Love Story (1970)

Harvard Law student Oliver Barrett IV and music student Jennifer Cavilleri share a chemistry they cannot deny - and a love they cannot ignore. Despite their opposite backgrounds, the young ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Erich Segal

Stars:

Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal, John Marley

Won 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Bystander at Harpsichord Concerto

Storyline

Harvard Law student Oliver Barrett IV and music student Jennifer Cavilleri share a chemistry they cannot deny - and a love they cannot ignore. Despite their opposite backgrounds, the young couple put their hearts on the line for each other. When they marry, Oliver's wealthy father threatens to disown him. Jenny tries to reconcile the Barrett men, but to no avail. Oliver and Jenny continue to build their life together. Relying only on each other, they believe love can fix anything. But fate has other plans. Soon, what began as a brutally honest friendship becomes the love story of their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

love | harvard | premarital sex | boys' choir | leukemia | 

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Taglines:

Love means never having to say you're sorry

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and a love scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Historia de amor

Filming Locations:

119 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$106,400,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Love Story Company, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Incoming freshman at Harvard University, where the movie takes place, are traditionally shown a screening of the film at which they indulge in ritualized mass heckling.

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Goofs

When Jennifer calls on the phone Oliver's father , the number she dials is 1-333-334.. (not in the visible frame), but the number Oliver told her to dial is 1-3383434.

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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?

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Crazy Credits

The Paramount logo only appears at the end of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Rubber (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Concerto No. 3 in D Major"
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

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.