My Personal Favorites - Part III
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
I fell in love with Audrey Hepburn when I saw this film, and even if I didn't quite see the attraction between her character and Peppard's, it's still irresistable.
West Side Story (1961)
If Romeo and Juliet isn't romantic, I don't know what is. Natalie Wood may not be Puerto Rican, but she's still to die for. And the music doesn't hurt, either.
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
Natalie Wood was even more vulnerable, and a lot more believable, in this film (also with a Romeo and Juliet plot), and Warren Beatty's role (his big screen debut) was actually written for him by playwright William Inge. Elia Kazan directed, his last success before his HUAC testimony did him in.
Irma La Douce (1963)
The combination of Shirley MacLaine as the cutest hooker you ever saw and Jack Lemmon as a clueless gendarme turned clueless pimp is tres appealing. For more of this perfect romantic comedy pairing, try The Apartment (1960), too.
The King of Hearts (Le Roi de Coeur) (1966)
If you don't love this film, you must be crazy (inside joke). And if you don't fall in love with Geneviève Bujold, then you'll fall in love with Alan Bates.
Annie Hall (1977)
As romantic as Woody gets. On the screen, anyway.
A Little Romance (1979)
This almost breaks my rule about not being sappy, but Olivier is so good at what he does, and Diane Lane is so cute, that it pulls up just short of sappy and arrives at charming.
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Few comedians are funnier than Billy Crystal, and no actress in the 80s was cuter than Meg Ryan, and together they're almost perfect. This title is a little newer than the movies we normally cover (it's just become 20 years old this year), but it says a lot about modern romance and has great classic sensibility.
Part I - 1934-1944
Part II - 1946-1960
Part III
Other Classic Movie Checklists that you'll enjoy.
