A Post-Valentine's Day Post

Much as I like romantic comedies, there’s something about romantic dramas that engages me more. In listing the films below, romantic films that I like best, their similarities surprised me. They have lead characters who are at least in their 30s, and at least one of them is already married. Not only that, all the affairs in these movies never lasted. Hmm…

The Bridges of Madison County (1995): Clint Eastwood’s crisp and unadorned direction and Meryl Streep’s performance makes this weepie wonderful to watch. The scene where Francesca, sitting in her unsuspecting husband’s truck, keeps holding on to the door latch, ready to pull it to open and run for her lover’s truck in front, is a heartbreaker.

Brief Encounter (1946): The great filmmaker David Lean first received serious attention with this film, chronicling the secret love affair between two people (Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson) who are married to others. I love how they conducted their affair with discretion and subtlety, especially in their final scene together. Very restrained, and very British.

The End of the Affair (1999): This film adaptation of the Graham Greene novel may not be perfect (Michael Nyman’s music is far too melodramatic), but the best thing about it is Julianne Moore’s luminous performance as the doomed Sarah Miles. If nothing else, she truly deserved her Oscar nomination for holding the movie together and keeping it centered.

Summertime (1955): Before he directed The Bridge on the River Kwai, David Lean first directed this fine film, about a lonely American (Katharine Hepburn) on vacation in Venice who falls for an unhappily married shopkeeper (Rossano Brazzi). Besides Hepburn’s performance, the movie’s cinematography is also a highlight. Venice looked so good in this movie.

Talk about how love hurts. Or in Sarah Miles’s case, how love kills. Or, as Christian tells Satine in Moulin Rouge: “Love is a many-splendored thing, love is up where we belong, all you need is love.”