With pinks and reds and romance galore quickly approaching as Valentine’s Day draws nearer, the hopeless — or hopeful — romantics across the globe clamor for those swoon-worthy films to watch. And, at least in my eyes, some of the best stories seen in romantic films were drawn from novels, plays or novellas. As a nod to both Cupid and the great writers and filmmakers of today and yesteryear, here are 10 of the best film adaptations of romance literature (including prose and drama), in no particular order. Curl up with your babe or your box of chocolates and indulge in how heart-eyes emoji these can make you feel.
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Based on William Shakespeare’s 1595 play “Romeo and Juliet”
This Baz Luhrmann project, starring Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, takes on a fresh approach that has become unique to the director. Set in the slick and saturated suburb of Verona Beach, Romeo Montague (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet Capulet (Claire Danes) snake their way around their dueling, gun-wielding families, insistent that their love will conquer all. Though this is undoubtedly a tragedy as opposed to an out-and-out romance, the story of Romeo and Juliet’s torrid relationship has become iconic and intrinsically, if not mistakenly, linked to the romantic. Luhrmann’s modern spin on a classic in the literary canon is visually stunning, and the acting from DiCaprio and Danes is tender and powerful.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Loosely based on Truman Capote’s 1958 novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard star as Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak in this ’60s classic. Hepburn as Holly is twee but tough and wholly eccentric, and Peppard as Paul is her perfect counterpart. The pair zig-zag their way through Hollywood agents, Brazilian politician dynamos, plenty of hijinks, a few heartbreaks and one special Cracker Jack box ring until they realize what the audience has known since the beginning: how each balances the other.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Based on William Goldman’s 1973 novel “The Princess Bride”
This iconic fantasy-adventure film, adapted by Goldman himself from his own novel, has one of the most recognizable and most well-loved romances in film history. Any teen of the late ’80s or child of the ’90s remembers the unbreakable bond between Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) and the coy blond farm boy Westley (Cary Elwes) and knows that the three most poignant words that could ever be spoken are not “I love you,” but rather, “As you wish.” Not only are we gifted the great love between Buttercup and Westley, we get laughs and thrills from the suave Spanish fencer Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), giant Fezzik (Andre the Giant) and mob-style boss Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), who eventually help deliver Buttercup to her destiny.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
Based on Milan Kundera’s 1984 novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”
Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Tomas, a smart young surgeon living in Prague in the late 1960s. Tomas’s world collides with the beautiful and artistic Sabina’s (Lena Olin). Soon, the two embark on a tumultuous, almost doomed from the start relationship: they never want their enjoyment of one another to glide over boundary from the physical to the emotional. This no-strings-attached mentality is “lightness.” Lines are crossed and promises are broken as Tomas begins a new, grounded life with a new woman, Tereza (Juliette Binoche). But the pull to his old ways is inescapable, and the three struggle to maintain their bohemian ideals in a world whose events are beyond their control. This film is lush and nostalgic, and more about the idealism of love than of the “superiority” of sex over romance.
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Based on Jane Austen’s 1813 novel of manners “Pride and Prejudice”
Quite possibly one of the most recognizable romance novels in all of literary history, this mid-aughts adaptation of Jane Austen’s revered is touching and timeless. Keira Knightley shines as the candid Elizabeth Bennet who meets her match in Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen), a prim, polished and reserved man of serious social standing. Their chemistry is tangible and the glints of adoration between them are clear, but in 19th century England, socioeconomic status and the hierarchical organization of individuals is enough to split a pair in love over (of course) pride and prejudice.
Carol (2015)
Based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel “The Price of Salt,” published under her pseudonym Claire Morgan
In a gorgeous adaptation of queer romance novel “The Price of Salt,” Carol stars Cate Blanchett as Carol Aird, an elegant socialite who is completely taken by the shy aspiring photographer Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara). Aware of the consequences their relationship will have in fifties New York, Carol and Therese are hesitant at the outset, but their feelings simply cannot be masked.
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From TYF’s Best Movies of 2015: Breaking ground and hearts alike, Carol is as nuanced and buzzing as ever a romantic drama can be, weaving a tale of taboo something-like-love. The intimate story that quickly but quietly blossoms between Carol and Therese will touch you, and the sensation will linger long after the film’s almost-final words are spoken.
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Based on Helen Fielding’s 1996 novel “Bridget Jones’s Diary”
Technically, this early-2000s rom-com classic is an adaptation of an adaptation. Helen Fielding’s cheeky and honest novel “Bridget Jones’s Diary” is a modernization of none other than Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Renee Zellweger takes on the titular role of Bridget Jones, the arguably less put-together but just as extroverted counterpart to Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet. For the Mr. Darcy role, we have Colin Firth as Mark Darcy (fitting, no?) whose rigidity and apprehensions quickly melt under the warm and well-meaning fumbles of Bridget Jones herself. The most heart-touching line in the film? “I like you very much, just as you are.” Sigh.
About Last Night… (1986)
Based on David Mamet’s 1974 play “Sexual Perversity in Chicago”
This take on David Mamet’s off-Broadway play is something special. In 1980’s Chicago, Danny Martin (Rob Lowe) struggles to navigate the often choppy waters of sex and love. Enter Debbie (Demi Moore), a beautiful woman of the advertising world who falls deeply and quickly in lust with Danny after a one night stand, despite there being a lack of stimulating conversation or common interests between them. Five months, countless attempts at sabotage from the pair’s friends Joan (Elizabeth Perkins) and Bernie (James Belushi) and one painful realization later, there seems little hope for reconciliation or true romance. However, much to the relief of the audience, there is room for growth, adjustment and one more try. What’s so spectacular about this film is the reality of it all; it doesn’t pretend that love is uncomplicated or unflawed. About Last Night… has moxie and heart, only enriched by Moore and Lowe’s wonderful chemistry.
The Last Five Years (2014)
Based on Jason Robert Brown’s 2001 play “The Last Five Years”
OK, OK – I’m cheating a little bit with this one. Though it’s adapted from what is technically a musical, I had to include The Last Five Years, the story of creative couple Jamie Wellerstein (Jeremy Jordan), a Jewish novelist, and actress Cathy Hiatt (Anna Kendrick). Its told in reverse chronological order from Cathy’s perspective, starting at the end of the couple’s five-year marriage, and in chronological order from Jamie’s, beginning at, well, the beginning. At only one point in the film do we see Cathy and Jamie actually interact; the rest is the bittersweet tale of a relationship splintered. The Last Five Years is sharp and sometimes sour; it hits you in the exact place the present hurts, then leads you into an exuberant remembrance of the highs of the past. It is, in many ways, how we all look back on our lives: with a certain lens, in a certain manner highlighting certain memories we cannot shake from our heartstrings.
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The Notebook (2004)
Based on Nicholas Sparks’s 1996 novel “The Notebook”
This list just wouldn’t seem complete without including this Nicholas Sparks-adapted romance film that has seemed to move a generation. Even if you’ve never actually seen Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as Allie and Noah, a couple whose love is tested by social notions and 1940’s life in the American South, you know the basics of the story and how momentous it has been for the modern romantic movie industry. (Remember all the book-to-movie adaptations of not only Nicholas Sparks’s works but of many authors’s stories in the same genre?) Though the plot has moments that are a little tired, the relationship is made real and raw by McAdams and Gosling’s performances. It’s kind of iconic.
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