With a handful of coveted bronze statues being awarded to the past year’s best films, actors and directors on March 7, we’ve come up with our very own category of nominations dedicated to the fastest growing audience of movie watchers, the baby boomers.
With nearly 76 million boomers in the country, movie viewing and box office attendance will most likely see a huge surge as this group transitions from raising a family to empty nesters. “I loved going to the movies before my kids were born,” said Ellen T., a mother of two whose children are now college. “But, between soccer games and dance competitions, I never had the time.” Her husband Ed chimed in, “We’re catching up on the past twenty years,” he chuckled.
If you’re like Ellen and Ed, it’s time to get the romance back by cuddling up to this top ten list of the most memorable romantic movie moments.
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Let’s state the obvious first. What women wouldn’t want to spend a day being Scarlett O’Hara? This is a love story that started in 1939 and continues to be a favorite in homes today. Winner of ten academy awards including best picture, this film teaches us that love can be powerful. The way Rhett Butler talks to Scarlett, asks her to be his, sweeps her up, and carries her up the stairs are movie moments that can’t be forgotten.
Casablanca (1942)
One of the most romantic movies ever made. Casablanca is a story about a love triangle. The main characters Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are old lovers who meet up again when Bergman, married to Paul Henreid, stumbles into a bar in Casablanca, owned by Bogart’s character. The sexual tension and romantic conflict in this movie have us wanting them to reunite. But, the most emotional scene comes at the end when Bogie says, “good-bye” and makes one of the most difficult decisions to let Bergman go even though he still loves her.
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Winner of eight Oscars, this film is best remembered for the romantic kissing-scene on the beach between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. “Nobody ever kissed me the way you do,” says Kerr as they contemplate their heated adulterous affair.
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Dr. Zhivago with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie is a film that most boomers fell in love to when they were young. The movie, set around the Russian Revolution follows the story of poet-doctor Zhivago who is married but falls in love with a nurse (Lara) played by Christie. The theme song, “Lara’s Song” known as one of the most romantic songs in a movie, won an Oscar. According to a Blockbuster survey, the most romantic scene is when Sharif and Christie are at the frozen country estate and he writes her a poem.
Romancing the Screen: 10 Most Magical Movies of All Time:
Love Story (1970)
This is an extremely emotional movie about two young college-aged student’s who fall in love against all odds. The main characters, Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neal decide to marry, even at the disapproval of O’Neal’s wealthy family. But, when McGraw is diagnosed with a terminal illness, O’Neal needs his father’s support. One of the greatest lines to come out of this film is “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” One of the most romantic scenes is when O’Neal is holding his dying lover. The American Film Institute says that the film is the most romantic movie of all times.
Say Anything (1989)
Entertainment Weekly’s pick for the best modern romance features one of the most iconic movie scenes of all times. John Cusack takes his boom box, raises it over his head and plays Peter Gabriel’s song “In Your Eyes” for his girlfriend after they’ve broken up. Most women can only wish for a gesture like that from their man.
Ghost (1990)
Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore light up the screen in this emotional tearjerker about a man killed on the street by a mugger who returns to earth to find the culprit and save his girlfriend from the same fate. The most romantic scene comes when Swayze and Moore are making pottery together and it progressively turns to a sensual love scene with “Unchained Melody” playing in the background.
