Top Five Movie Love Stories

There are thousands of love stories in movies - but in my opinion there are only 5 movie love stories that truly pull at the heart strings, and show love beyond something shallow, cursory, and fleeting. The following is my list of the top 5 love stories in movies, and why I think everyone should see them, at least once. These five movie love stories fall into several niches - from straight drama to romantic farce - but each brings to the viewer subtle, and powerful, portrayals of what is about.

Casablanca (1942) is the ALL TIME greatest movie love story. The idealistic-but-embittered and, on the surface, ultra-cynical Rick Blain (Humphrey Bogart) is forced to choose between the love of his life Ilse Lund (Ingrid Bergman) - and what is right. Throughout this classic film, we get glimpses of the true romantic lying inside the hard-boiled bar owner, who would seemingly sell out his own mother to the Nazis.

Shakespeare In Love (1998) is a delightful story, allegedly explaining the true background on the inspiration for the Bard of Avon when he crafted the first romantic masterpiece of his life, "Romeo and Juliet." A period piece, obviously, the portrayal of the young Shakespeare by Joseph Fiennes is at times over the top, but neatly balanced by the understated portrayal of his doomed love interest, Viola de Lesseps, by Gwyneth Paltrow. A nice cameo by Dame Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth closes off the film.

An Affair to Remember (1957) with Carey Grant and Deborah Kerr is about two star-crossed lovers who meet by chance, and make a pact to meet six months later atop the Empire State Building should their love for each other be real, if the fates allow. At times silly, the character studies by both Grant and Kerr and the internal turmoil they each face on whether or not to be there on New Year's Eve to see the other are truly masterful.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (1967) is set during the turmoil of the racial bigotry still running rampant in the United States at the time of its making, and tells the tale of a bi-racial couple meeting her aristocratic parents for the first time. Sidney Poitier and Spencer Tracy dominate this film, but the subtler and lighter touches by Katherine Hepburn in her attempts to come to grips with the concept of her little girl marrying a "man of color" are what grip you during this story.

Pride and Prejudice (2005) is based on the Jane Austen novel of five sisters, all desperately seeking to marry well to a man of station to ensure their family estate remains with on of them. The prideful Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightly) runs afoul of the prejudice of wealthy and cynical Fitzwilliam Darcy (Matthew Macfayden), but as the two become thrown together by circumstance, they finally overcome their own self-imposed societal obstacles and realize they are in love.