After filling two pages with possible candidates for this list, I noticed a disturbing thematic commonality. Almost every film I consider deserving of the phrase "romantic marvel" adheres to at least one of the following three philosophical ideals: Love fades, good guys loose and drinking helps.
Following a quick reexamination of my life (and my vacant Feb. 14th calendar spot), I delved into the hypothetical mind set of the average college student — that ambiguous being of social graces and emotional stability I suspect exists on this campus — and shuddered at the thought of what this list should look like to that person in comparison to my own.
Unfortunately, personal experience and integrity won't allow for the unabashedly optimistic — a staple of the romantic movie. Although many of the films below end tragically (with misanthropic lovers left, well, misanthropic), they're filled with tender, emotionally potent moments, which make them so heartbreaking. (Some, you'll find, are charming from beginning to end). In what follows, I'll highlight those choicest of scenes that epitomize my offbeat sense of romanticism on film. Enjoy.
1. Punch-Drunk Love — Paul Thomas Anderson's "small" film (ignoring his debut, "Cigarettes and Coffee") glazes over an ostensibly dismal story about a volatile salesman with a gentle and striking beautiful glow. It's uproarious, quirky, beautifully paced and has some of the greatest kissing moments in film history. Romantic Moment: Adam Sandler flies out to Hawaii to meet Emily Watson. As the lovers approach each other, the unsure-of-himself Sandler first extends his arm for a handshake only to be passionately kissed, becoming one of the shot's angelic silhouettes.
2. Manhattan — Woody Allen plays a comedy writer caught between two women — a 17-year-old and a neurotic, WASPY editor (Diane Keaton). Set to the tune of Gershwin in a romanticized black and white New York City, it's proof of Allen's ability to perfectly time a musical moment.
Romantic Moment: Allen takes the young girl out on a carriage ride through Central Park. The scene's beautiful enough to make one blind to the taboo playing here.
3. City Lights — "Manhattan's" last scene was actually an homage to the end of this film. Charlie Chaplin (who wrote, directed and scored the picture) convinces a blind flower vender (Virginia Cherrill) he's a millionaire. Another melding of the hilarious and heartbreaking, Chaplin abstained from falling into the "talkies" revolution. Romantic Moment: Now able to see, Cherrill mocks the pathetic looking bum (Chaplin) before her only to realize he's her millionaire suitor.
4. Harold and Maude — I just read an article in the "New York Times" which stated that "Harold and Maude" has recently been released as an off Broadway musical. Of course, the article trashed the notion that Hal Ashby's impeccable love story between a 79-year-old and a teenager could translate into such a traditional form. Rightly so. Romantic Moment: The ending at the hospital where the oddball lovers must say goodbye (with Cat Stevens' "Trouble" playing in the background) is one of the most influential emotional moments in modern cinema.
5. Minnie and Moskowitz — John Cassavetes addresses "the human problem," as he puts it in all of his films — this time it's between a lackadaisical parking attendant ("Rushmore's" Seymour Cassel) and a museum curator (Gena Rowlands). Romantic Moment: This list is full of great endings, but hardly any are as warm as when Cassel and Rowlands are shown at an outdoor barbeque with their in-laws.
6. Sweet and Lowdown — Another Allen picture, "Sweet and Lowdown" questionably recreates the life of guitar player Emmet Ray and his relationship with a mute laundress (Samantha Morton). Sean Penn's performance as the boorish womanizer is unsurpassable and Mr. Allen's sentiment acuity has hardly been finer. Romantic Moment: It's a tear-jerker: Penn, after having skipped town on his laundress love, asks for her back, only to find she's happily married.
7. Breakfast at Tiffany's — Everybody knows this clever title from an insipid pop song. What most people don't know is that Truman Capote's novel (on which the film is based) hardly ended on such sugar coated note. Still, despite the blatant racism of Mickey Rooney's Mr. Yunioshi, watching Audrey Hepburn fall in love is hardly irritable. Romantic Moment: "Moon River" chimes in as Hepburn and Peppard passionately kiss in the rain (and between a cat).
8. Amelie — About every guy I know has had a schoolboy crush (infatuation without the mental decadence) with Audrey Tautou — maybe because it's implausible to think she'd have to search for a boyfriend or director Jean-Pierre Jenut's glowing French cityscape. Romantic Moment: Just about every whimsical shot, but the last scene, where Tautou opens her door to the face of the man she's been stalking (OK, charmingly stalking) stands out.
9. All the Real Girls — Perhaps my biggest onscreen crush to date, Zooey Deschanel plays Paul Schneider's best friend's little sister, and a charmer at that. Surrounded by a lifeless mountain town, they fall in and out of forbidden love. Romantic Moment: David Gordon Green opens this one with a long-winded single shot of these two nervously avoiding their first kiss.
10. Buffalo '66 — Underappreciated auteur Vincent Gallo gets out of prison and kidnaps an amateur ballerina (Christina Ricci) to bring home to his parents, hoping they'll be impressed with how his life has turned out. Romantic Moment: Gallo, after deciding not to off a strip club owner, orders a hot chocolate and a heart-shaped cookie at a donut shop for Ricci, jubilantly explaining he's "got a girl."
This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 10 2005.