To celebrate this wonderful holiday of love and expensive chocolates on my blog, I decided to make a little gallery of my favorite cinematic couples (in no particular order). So here I go...
Perhaps one of the most romantic moments in film...ever. Short, sweet, and amazingly memorable.
I don't care what happened in the books. I'm delusional: Harry and Hermione forever. And it helps that Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have incredible chemistry.
The best romantic comedy ever made. Gregory Peck (sigh) and Audrey Hepburn shines brighter than ever in that gorgeous Roman backdrop.
Jo and Laurie are my favorite literary couple and I am convinced my life would have been much better if Jo just accepted Laurie's marriage proposal! That said, Winona Ryder and Christian Bale's performances and chemistry makes me even more frustrated and annoyed that Jo and Laurie don't end up together.
How can any list of this sort be complete without the immortal Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler?
This is a very unconventional choice, but I've always found the relationship between Michael Corleone and Kay Adams quite fascinating. The farther Michael moves away from Kay, emotionally and physically, the farther away he is from his American Dream. Al Pacino and Diane Keaton (in one of the most underrated performances ever) portray the dynamics between the two wonderfully.
Unrequited love...sigh.
One of the sweetest couples ever. One boy, one special boy...sigh. Bobby Rydell and Ann-Margret are adorably irresistible.
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan proves the power of predictably cutsey, cheesy charm.
"You hear what I said, Miss Kubelik? I absolutely adore you!" Then comes the famous line...-----
I hope you enjoyed this gallery. Feel free to discuss and bring up your own personal favorites. Next time, I'll aim for something a little more substantial.
i can't quite make out the first couple...is it spencer and
ReplyDeletekatharine? if it isn't they need to be on any top ten list...on and off the screen. omg, and what about bogart and bergman in 'casablanca'? they have to be top ten! one could, of course, go on and on...zooey D. and Paul Schneider(?) in 'all the real girls. 'you have my heart'.
Richard - That's Grant and Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story.
ReplyDeleteI am almost ashamed to say this, being a fan of both Tracy and Hepburn, but the only Tracy-Hepburn film I've ever seen is Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Maybe next year...
I'm not a fan of Casablanca. It's one of those films I wished I liked, but...don't.
I love All the Real Girls as a film, but the relationship between Noel and Paul seem so brutally authentic that I don't really like the relationship, I guess. I don't know, this is more of a list of relationships that I'd like to be a part of....
what is wrong with you, girl! how can my favorite movie reviewer not like 'casablanca'...aargh!! i am devestated - i don't think i can be your friend any longer. you probably have a genetic condition.
ReplyDeleteah, yes, 'philadelphia story...sigh, and what about hepburn and bogie in 'african queen'? also, who is the couple in the black and white, french film looking photo down toward the end. it looks familiar , but can't place it.
I might need to re-watch Casablanca. I only remember that I liked Bogart and Bergman--and that's it. Sometimes I wonder how I could say no to Ingrid Bergman...
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to see The African Queen for a while, but it's incredibly hard to get hold of since there hasn't been an official version of the film released on Region 1 DVD.
The French film that deals with unrequited love is a Truffaut short called Antoine and Colette. I believe you can watch it on Youtube (I wrote a review on it with the links here. It's wonderfully brilliant and gorgeous in all its French glory.
poor antoine. alas, he got what he deserved. faint heart ne'er
ReplyDeletewon fair lady. once you have established yourself as a 'friend' it is almost impossible to get the girl to see you as a lover. you've got to make the sale - you have to let her know where you stand and what you want. antoine had every opportnity, and just didn't measure up.
of course, girls are incredibly scary; so, it ain't easy. hey, full props to the 12 year old british kid, who plunged right into battle, and emerged with the prize!
what you say about hermione and harry i really agree ;}
ReplyDeleteGlad to know there are other Harry and Hermione shippers out there...
ReplyDeleteForget Ron and Ginny!
personally, i liked the chinese girl...can't remember her name, but, as i recall, they did hook up at some point. ron and hermione were well suited for each other, but harery and hermione would not have lasted a year!
ReplyDeleteUgh. Cho Chang. The actress who played her was quite lovely, but I couldn't stand the character. Well, her character was alright in the film, but in the book...now, that's a different story.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a little eight year old reading Harry Potter, I couldn't see Ron and Hermione together at all. I think you could call my love for the coupling of Harry and Hermione a childhood dream that came crashing down once it became obvious that Rowling intended to Ron and Hermione the together.
To me, Hermione was Harry's confidant--someone he trusted and cared about. She was Harry's partner in crime, and he was hers. Ron and Hermione never had that; all they did was argue constantly and it didn't look like it was out of some secret infatuation...it seemed like they bickered because they were truly annoyed with each other.
But ah well. Rowling had the last word. It just bothers me that she would make Harry and Hermione seem so perfect for each other (at least in my mind), only to have them fall in love with other people. This is perhaps second to my frustration to Alcott's decision to not marry Jo to Laurie, although legions of fans of Part I practically begged her to.
leo di caprio + claire danes in romeo + juliet.
ReplyDeletehepburn + tracy in, well, everything
mandy moore + shane west in walk to remember (I'm SORRY)
heath + jake in brokeback mountain
julia roberts + richard gere in pretty woman
zach braff + natalie portman in garden state
audrey tautou + mathieu kassovitz in amelie
billy cyrystal + meg ryan in when harry met sally
jimmy stewart + margaret sullavan in the shop around the corner
ok, shut up already. you get my point :D
Great Gallery Marcy and its nice to see you write again. Some of those are choices I would have went with like Harry and Hermione
ReplyDeleteC.K.Dexter Haven and Tracy Lord...Grant and Hepburn to die for. Also see Bringing Up Baby with Grant and Hepburn.
ReplyDeleteFor Hepburn and Tracy...see Adam's Rib first! You get a hilarious Judy Holliday as a bonus.
I also agree about Jo and Laurie. Sigh. Dear Teddy.
Man, you have some interesting choices here!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember how I wound up here at your blog, but I was taken by the PSYCHO shower still while I was looking for something on Google... oh, I guess THAT'S how I wound up here! Duh!
Anyway, again, some cool selections for your couples. I haven't seen all of these films, but even so, the selections are still facinating, especially coming from a high school student, which I hope doesn't come off as insulting, because I mean it in quite the opposite way.
Okay, I can't say I agree with your choice of Kay and Michael, though. I think in theory the relationship is interesting but I never really got that so much from the actual movie.
BTW, it's interesting, I think, that Coppola keeps the ending image from the book in his TV edit of the GODFATHER SAGA (er, I think, or maybe it was his cut of just the first film). But in the book, Kay lights candles in a church, praying for Michael's soul, and that was actually filmed but not used in the theatrical version.
Yay, THE APARTMENT! I always thought Shirley MacLaine was a doll.
As for CASABLANCA, I like it alot, but it occurs to me I like it more for the dialogue. I kind of just accept the romantic stuff because I like Bogart and Bergman, but you know, I don't really buy it. Their actual romantic chemistry in the film, I mean. I accept it mostly because that's what they're saying to each other. But, in fact, I have a hard time not smirking during the flashback when they're in Paris, in particular when Bogie keeps saying, "Here's looking at you, kid." Luckily, I like the movie for other reasons. Having said that, I like Woody Allen's PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM, with him and Diane Keaton which includes references to CASABLANCA.
He didn't direct it, though.
As for my 2 cents worth, I can only suggest Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... particularly the little clip of them at the end where they talk to the camera and talk about their wedding cake. It's a neat bit when taken with all the other couples who were sharing their moments with us. And I guess that's a possible con job-- is all that stuff actually scripted by Nora Ephron? Because it really plays like authentic documentary material, I think. And because of that, I think it's a real testament to Ryan and Crystal that they come off equally authentic as a married couple at the end.
And, I'm a Frank Capra fan, so I'm going to suggest two of his movies: MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN with Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur, and MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON with James Stewart and Jean Arthur. And it's probably no accident that Jean Arthur is in both. She's simply fabulous.
Uh, so there!
Best of luck with the rest of the school year!
PS. Oh, and as for the idea of anti-proms: in my junior year, the girl I asked to go to the prom turned me down (dammit!) and another girl I was friends with, she got turned down by the guy she asked (or he asked someone else-- whatever, same end result for her), so we decided to go see a movie together on prom night (going to the prom with each other didn't make sense). We wound up seeing ANNIE HALL that night, which dates me because this is when it first came out. It was a good night.
And no, I didn't get lucky-- c'mon, we were buddies!
@cattleworks: I'm glad you stopped by. I enjoyed reading your massive comment about cinematic couples.
ReplyDeleteI've always been drawn to Michael and Kay's relationship. Michael liked Kay because she had this WASP-like identity about her. She wasn't part of the mafia and probably never will be--unless Michael sucks her into it. And he does, although he doesn't know that's what he's doing. I do recall that candle-lighting scene you mentioned from Puzo's novels and it could've been an affective scene...but I don't think Coppola made a huge error by not including it either. The first Godfather film ended beautifully, with the door closing on Kay.
In Part II, Kay doesn't hesitate to stand up to Michael. That's what I adore about Diane Keaton in that movie--she's not afraid to make Kay a strong woman who is willing to make her own decisions. She's not afraid to be the conscience to Michael's convoluted, calculated thought process. She's a match for Michael, which is further proven in the third film...
...where I completely adore their relationship. I am well-aware that The Godfather: Part III is far from a perfect film, but Keaton and Al Pacino are so terrific together that it feels like this was where their relationship was headed all along. I read somewhere that in the Part III commentary, Coppola mentioned that the Michael-Kay dynamics mirrored the Pacino-Kay dynamics...
I'm not surprised. The Michael-Kay scenes in Part III are some of the most naturally heartbreaking, amazing acting I've seen from either actors, or any actor, for that matter.
I've never really embraced Casablanca...it's a good film, but like you, I have a similar problem: I don't buy that romance between Bogart and Bergman either. And it bothers me that I don't because Rick and Ilsa are so iconic. I feel like I'm not getting something I should be getting...but now I know I'm not alone!
Crystal and Ryan are excellent in When Harry Met Sally.... I'm glad you mentioned them...
Speaking of Capra, I also loved James Stewart and Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life. I absolutely adore that scene by the telephone.
Awww...that story was adorable! Even if you didn't get lucky, that still sounded like a pretty cool night. I mean, you were watching Annie Hall, a to-be classic. I watched I Love You, Man on anti-prom and I know that it's not going to be as influential in thirty years as Annie Hall is now.
*ouch, I meant Pacino-Keaton.
ReplyDeleteD'oh!
ReplyDeleteI left you another long-winded gas-baggy comment on one of your earlier posts. Sorry!
Briefly (maybe): I really remember very little from GODFATHER III. Mostly Michael going to the Vatican and having a low-blood sugar episode, of all things. Oh, and not quite accepting Talia Shire getting into the whole whacking part of the family business.
But your comments about Michael and Kay's relationship through the three movies and particularly in the third movie make me want to revisit the film again. I'll have to defintiely do that.
I like Diane Keaton a lot, but it's curious that I find her kind of forgettable in these films.
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is actually one of my favorite films and the telephone scene usually makes me cry whenever I see the film (I also get all lachrymal fluid-yduring the soda shop scene when Gower's yelling at/slapping around Young George and at the end when George is running through town in the snowy streets and everything's back to the way it was.
Donna Reed's Mary is lovely. But that phone scene is such a horribly dark but painfully honest emotional moment between the couple. Capra rocks!
But, having said that, I think Jean Arthur is REALLY something.
Oh, and I didn't read your comment about Harry and Hermione. I was nervous for spoilers because I still haven't read the last two books (and I should get hopping on that since HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is coming out this summer, isn't it? Cripes! I'm lame...), but I don't know if you liked them as a "romantic couple"-- I don't see them as that, but I see them as a really great platonic couple. Which is cool, because you don't often see that-- very close friends of the opposite sex, you know?