Love Story (1970)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Erich Segal (written by)

Release Date:

16 December 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love means never having to say you're sorry

Plot:

Harvard Law student/hockey jock (Oliver Barrett IV) meets Radcliffe music wonk (Jennifer Cavalleri)...

Plot Keywords:

Harvard | Marriage | Teacher | Dying Young | Wedding

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Ali MacGraw	...	Jennifer Cavalleri
Ryan O'Neal	...	Oliver Barrett IV
John Marley	...	Phil Cavalleri
Ray Milland	...	Oliver Barrett III
Russell Nype	...	Dean Thompson
Katharine Balfour	...	Mrs. Barrett (as Katherine Balfour)
Sydney Walker	...	Dr. Shapely
Robert Modica	...	Dr. Addison
Walker Daniels	...	Ray Stratton
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Hank Simpson (as Tom Lee Jones)
John Merensky	...	Steve
Andrew Duncan	...	Reverend Blauvelt
Charlotte Ford	...	Clerk, Mount Sinai Hospital
Sudie Bond		(as Sudi Bond)
Julie Garfield

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and a love scene.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Sweden:Btl | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Norway:11 (re-rating) | Norway:7 (original rating) | Peru:PT | UK:PG | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (2000) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

119 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Love Story Company

Trivia:

The movie's line "Love means never having to say you're sorry." was voted as the #13 movie quote by the American Film Institute

Goofs:

Continuity: Camera shadow on street and car when they are talking about naming the baby Bozo.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Oliver Barrett IV: What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful and brilliant? That she loved Mozart and Bach, the Beatles, and me?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Frucht der Gewalt (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Search for Jenny

Love means never having to say you're sorry?

What a bunch of baloney!! And it was a tagline that became as famous as the movie itself.

"Love Story" is a simple tale of young love defeated by death. It's not deep and the characters are not very appealing for a movie that depends on us loving them enough to hurt when they do. Ryan O'Neal's character is a spoiled, sniveling rich boy who falls in love with the opinionated, bitchy Ali MacGraw.

I think the big problem with the film is that MacGraw's character is so abrasive it's difficult to muster up enough sympathy for the ladder part of the film when she lays dying in a hospital. Even as she lays dying she is still strong enough to spout her opinions and swear like a truck driver (well, like a truck driver in a 1970 PG rated movie).

O'Neal comes off far better and we do have sympathy for him. It also helps that the beautiful musical score is played over every touching scene to help underscore our emotions.

Watching "Love Story" today it is easy to see why it was a blockbuster back then. All the ingredients were there. It will move you. For some hard nosed viewers it may just move you on to the next channel.