Love Only In The Movies?

This republished blog is for those hopeless romantics like me who swoon over mushy romantic movies.

So what’s the greatest love movie of all time? One that you often stumble upon flicking your cable channels? One that despite watching it over and over again, you still get teary-eyed, your knees buckle and your toes all curled up at the foot of your couch? Do you go for happy-ending love stories or those with tragic conclusions? How about one that goes down to history like “Cleopatra” of Elizabeth Taylor and her romantic escapades with famous men in history, Julius Ceasar and Mark Anthony? 

William Shakespeare’s immortal classic “Romeo and Juliet” would be the choice of those Elizabethan times fanatics drawn to dramatic and cinematic cuts with all those poetic dialogues in all their glories. One famous line there would be “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, as my love as deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have…for both are infinite.”

Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” under the direction of Francis Ford Coppola, the vampire movie that has broken box-office records long before the much-crazed “Twilight” saga, believes Dracula has a heart and has this famous line – “ I have crossed oceans of time to find you.” With its movie poster carrying the tag, “Love Never Dies.” Need it say more? For the great vampire is an immortal, his love must be immortal too.

Familiar with the 1970’s classic, “Love Story”, a tragic drama adapted from Erich Segal’s novel with the same title with the female lead star succumbing to leukemia bringing back together estranged father and son. The famous line in the movie being – “Love means never having to say sorry.”

There is one epic love story I won’t get tired of maybe even if I’ll rewatch a hundred times. My love movie of all time – the $200M work of noted director James Cameron, “Titanic”, considered to be the first spectacle in decades (but ranks 2nd now to “Avatar”) and was even compared to another movie, “Gone With the Wind”.

The immortal true love between Jack Dawson and Rose Dewitt Bukater, meeting and falling inlove aboard the ill-fated ship on its maiden voyage with the infamous kitsch line : “ I am the king of the world!” I don't know what's with this romantic movie despite replaying it over the TV for the nth time, I still get the chills all over my spine and feel giddy about Rose and Jack, symphatize with their predicaments ala “ you and me againts the world”.

In this time of modern vampire love stories, of the “Twilight” saga of Edward and Bella, nothing beats sentimental love stories not characterized by magic, sorcery or supernatural powers (pardon to those Edward Cullen fanatics). Audiences are still drawn to films with a tinge of reality in them as they relate themselves with the characters on screen. To die for someone you love is the theme of “Titanic” and this holds true , that you are willing to give up your life for the one you dearly love.

Jack and Rose's story is full of trials more than being on a bed of roses and that makes it more true to life. That when you love, it's not going to be a fairy tale romance, happily-ever-after all the time.