Valentine's Day: Top 5 Romantic Films

By Beau Behan, Film Critic:

It is that time of the year when the scent of a red rose just seems to linger eternally. Chocolates are suddenly luscious, and whispers of sweetness are simply ravishing. It is that special moment when romance and love are intertwined for lovers to savor.

Yes! — It is Valentine’s Day, the time to celebrate that “greatest feeling of all.” For many, an elaborate evening out will certainly spark the fireworks: enjoying a sumptuous dinner, sipping graceful wine, and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. For others, simplicity is their preference: enjoying a home-cooked meal paired with their favorite wine and watching a romantic movie. Does it sound simple enough? Not really.

Finding that special movie could be a daunting task inasmuch as the list of choices is long. Consequently, I would like to share with you my top 5 romantic movies of all time. They all won an Oscar for Best Picture, and truly capture the universality of love in our lives.

Here they are in ascending order.

5. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)

Description

It is the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai. The epicenter of the plot is Malik’s seemingly mysterious ability to answer every question as a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Subsequently, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating. Undeterred to prove his innocence, he recounts the details of his family, childhood, and the girl he loved and lost, revealing the key to the answers of the game show’s questions.

Remarks

Be prepared to be swept off of your feet at the end as twists and turns reach the crux of the question: how well do we know about life and love?

4. ANNIE HALL (1977)

Description

It is the story of comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and his relationship with struggling nightclub singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). Singer examines the highs and lows of their love story.

Remarks

Woody Allen’s signature film, it gravitates in a whirlwind fashion of unbridled cleverness and hilarity.

3. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)

Description

An epic civil war drama, it is the story of peevish southern belle Scarlett O’hara (Vivien Leigh), tracing her survival through the tragic history of the South during the American Civil War, her love affair with Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), and finally her understanding of life and love.

Remarks

A four-hour epic romance movie, it embodies effervescently the glow of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It is undoubtedly not ‘gone with the wind’ as it will never cease to amaze moviegoers for generations to come.

2. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)

Description

A romantic comedy, this film is the story of socialite Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) who marries an aviator against her father’s wishes. As the story unfolds, Ellie ends up being separated from her husband unwittingly. She tries to get back together with him, but it appears she can only do it with the help of a roguish newspaper reporter (Clark Gable) with whom she eventually falls in love.

Remarks

The movie’s outstanding cast and direction compensate for its bland plot. Colbert and Gable are super magnetic!

1. CASABLANCA (1942)

Description

Set in Casablanca, Morocco during the early days of World War II, nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) meets his former lover Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). He soon finds out that she and her husband must get out of the country.

Remarks

“Casablanca” is iconic and magical! It’s a timeless movie masterpiece with memorable dialogues and lead characters that are larger than life.

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