Snuggle up with these films on Valentine’s Day
Looking for the perfect thing to watch this Valentine’s Day? Movies about love are abundant on streaming services. But the question remains: Which is the best?
Kimberly Miller, department chairwoman and professor of communication at Grove City College who has a Ph.D. in English, has been teaching film courses for 15 years. She said there are certain aspects of a film that will categorize it as romantic.
“I would say obviously it needs a relationship that is either already established in the main narrative or, more likely, it’s being sought after,” Miller said. “Sometimes it’s not even part of the main narrative but it’s a subplot that the character ends up desiring.”
Within the romantic film genre, there are subcategories of romantic comedies and romantic dramas, Miller said.
“A romantic drama has different emotional aspects, (romance) might not be the main experience; it's a more sobering emotional experience,” Miller said.
According to the American Film Institute, “Casablanca” is the highest rated romantic film of all time, while website rottentomatoes.com rates “It Happened One Night” as No. 1, with “Casablanca” taking second.
Miller said both films deserve a place at the top because of their loyalty to the genre and their continued resonance with a modern audience.
“In both (films) there's a sense of timelessness and element of self sacrifice involved on behalf of the other person, or willingness to self examine and change for the relationship,” she said. “There are similarities to both that would put them at the top. There are themes in both films that resonate today.”
“Casablanca” also holds a top spot on the Film Institute’s “Greatest Film of All Time” list. Miller said audiences may argue whether "Casablanca“ can count as a romantic film because the film’s main focus is not romance.
““Casablanca,” is an unbelievable film. It’s timeless and it crosses different genres and speaks to so many different people,” Miller said. “It’s more sobering of the two ... the romance is a subplot in it. The main thrust isn’t about that, but the characters are acting in a way that reflects that it’s a part of it. So the question could be: Is it a romantic film or not?”
“It Happened One Night“ is what Miller considers to be the most romantic film, for a few reasons.
“”It Happened One Night“ is meant to be more lighthearted. It was made in 1934 and when I show it to students they see this idea of falling in love on a road trip and a couple at odds with each other that still resonates today. And it’s still funny today,” Miller said. “Every time I watch it, I have an emotional reaction.”
Miller said she also recommends “The Princess Bride” as most romantic, as well as a few other unconventional romances that deserve recognition.
“’When a Man Loves a Woman’ is not a romance in the traditional sense. But when you talk about sacrificial and dedicated love and getting through the hard parts of marriage, it’s up there,” Miller said. “’It’s a Wonderful Life’ even is a beautiful love story ... And in ‘On Golden Pond’ we’re looking at a couple out of what you’d normally see in Hollywood. But in it, you see in the tough stuff of life is when love really happens.”
Kimberly Miller is the mother of Eagle staff writer Molly Miller.
