What are YOUR favorite love stories?

Recently I asked my FB friends what their favorite romantic films and books are. Here are some of their responses:

Books: Pablo Neruda's 100 Love Sonnets, A Veil of Roses, High Fidelity, Pride and Prejudice, Bridges of Madison County, and Dear John among others. My personal all time favorite book which just happens to be utterly romantic is Jane Eyre with Wuthering Heights a close second. (Hip hip hooray for the Bronte sisters!)

Films drew an interesting array of responses: Return to Me, Always, Before Sunset, Pretty Woman, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Casablanca, Spellbound, When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Somewhere in Time, Pride and Prejudice, 9-1/2 Weeks, Dangerous Beauty, Under the Tuscan Sun, The Notebook, Tristan and Isolde, Letters to Juliet among others. Most everyone said they could watch their favorite romantic film over and over. We have an Ingrid Bergman fan, too! And by the way, one of my favorite romantic films is Notorious, with Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. The poster shown here is the original French version of the film. I bought the poster in Paris many moons ago in one of those tiny, dusty shops where the owner peeks out from behind a cluttered counter. Romantique!

My husband likes the film Eye of the Needle with Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan. It helps that the film takes place in WWII, as my husband is a history buff.

My nineteen year old son thinks the current film, Blue Valentine is very representative of relationships. I haven't seen the movie yet. And being his mom, I'm a bit afraid to see it. Some things moms just don't want to know.

Recently I watched the movie, Valentine's Day for the first time. With a huge cast, the film chronicles the highs, lows and inbetweens of people of all ages as they get through another Valentine's Day with all of its expectations and disappointments. I thought the film was okay; what really got my attention, however, was that both my high school and the hotel in Beverly Hills where my mother worked, were used as settings in the film. It was like watching my childhood! What a coincidence! Cool.

I could go on and on about my favorite romantic films. My all-time favorite is West Side Story, with its nod to the tragic Romeo and Juliet and its brilliant music, lyrics and choreography. Here are a few more: Bridges of Madison County, The Horse Whisperer, Notorious (as mentioned above), Sense and Sensibility...oh, dear, I could go on and on. Also, after watching the BBC production of Jane Eyre I couldn't stop crying. I know this is old fashioned of me, but crying is my romantic barometer!

Thanks to all of my friends for taking the time to participate in my incredibly informal survey! I will close with one of the most romantic poems every written, "How do I love thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861).

"How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death."