I think watching a film at home together is one of the most romantic things to do. With a glass or two of bubbly, some tasty nibbles (or even nibbling each other …), it makes for a wonderful Valentine’s evening in my book. I think it’s even better if your partner has chosen a classic film that he or she knows you absolutely love and could watch zillions of times (and already have) to enjoy together. Not only do you know they’re making a sacrifice in watching a film they may not love as much as you do, but you know they’ve taken the time and trouble to find something that you really love.
If I was on my own, I would definitely choose to watch one of these too, and treat myself to a really nice drink and some expensive chocolates!
Here are my five all-time favourite films that I would love to watch on Valentine’s.
1. The Way We Were
I don’t know how many times I’ve watched this film, but I still cry buckets at the end. Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford put in a wonderful performance as the ill-fated, mismatched lovers, and the plot and the scenes are pure class. I particularly love the bits during the war when Robert Redford is in the Navy. There are very few people who look as good in a uniform as he does!
2. Rocco and His Brothers
I saw this film when I was a young student in Finland and I fell in love with Visconti’s direction on the spot. I’ve always been a lover of Italian culture and this brutal and dramatic film about five brothers who move from Puglia to Milan to escape joblessness and poverty, is an Italian gem. If you’ve never seen this film, please get it on DVD and watch it now.
3. An Officer and a Gentleman
This choice is a bit cheesy, but I cannot exclude this film from any list of romantic films! It came out at a time when I was madly in love with my Navy Officer, and, well, if you’ve read any of the books in The Englishman series, you know there are some similarities in the story line.
Zack Mayo is a young man who has signed up for Navy Aviation Officer Candidate School. He is a Navy brat who has a bad attitude problem. Sgt Foley is there to train and evaluate him and will clearly find Zack wanting. Zack meets Paula, a girl who has little beyond family and must decide what it is he wants to do with his life.
4. Elvira Madigan
This Swedish film is a tragic tale of love and it’s beautifully shot. The music is divine too.
Hedvig Jensen (Pia Degermark) has been performing as a tightrope walker under the name Elvira Madigan for years. When she meets Lieutenant Sixten Sparre (Thommy Berggren) in the Danish countryside, the two fall in love and decide to run away together. Sixten, an army deserter, has trouble finding work, and the couple face hard times. Then Sixten meets an old friend who questions his choices and urges him to leave Hedvig before their life becomes even tougher.
5. Summer with Monika
To me this classic Ingmar Bergman film is post-war Sweden in a can. My mum told me that when the film came out in the 1950s it was considered scandalous, with all the sex scenes it included. Of course, now it looks pretty lame. Still, it’s a tragic tale of young love, and very well shot. The surrounding beautiful Swedish archipelago is a bonus!
Harry Lund, a nineteen-year-old falls for a seventeen-year-old Monika and together they decide to escape their dull lives and spend a summer on an island. Things soon turn sour when they run out of food and realise Monika is pregnant. The only way out of the situation is to get back to their boring jobs in the small town they left behind, but Monika just wants to have fun.
Click on the images or titles above to get these films in time for Valentines!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my film choices. Now over to you; which films would you love to watch on Valentine’s?
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