NatalinaLove is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies Part 3
July 10th 2009 22:36
Over a month ago I promised that the final installment of this series was mere days away. As tends to happen, life got in the way, and it got delayed.
However, I now present you with the third and final installment of Love is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies. In case you missed the first two, here are the links:
Love is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies
Love is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies Part 2
Amelie
Amelie is the kind of movie that won't appeal to everyone. It is saccharine. Perhaps simply too sweet for some tastes. For me, it was bliss. Amelie is the kind of film I can watch and just feel tingly with happiness. The whole movie is whimsical and special. First of all, can we talk about Audrey Tautou's big brown eyes and enchanting smile? Her radiant face is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn, with the same quirky charm and grace.
Amelie is a young woman who grew up in a loveless home. She becomes a very shy and introverted person. When she sees the news about Princess Dianna's demise on TV, she decides that it will become her life's mission to mend souls and be a healer of hearts. She befriends a wide array of colorful characters, and works tirelessly to assist them in finding their own happiness.
Amelie meets Nino Quincompoix, who collects discarded ID photos from a photo booth and keeps them in a picture album. The budding relationship between Amelie and Nino is precious.
Amelie is a love story, but not just between two people. It's a love story about people in general; their stories, their dreams, desires, unfulfilled wishes, and redemption. It captures the imagination, and the heart. And it might make you feel as though you were always meant to live in France. That's what it did for me
The Red Violin
God, I love this movie. I was originally drawn to it because of the musical talent of Joshua Bell, who performs all of the violin solos for the score. But, I ended up being taken by this amazing story of the journey of a violin with a strange red varnish, as it travels in and out of the lives of so many people throughout the centuries.
The romance of this film is found throughout. A mysterious and unique Bussotti violin is being sold at an auction. An antiques dealer, played by Samuel L. Jackson, becomes fascinated by the piece, and researches its history. The life of the violin is told through a series of vignettes detailing the hands through which it has passed. The various owners all embark on a love affair with this acoustically perfect instrument. The violin experiences love, heartache, birth, death, betrayal, rebirth, passion, and despair. All of these people are the violins "lovers", and the namesake of the film is truly the main character.
It is the ultimate revelation of how the violin came to be, and the final destination of the violin that bring the film full circle. Films like this don't come around all that often. It helps to be a music lover to get the full appreciation for the message of The Red Violin. I took up the violin when I was 8 years old, and learned the viola when I was in my early teens. I played all through my high school years, and joined a chamber orchestra in college. I still play for the love of it. The music that comes from the deep soul of a violin or viola is otherworldly, and can truly captivate. This movie captures that essence beautifully.
Swept from The Sea
This is the one that will make you realize what a sap I really am. Swept from the Sea is a bewitching tale of true love. I have a special taste for stories about outcasts or eccentrics that find love with each other. I am drawn to the concept that those who are labeled as strange or odd are actually the most human among us, and that it's the world that is truly mad. (I wonder why this would appeal to me???)
Rachel Weisz is Amy, the lonely servant girl in a coastal village. She is an outcast who spends her moments away from work collecting relics that wash ashore from the sea. Vincent Perez is Yanko, the lone Ukrainian survivor of a terrible shipwreck, and when he washes ashore near Amy's village, he too becomes an outcast. Since no one can understand him (he doesn't speak English) he is considered to be mentally challenged, and is treated poorly. Finally, he encounters Amy, who is kind to him, and treats him with compassion. The only other person who gives him any sort of compassion in the town is the doctor (Ian McKellan) who teaches him how to speak English.
Amy and Yanko find solace in one another, and fall deeply in love. It is one of the most passionate and wrenching romances ever set to film, in my opinion. "We are the ones we've been waiting for" Yanko tells Amy. "I am your home, and you are mine". So beautiful. It is a haunting and strange and wonderful movie that has sadly been overlooked.
Only You
Only You is a film that I used to watch over and over and over when I was younger. It was released in 1994, so I guess I would have been about 16 when I first saw it. When I was 16, I believed in true, magical, happily ever after love. I was THAT girl. Hopelessly in love with love. Understandably, this movie appealed to the teenage Natalina, with her head in the clouds and her heart on her sleeve.
I watched it again the other day, for perhaps the first time in over 10 years. I decided that I was going to find it stupid and corny after all this time. Instead, I found that I still knew almost all of the words by heart, and I was bawling like a maniac as the credits were rolling.
The movie begins with a young girl named Faith, who is at a fair with her friends. She goes to see a fortune teller, who tells her that she was going to fall in love with and marry a man named Damon Bradley. Fast forward to grown up Faith (Marrisa Tomei), who is engaged to be married to a business man who is about the least romantic fella you can find. Just a week or so before her wedding, she receives a call from a business associate of her fiance, who introduces himself as Damon Bradley. He tells her he's in Italy on business and he simply is leaving a message.
Faith is rocked by the news that there really is a Damon Bradley, although she's never seen his face, and wonders if fate has intervened in her life just in time. She decides that she will catch a flight to Italy to try to find Mr. Bradley, and see if the fortune teller was right. Her best friend (Bonnie Hunt) joins her, and off they go.
On her first night in Italy, she encounters a man to whom in a moment of indiscretion, she confesses her reasons for being in Italy. He is so smitten with Faith that he tells her that HE is Damon Bradley. Of course, he isn't. He's Peter (Robert Downey Jr.), but Faith doesn't know that, and she proceeds to allow herself to be swept up in a whirlwind romance with Peter, all the while thinking that he's someone else.
If you haven't seen Only You, you can still probably imagine how the story ends. Eventually, Faith finds out the truth, and is devastated at how she has been taken advantage of. Peter, being the weasel that he is, promises to make it up to her by helping her track down the real Damon Bradley. This is the point in the film where we are introduced to a handsome character played by Billy Zane, who claims to be the really really real Damon Bradley. He turns out to be a real a-hole, and Faith is disillusioned once again.
Girl gets boy in the end, but which boy? Love triumphs, that's what I'll say. Sigh. If Amelie makes you wish you lived in France, Only You makes you believe you were destined to live in Italy.
I couldn't find a trailer, but here is the scene just after Peter tells Faith that he's Damon Bradley, and their romance begins.
Ok, so I actually have 5 more...HA! I guess there might be a part 4
However, I now present you with the third and final installment of Love is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies. In case you missed the first two, here are the links:
Love is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies
Love is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies Part 2
Amelie
Amelie is the kind of movie that won't appeal to everyone. It is saccharine. Perhaps simply too sweet for some tastes. For me, it was bliss. Amelie is the kind of film I can watch and just feel tingly with happiness. The whole movie is whimsical and special. First of all, can we talk about Audrey Tautou's big brown eyes and enchanting smile? Her radiant face is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn, with the same quirky charm and grace.
Amelie is a young woman who grew up in a loveless home. She becomes a very shy and introverted person. When she sees the news about Princess Dianna's demise on TV, she decides that it will become her life's mission to mend souls and be a healer of hearts. She befriends a wide array of colorful characters, and works tirelessly to assist them in finding their own happiness.
Amelie meets Nino Quincompoix, who collects discarded ID photos from a photo booth and keeps them in a picture album. The budding relationship between Amelie and Nino is precious.
Amelie is a love story, but not just between two people. It's a love story about people in general; their stories, their dreams, desires, unfulfilled wishes, and redemption. It captures the imagination, and the heart. And it might make you feel as though you were always meant to live in France. That's what it did for me
The Red Violin
God, I love this movie. I was originally drawn to it because of the musical talent of Joshua Bell, who performs all of the violin solos for the score. But, I ended up being taken by this amazing story of the journey of a violin with a strange red varnish, as it travels in and out of the lives of so many people throughout the centuries.
The romance of this film is found throughout. A mysterious and unique Bussotti violin is being sold at an auction. An antiques dealer, played by Samuel L. Jackson, becomes fascinated by the piece, and researches its history. The life of the violin is told through a series of vignettes detailing the hands through which it has passed. The various owners all embark on a love affair with this acoustically perfect instrument. The violin experiences love, heartache, birth, death, betrayal, rebirth, passion, and despair. All of these people are the violins "lovers", and the namesake of the film is truly the main character.
It is the ultimate revelation of how the violin came to be, and the final destination of the violin that bring the film full circle. Films like this don't come around all that often. It helps to be a music lover to get the full appreciation for the message of The Red Violin. I took up the violin when I was 8 years old, and learned the viola when I was in my early teens. I played all through my high school years, and joined a chamber orchestra in college. I still play for the love of it. The music that comes from the deep soul of a violin or viola is otherworldly, and can truly captivate. This movie captures that essence beautifully.
Swept from The Sea
This is the one that will make you realize what a sap I really am. Swept from the Sea is a bewitching tale of true love. I have a special taste for stories about outcasts or eccentrics that find love with each other. I am drawn to the concept that those who are labeled as strange or odd are actually the most human among us, and that it's the world that is truly mad. (I wonder why this would appeal to me???)
Rachel Weisz is Amy, the lonely servant girl in a coastal village. She is an outcast who spends her moments away from work collecting relics that wash ashore from the sea. Vincent Perez is Yanko, the lone Ukrainian survivor of a terrible shipwreck, and when he washes ashore near Amy's village, he too becomes an outcast. Since no one can understand him (he doesn't speak English) he is considered to be mentally challenged, and is treated poorly. Finally, he encounters Amy, who is kind to him, and treats him with compassion. The only other person who gives him any sort of compassion in the town is the doctor (Ian McKellan) who teaches him how to speak English.
Amy and Yanko find solace in one another, and fall deeply in love. It is one of the most passionate and wrenching romances ever set to film, in my opinion. "We are the ones we've been waiting for" Yanko tells Amy. "I am your home, and you are mine". So beautiful. It is a haunting and strange and wonderful movie that has sadly been overlooked.
Only You
Only You is a film that I used to watch over and over and over when I was younger. It was released in 1994, so I guess I would have been about 16 when I first saw it. When I was 16, I believed in true, magical, happily ever after love. I was THAT girl. Hopelessly in love with love. Understandably, this movie appealed to the teenage Natalina, with her head in the clouds and her heart on her sleeve.
I watched it again the other day, for perhaps the first time in over 10 years. I decided that I was going to find it stupid and corny after all this time. Instead, I found that I still knew almost all of the words by heart, and I was bawling like a maniac as the credits were rolling.
The movie begins with a young girl named Faith, who is at a fair with her friends. She goes to see a fortune teller, who tells her that she was going to fall in love with and marry a man named Damon Bradley. Fast forward to grown up Faith (Marrisa Tomei), who is engaged to be married to a business man who is about the least romantic fella you can find. Just a week or so before her wedding, she receives a call from a business associate of her fiance, who introduces himself as Damon Bradley. He tells her he's in Italy on business and he simply is leaving a message.
Faith is rocked by the news that there really is a Damon Bradley, although she's never seen his face, and wonders if fate has intervened in her life just in time. She decides that she will catch a flight to Italy to try to find Mr. Bradley, and see if the fortune teller was right. Her best friend (Bonnie Hunt) joins her, and off they go.
On her first night in Italy, she encounters a man to whom in a moment of indiscretion, she confesses her reasons for being in Italy. He is so smitten with Faith that he tells her that HE is Damon Bradley. Of course, he isn't. He's Peter (Robert Downey Jr.), but Faith doesn't know that, and she proceeds to allow herself to be swept up in a whirlwind romance with Peter, all the while thinking that he's someone else.
If you haven't seen Only You, you can still probably imagine how the story ends. Eventually, Faith finds out the truth, and is devastated at how she has been taken advantage of. Peter, being the weasel that he is, promises to make it up to her by helping her track down the real Damon Bradley. This is the point in the film where we are introduced to a handsome character played by Billy Zane, who claims to be the really really real Damon Bradley. He turns out to be a real a-hole, and Faith is disillusioned once again.
Girl gets boy in the end, but which boy? Love triumphs, that's what I'll say. Sigh. If Amelie makes you wish you lived in France, Only You makes you believe you were destined to live in Italy.
I couldn't find a trailer, but here is the scene just after Peter tells Faith that he's Damon Bradley, and their romance begins.
Ok, so I actually have 5 more...HA! I guess there might be a part 4
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Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
The Notebook, Titanic, Moulin Rouge, vomit, vomit, vomit haha
oh i know, i LOVE Addicted To Love with Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan . . . shes a riot
oh and gay romance Imagine Me And You . . . gorgeous
Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
How young do Robert and Marisa look!!!
On the less conventional front:
Lovers on the Pont-Neuf
Surviving Desire
2 Days in Paris
Betty Blue
There's black comedy and tragedy in these, but the passion of love is strong and vivid.
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Food Slate
<giggles>...agree...
Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Lara, Oh you simply must see "The Red Violin"! Rent it next time you're at the video store, watch it, and then report back to me with your thougts!
We're all a little maaaad here!
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Some (dark) romance will make its way onto Cult Projections never fear.
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
Pop Rock Factory
OK - being the only male (other than the two labradors) in the house - I've had my fair share of romance (or we movies - as they're known).
From the Notebook though to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to Somewhere in Time and The Shop Around the Corner - and just about everything in between.
I might just as well put my hand up and suggest Mrs Nice Guy check out this post and prepare for another night of 'just missing out on getting Gran Torino' at the DVD store.
Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Mr. Nice Guy,I love Eternal Sunshine, and have a very soft spot in my heart of hearts for Somewhere in Time! Perhaps Mrs. Nice Guy and I should have a chat and discuss new ways to torture you with all of this sappiness! Btw, I haven't seen Gran Torino yet either, but I'd like to!
Comment by Kristin Wolgemuth
Poetry Lighthouse
What's in a word
Time to Get Up Club
Comment by Steve Gann
Beyond This Horizon
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Comment by Wilson Pon
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Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
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Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Kristin, Oh I think you'll love both of those movies. Pop back here and let me know what you thought once you've seen them. Roman Holiday is lovely. Breakfast at Tiffany's is another one that I could watch over and over. I'm a bit of an Audrey Hepburn nut.
Steve, Seems to be a consensus on Amelie. Although, I have come upon a few oddballs that hated it. Can't understand why. It really does work as you say on many levels. And it just makes you feel good!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Amelie was such a sweet souffle that despite my hatred of sweet celluloid things it won me over. The dazzling cinematography, the relentless charm and of course Audrey herself all made this one disobey the rules of what i normally enjoy.
The Red Violin on the other hand was just plain great, everything I look for in a film of this flavour.
Only You I didn't mind but then I preferred the other Downey Jnr sweety Heart and Souls
.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
I'm glad to hear you liked The Red Violin. It got some really bad reviews, which I don't really understand. I thought it was incredible. I recently purchased some sheet music from the film and have been keeping the neighbors up at night trying to master it.
Can't remember if I ever saw Heart and Souls. I'll have to look into it.
You guys liked The Pick-Up Artist?? Gosh, I thought that movie was sooo tedious, and I usually like everything RDJ has done!