cannot see. Many current big-screen romances disappoint because the characters start out in bed, before we know them or care. We want to feel involved with our characters, rooting for the dance, before the camera delivers us their horizontal mambo.
And the battle of the sexes only works when both sides are armed. An interesting man and an interesting woman...not a cool guy and a gal so dim-witted we doubt if she can blow-dry her own hair. Not a vulgar man-child and a smart gal dumbing down for the chance to be with him. Borrring. We’ll buy into chemistry between two oddballs, two eccentrics, two opposites, but they must both be worthy of great movie romance.
Casablanca is a good example of two people we can invest in, rooting-for their eventual hook-up. He, the cynical nightclub owner, she, a woman torn between the man she loves and the freedom fighter she knows she must be. It’s the “too-hot-not-to-cool-down” dynamic that keeps us in a state of desire ourselves, living vicariously through what we know is meant to be but so often is not possible. Rick and Ilsa’s romance in Casablanca reminds us of our better selves, the enlightened part of us that has no need to demonize or blame. We recognize ourselves in these two brave people caught up in their own challenging times; we embrace them for our shared frailties.
Wit is important for movie romance, but wine is often used as a prop, too. Whether paired with historical and ethnic subplots (A Walk in the Clouds) or co-starring as itself (Bottle Shock); whether sourced from a distant country (A Good Year) or from nearby Santa Inez (Sideways), no matter where in the world movies take us, wine often lubricates meaningful movie romance.
And the language of love stars in all good screenplays, breathed to life by the actors but conceived by the writer. That’s exactly what drives screenwriter Joe Gittes crazy in Sunset Boulevard: “People just think the actors make up what they’re saying.”
So with a special hats-off to all the writers out there, here are a few moments of romance articulated in film:
“You’re not very bright...I like that in a man” says Kathleen Turner in Body Heat.
“But poetry, beauty, romance, love–these are what we stay alive for,” according to Robin Williams in The Dead Poet’s Society.
Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt, “You make me want to be a better man,” which is definitely As Good as It Gets.
Who can forget that perfect verbal match from Jerry Maguire, “You complete me…” and “You had me at hello”?
We can go vintage with Rhett’s advice to Scarlet in Gone with the Wind: “You should be kissed...often...and by someone who knows how.”
And of course, those tender words from Colin Firth to Sienna Guillory in Love Actually: “I love you even when you’re sick and look disgusting.”
Just a few favorites from this movie buff and sucker for love. Add your own, light the candles and enjoy some movie romance, even if you’re alone. Nothing wrong with doing it by yourself…as Woody Allen says, “hey...at least it’s with someone I like!”
From the Winter 2011 issue of SONOMA magazine
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