Gateway Cinephiles

I’m introducing a new semi-regular feature here at the Gateway Cinephiles site: The Rule of Three. The premise is simple. Contributors from the Cinephiles will be tasked to select three films that fit a designated criterion. For each film, each contributor will write no more than one hundred words: why we love it, why it is noteworthy, or why everyone should see it at least once. It’s a short and simple formula for sharing our film recommendations, and I hope to do several of these features in the coming year.

We’re kicking the feature off with a tribute to Valentine’s Day, that crassest of crass commercial holidays. Our contributors were asked to pick three films about romantic love. You won’t find the usual rom-com staleness in here, but you will find a lot of tear-jerking cinematic goodness, occasionally in some unexpected places.

Andrew’s Three

The Age of Innocence (1993)

Don’t be fooled by the arresting beauty of Martin Scorsese’s underrated masterpiece. Sure, the opulent fashions and culinary delights echo the repressed passion of the wealthy Victorian characters. Yet they also acquire new meanings as the film unfolds. Age is a story of agonizing emotional claustrophobia, with a profound understanding of the timeless lovers’ longing that “things were different.” Fundamentally, this is the tale of a man who lives in a world that will do everything in its power to prevent his happiness. Terrifying and wrenching. All from two hours of rich nineteenth-century New Yorkers talking!

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Ang Lee’s pitiless uppercut of romantic tragedy set in 1960s Wyoming is the real thing. Never mind that its leads are gay cowboys; everyone can relate to this profound and humane film. Brokeback has a sorrowful and achingly accurate understanding of human love. It’s about how we all idealize, fantasize, delude ourselves, yearn for the lost, and squander and despoil priceless emotional connections. Universally outstanding performance and Lee’s quiet, gorgeous direction allow the film to transcend its gimmick and emerge as one of the best films ever made about forbidden love. The final minutes always move me to tears.

The Piano (1993)

This remorseless storm of gothic romance and rebirth is as compelling today as when I first saw it. There is a strange, unsettling effectiveness to Jane Campion’s film, with its wistful visuals and unconventional characters. She gives us the Heroine, the Husband, and the Lover, but none of them fit the molds we might expect. The film has a slow, tidal eroticism, punctuated with the ripples of rash and cruel deeds. The Piano is as much about pride and possession as romance, suggesting that love is but one movement in the symphony of human relationships. Beautiful and devastating.

Lara’s Three

Moonstruck (1987)

Quite possibly the most perfect movie about love ever made. Never mind if all you know about Moonstruck is that it stars Cher and won a bunch of Oscars. This is a great film and both Cher and Nicholas Cage are great in it, as are Vincent Gardenia and Olympia Dukakis. This movie is about the imperfections of humanity and relationships. It shines a light on how even the smartest, most level-headed people can have unrealistic expectations of themselves and others when it comes to love. Keep an eye out for Cage’s operatic, gut-wrenching monologue in the bakery.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

If you’ve been in a relationship for any significant period of time, hopefully you’ve experienced at least one reawakening where you suddenly connected with your partner on some completely unexpected level. That is the story at the heart of this ball-busting, gun-blazing action-comedy. It’s also about honesty, brutality, and the battle of the sexes. Literally. There’s a key scene where the Smiths beat the crap out of each other. Brace yourself and throw your expectations for marital behavior out the window. This film is about making it work.

Secretary (2002)

Secretary is a delightful introduction to sadism-masochism, told from the perspective of the “M”. It’s the ideal antidote for the cartoonish, removed understanding many people have of these impulses, including where they originate and how they manifest. This film, I think, qualifies as the most deeply touching of my three selections. We follow a very vulnerable (or is she?) girl down an amazing path of healing and self-discovery.

Libby’s Three

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Who can argue with this choice? Paul Varjak is a “kept man” who falls for Holly Golightly, a girl who is so busy trying to marry rich she almost misses her chance for happiness. Audrey Hepburn plays Holly with a gorgeous mix of childlike vulnerability and modern jaded charm. My favorite romantic moment is the day Holly and Paul take turns doing things they’ve never done. The day culminates in Paul’s first trip to the titular jewelry store, where Paul has Holly’s cheap ring engraved. Holly’s glee at this small token makes us realize that she isn’t all she seems.

Last of the Mohicans (1992)

The love story of Cora Munroe and Hawkeye is beautiful. Their fevered goodbye under the waterfall always gets me crying: “No matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you!” However, the love story between Alice Munroe and Uncas is equally fascinating. They do not speak to one another, but between them we feel a strong love. Alice’s actions in the face of losing Uncas is one of the most moving moments in any romantic film—shocking in its youthful foolishness, touching in is emotional weight.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

I am flying my geek flag high. The tension and attraction between Han and Leia is one of the best parts of Empire. Fisher and Ford play it so beautifully: Leia angrily straining against Han’s advances, and Han being both obviously smitten and obviously annoyed with her. The moment Han and Leia part with the iconic “I love you-I know,” is powerfully romantic. To Ford’s credit, it was his ad-lib, and it is perfect for the characters. We watch them waste time arguing–and in a brief, pained goodbye they sum up the fiery but tender force of their relationship.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 15th, 2008 at 8:02 and is filed under Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.