Love Story (1970)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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:

John Wayne refused to believe that Love Story (1970) "sold because the girl went around saying 'shit' all the way through it." Instead he believed that "the American public wanted to see a little romantic story."

Goofs:

Continuity: When Oliver talks with Phil at the hospital, his hand suddenly appears on Phil's shoulder.

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 Movie Music Mania (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Skating in Central Park

Best kind of tearjerker

I wasn't even alive when this came out. I'd never even really heard of MacGraw nor O'Neal before (though they both looked vaguely familiar). The "Love Story" theme, I was definitely aware of though.

I saw it for the first time in 2002, and bawled like hell. I saw it for the second time a few weeks ago (2005) and cried like a baby again. I instantly needed to get my DVD copy. My parents always say that they don't do movies (or music, for that matter) like they used to, and on this occasion, I had to agree.

The movie's premise is simple: the typical boy meets girl love story, with the cliché rich boy, poor girl angle. But I think its simplicity is part of what's so great about it. I fell in love with Oliver and Jenny (and as corny as it may sound, I think their undying love for each other is ultimately what we're all searching for), and their tragedy became my devastation as well. It's generally your typical soppy chick flick (with the exception that the pair don't "live happily ever after"), but probably the best one of its kind. A story like this has become so banal today, 35 or so years later, but it was surely one of the first of its kind. It hits all the right emotional buttons, and although I'm not one to usually cry over films, this one certainly had me in tears.

The two very attractive leads make a cute couple, and have good chemistry. O'Neal and MacGraw both turn in very solid performances, and I quite enjoyed the foul-mouthed MacGraw. Good writing, solid acting, great music (I could listen to the musical score all day), beautiful scenes.

I love "Love Story". Hee! 10 out of 10 from me.