Love Story (1970)

A boy and a girl from different backgrounds fall in love regardless of their upbringing - and then tragedy strikes.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Erich Segal

Stars:

Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal, John Marley

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ali MacGraw	...	Jenny
Ryan O'Neal	...	Oliver
John Marley	...	Phil
Ray Milland	...	Oliver Barrett III
Russell Nype	...	Dean Thompson
Katharine Balfour	...	Mrs. Barrett (as Katherine Balfour)
Sydney Walker	...	Dr. Shapeley
Robert Modica	...	Dr. Addison
Walker Daniels	...	Oliver's Roommate, Ray
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Oliver's Roommate, Hank (as Tom Lee Jones)
John Merensky	...	Oliver's Roommate, Steve
Andrew Duncan	...	Rev. Blauvelt
Charlotte Ford	...	Clerk
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:

tragedy | death | ice hockey | rich boy poor girl | male female relationship | 

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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:

Corona Del Mar, Newport Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$106,400,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$136,400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,Love Story Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scenes with Oliver walking alone through a snowy New York were added after principal photography was completed. The production was almost out of money and did not have the necessary funds for permits to shoot in New York City again - so all the shots were grabbed "illegally" using a skeleton film crew and Ryan O'Neal.

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Goofs

In the hospital scene towards the end, Jenny's hair on the left side of the pillow keeps changing position every time the camera angle changes, although she herself has presumably not moved.

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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

Unusually, for a movie released in the early 1970s, there were no opening credits after the title has been shown.

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Connections

Referenced in La vedova del trullo (1979)

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Soundtracks

Skating in Central Park
(uncredited)
Written by John Lewis

User Reviews

Timeless classic!

Very pleasant surprised by this wonderful and brilliantly acted "Love Story". Owkay, the title captures everything of the movie. You instantly know what it is about. But that doesn't bother. This movie is almost twice my age and before I started watching this movie, I wasn't sure if I would like it. After all, I want a movie to be recognizable (at least with a movie about a love story, I'm not talking about movies in general. You can't expect a movie like "The Godfather" to be recognizable) and the acting has to be real. With certain movies from a couple of decennia ago, I sometimes have the feeling the acting isn't real, you're all the time aware of the fact that they are acting, and I think a movie can't have that.

The acting here was amazing. Ali MacGraw as well as Ryan O'Neal were both excellent in their roles as Jenny and Oliver. I thought both fathers were quite good as well, specially Jenny's father Phil, performed by John Marley, who surely deserved his Academy Award Nomination. The music was also terrific in this movie. I think it's, beside the acting, one of the most important points to make this movie timeless.

Unfortunately, this movie became the only success of the leading actors. It could have been the beginning of a brilliant acting career, but "Love Story" became the highlight of their career. To conclude I can only repeat that "Love Story" is a brilliant and timeless romantic classic!

Watch this movie! 9/10