Put Kate Winslet and Idris Elba as two strangers on a plane, crash land them on an isolated frozen mountain, make them fight for survival whilst also falling in love with one another and what you’ve got are the ingredients of a stirring romantic adventure film.
With The Mountain Between Us arriving in cinemas today, here are five other romantic drama films you should check out before it’s release if you’re a fan of this particular genre…
Always (1989)
Released seven months prior to mega-blockbuster hit Ghost, Always is a much maligned supernatural gem from director Steven Spielberg. Richard Dreyfuss delivers a charming performance as Pete, an aerial firefighter killed on a water bombing mission who returns from the afterlife as a ghost only to watch his girlfriend Dorinda (Holly Hunter) fall in love with another man.
Spielberg crafts a soulful love story, swooning the heart during a scene early in the film as Pete and Dorinda slow dance together to ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ by The Platters, and stirring melancholy with Audrey Hepburn playing an ethereal angel who must encourage Pete to put Dorinda’s best interests before his own.
Always is a touching supernatural romance about loving those around you in life and in death. A surprisingly grounded film that embraces the little moments in life and a fine entry in Spielberg’s filmography that’s totally worth your time.
Like Crazy (2011)
Like Crazy depicts the story of Anna (Felicity Jones), a British student studying in the United States who falls in love with an American student Jacob (the late Anton Yelchin) and is denied access back into the country after overstaying her visa.
Some have seen Like Crazy as an interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, replacing the feud of the Capulet’s and Montague’s with the barrier of border control and the expansive mass of the Atlantic Ocean. Instantly relatable to a generation of youth who may be allergic to Shakespeare, Jones and Yelchin shine brightly in this realistic modern romance that is about patience and perseverance when unwillingly separated from the one you love.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
It amazes me there are still people who haven’t seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. If you’re one of those people – what’s wrong with you? Or did you go to Lacuna, Inc to wipe the memory of ever seeing it?
Jim Carrey leads an excellent cast as a Joel, a mild mannered man who bleaches his brain clean of the memories of former lover Clementine (Kate Winslet) in an attempt to move on with his life. Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry’s tight and meticulous script and asks deep philosophical questions to understand how love shapes human beings.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at heart is a movie that celebrates the complications of love and how lack of perfection in people is what defines the beauty inside them.
Blue Valentine (2010)
Shot on 16mm film and a Red One digital camera to represent two different timelines, director Derek Cianfrance structures Blue Valentine to examine the decay of Cindy and Dean’s (played by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling respectively) relationship over the course of five years, from its hopeful start all the way to its bitter and uncomfortable end.
Blue Valentine isn’t an easy watch, but it’s an honest film that explores what it means to fall out of love with someone by finding out what made you fall in love with them in the first place. Michelle Williams got a deserved Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role as Cindy which cemented her status as one of the finest actresses of this generation alongside Ryan Gosling who proved he wasn’t just the pretty boy from The Notebook.
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Regarded as one of the definitive epic romances, it would be sacrilege to not mention Doctor Zhivago on this list.
Omar Sharif plays the titular Zhivago; a married man who falls in love with the wife of a political revolutionary (played by the radiant Julie Christie) while facing the backdrop of Russia in the First World War and the Red October Revolution. Epic in scale and emotion, Doctor Zhivago is a film deeply enriched with visual splendour, each frame a perfect canvas, elevated by a magnificent score from Maurice Jarre and concise direction from the cinematic master that was David Lean.
Over three hours long, Doctor Zhivago is the perfect Sunday afternoon movie that sits proudly alongside such epics as Gone with the Wind and Titanic.
Did we miss any classic romances from the list? What did you think of The Mountain Between Us? Let us know…