Casablanca (1942)

At the height of World War II, people are flooding to Casablanca in order to escape the Nazi regime. In the midst of it all, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) finds himself in the centre of a conspiracy and torn by an unexpected reunion with his lost love Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). The quintessential love story of the silver screen, Casablanca is ranked as the American Film Institute’s number one film love story.

 

Lost in Translation (2003)

What makes this film so great is how much it seems to say by saying almost nothing at all. A declining movie star (Bill Murray) encounters a neglected newlywed (Scarlett Johansson) in Tokyo, where they share their loneliness and find more in life than they have found in years.

The only share a kiss twice before the closing credits, but the subtlety with which the story is handled makes them one of the most revealing couples to be shown in film.

 

Before Sunrise (1995)

On a train from Budapest to Vienna, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet by pure coincidence. They immediately connect and spend the rest of the journey talking, and upon leaving the train, they explore Vienna together. It’s the fairytale love story where two people live happily ever after, except that Jesse must fly back to United States in the morning. They know that this will probably be the last time they ever see each other.

 

Dr. Zhivago (1965)

A truly epic love story, Dr. Zhivago tells the story of two lovers in Russia during the tumultuous Russian revolution. Beginning before World War I, the film follows a string of interwoven plots to uncover the star-crossed, yet ill fated love between Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) and Tonya Komarova (Rita Tushingham) as they are tossed about by the dramatic social changes in Russia after the fall of the Tsar.

 

The Princess Bride (1987)

This movie begins with a simple love story, out in the country, between Buttercup (Robin Wright) and her farm hand Westley (Cary Elwes). However, things go horribly wrong and Buttercup is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). In order to rescue his love, Westley beats a giant in hand to hand combat, challenges a Sicilian to a battle of wits, and even overcomes death itself (with a little help from Billy Crystal).

 

Annie Hall (1977)

This Woody Allen feature is probably the odd one out. Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) are not meant for each, their relationship doesn’t work, and by the end, they are both happy with other people. Along the way, though, their relationship is full of passion and hilarity, even if it is doomed to fail.

 

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Based on a Pulitzer Prize winning Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire presents one of the most iconic love stories in film; however, it’s the tragic, yet passionate love between Stella (Kim Hunter) and Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando) that stand out in this film, not that of main character Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh). Marlon Brando’s delivery of “Stella!” is one of the most recognizable lines in movie history.

 

Ghost (1990)

It is said that love knows no boundaries. In Ghost, not even death can get in the way. After an apparent mugging, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) discovers that he is a ghost and that his death wasn’t an unlucky coincidence. He then struggles against his physical limitation in order to discover the truth and protect his love, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore). Ultimately his love gives him the strength to overcome.

 

West Side Story (1961)

Never was a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo, but that of Tony and Maria comes close. Set in the West Side of Manhattan in the summer of 1957, Tony and Maria fall desperately in love, despite the gang war between the whites and the Puerto Ricans that rages around them. The fighting between the two gangs leads their romance to a bitter end, but in turn their love ultimately brings the violence to an end.

 

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013)

Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) and Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara) are two outlaws in love. During a shootout with police, Ruth ends up killing an officer. To protect his love, Bob takes the fall, and the two are separated. Bob is looking at spending most of the rest of his life in jail, until he learns that he and Ruth have a daughter. This leads him to break out of jail and journey across Texas to reunite with his family. Is it enough to save their family? You’ll have to wait until this weekend to find out…

 

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints opens in cinemas 6th September.