WE WATCHED LOVE STORY ON THE BIG SCREEN AT A THEATRE LAST NIGHT.
When wealthy Harvard University law student Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O'Neal) meets Jenny Cavilleri (Ali MacGraw), a middle-class girl who is studying music at Radcliffe College, it's love at first sight. Despite the protests of Oliver's father (Ray Milland), the young couple marry. Oliver finds a job at a legal firm in New York City, but their happy life comes crashing down when it's discovered that Jenny has a terminal illness. Together, they try to cope with the situation as best they can.
50 years ago the movie, 'LOVE STORY' was on the big screens across the country at the movie theaters. It was 1970 and I was a youthful 14 year old. That famous saying, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." was uttered as a mantra by many. Looking at this saying seems like excusing wrong doing. Never acknowledging being wrong? Not having to tell someone sorry then getting away with a wrong doing because you love them, seems like foolishness to me.
BIBLE Scripture does say, LOVE covers a multitude of sin. This doesn't mean you never apologize.
I don't recall the movie's rating in 1970. It does have a scene with nudity in it. I did not remember this scene at all. Nor did I remember vulgar words throughout the film. THROUGH OUT the film.
Honestly, I believe the film was working at getting away with every curse word in the book. One must recall that 50 years ago curse words weren't the norm in a movie.
The year that the television program 'Dallas' used a curse word, decent folk were not comfortable with the word. He said what?!?!?From here it has gone downhill in the television shows. Easy accessibility to movies these days makes for keeping the raw verbiage out of the house very difficult.
Watching and listening to movies do plant seeds. As do music videos and people in general.
1939 movie GONE WITH THE WIND ends with Rhett Butler saying, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." This was considered rough language. 1939.
At present with the special anniversary LOVE STORY movie, I believe it's rated PG. Just before the movie started February 12th, 2020, trivia statement indicates that this movie is shown to incoming Harvard Freshmen during the first week of school. I suppose because some of the movie was filmed at Harvard?
Story line has two college students falling in love, playing in the snow, having sex in a Harvard dormitory room. I suppose this is the main reasons to show this movie to incoming Freshmen students to encourage falling in love, playing in the snow and having sex outside of marriage?
Jenny, the female role, in this movie is a smart mouthed aggressive. The male, Oliver is from a wealthy family that plays college hockey where he does not have a warm relationship with his father. The father tries to make amends with his son, but the son cannot see that and snubs his father's kindness. The female is outspoken and calls her dad by his first name. Both Jenny and Oliver do not believe in God although when saying their marriage vows, Jenny mentions angels in the poem. Okay. Alrighty then.
In reality at the time of the filming, the actress Ali was 30 years old playing a college student meaning that Ryan was about 28. They passed. It didn't hurt that Ali was so cute and Ryan handsome. Together they clicked and made a film winning one well deserved Academy Award for the music I believe it was. The music is beautiful. The acting...somewhat cheesy?
Love Story box office was $136.4 million. An instant box office hit.
In 2020, the film's theme music was played during the funeral procession of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Watching the movie last night, I realized that I remembered very little about the movie I watched in 1970. Hubby and I decided we'd go see the film since Valentine Day is coming and this movie is a LOVE STORY.
When my husband was a movie projectionist as a High School student he ran it and didn't watch it as a person in the auditorium. He didn't recall much about the movie either.
As I sat in the dark watching the movie, I was a bit taken back at the foul language. I truly didn't remember. Like seeing the movie for the first time. Ali MacGraw's clothing were darling for supposedly being a vey poor college girl. The language didn't add to the film.
Say what you will, but Ali's acting was not the best. It was rather bad. Of course this was 1970. Still she won some highly sought after awards.
Make-up artist let us down when Jenny was lying in a hospital bed dying from cancer. The character Jenny looked healthy not ill. Some called Jenny's illness the Elizabeth Arden Disease as she was so beautiful in the movie's near death scene and way too pretty for being someone who was dying.
I felt like I was watching a C-rated soap opera. The music was beautiful. Some of the scenes were nice. Over all...I'd give this film an I don't know what C-.
Perhaps you liked it. Perhaps not.
LOVE STORY.
The best part of the evening was being on a date with my Husband eating buttery popcorn in the dark. This was an A Plus.
d
