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A Little Romance
Studio: Warner Bros.
Year: 1979
Rated: PG
Film Length: 108 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (2.35:1)
Subtitles: English and Spanish
I can't tell you how many times I passed up the
opportunity to watch A Little Romance during
the many years it appeared on cable television
shortly after its 1979 theatrical run. To be honest,
I never was much into romance pictures, and it just
wasn't the macho kind of film for this guy in his 20s
to want to watch.
Now that I am a little older and a little wiser,
I didn't hesitate to pick A Little Romance
out of my current selection of Warner screeners.
After just having watched it, I can't believe I
waited this long to see this remarkable and deeply
personal little film.
Lauren King (Diane Lane) is a seventh grader who
lives in Paris with her mother and her third father.
While Mom goes crazy for a young film director, her
daughter is reading Heidegger and finding it hard
to fit in with her peers at the private school she attends.
One afternoon Lauren meets Daniel (Thelonious Bernard),
a French boy her own age who escapes from his drunken
father by going to the movies. Daniel is very much
like her, they soon become quick friends and have
many interesting conversations. After a while, they
become inseparable. Lauren's Mother is not very
happy about the budding romance, and when her Step Dad
gets a new job in Houston, the two kids are heartbroken.
Enter Julius (Sir Lawrence Olivier), an endearing
old dreamer/pickpocket who befriends the young
lovers and regales them with his stories of love.
He tells them, "If two young lovers kiss on a
gondola under the Bridge of Sighs when the evening
bells of the Basilica tolls at Twilight, they will
love each other forever." The two teens, with the
help of Julius, run away to Venice to be together
one last time under the Bridge of Sighs to vow
their love once and forever. While there are many
obstacles standing in Lauren and Daniels way, the
two race against time to reach the bridge by sundown.
If there was ever a film to remind you of your very
first love, this is the one. It's remarkable to find
that one of the best coming of age love stories
ever told is to be found in this very little film.
Diane Lane is absolutely sensational in her film
debut and the chemistry between the young teens is
nothing short of remarkable.
How is the transfer?
Overall, I would rate this transfer very good, though
unfortunately, I am going to have to be nit picky. The
good news is that the picture quality is well above
average for what you would expect from a 70s film.
Picture is very clear and images are very sharp.
Colors are also very bright and vibrant throughout.
The problem is, it *seems* that in order to bring
out a high level of sharpness, it seems that there
is added background video noise introduced. The noise
becomes a little bothersome, because it nearly ruins
nicely detailed scenes. The print also suffers from
numerous nicks and other assorted blemishes that show
up throughout. Flesh tones also tend to run a
little red. Reading this all, you probably have
doubts about the quality of this transfer. You
shouldn't. The transfer is probably the best it has
ever looked anywhere, but I could not give it a full
green-lit review without pointing out its flaws.
The mono soundtrack is very clean and detailed,
coming across the front channels with a nice amount
of fidelity and no background hiss.
Special Features
Warner Bros. has provided a few subtle extras here to
make the purchase of this DVD even more satisfying.
Truly wonderful, Remembering Romance with Diane
Lane is a wonderful retrospective by the actress
who recalls what it was like being 13, and selected
to co-star in a major feature film that starred none
other than Laurence Olivier. Diane has such warm
memories of her experiences -- mainly playing opposite
"Larry" Olivier who was so down to earth. She also
talks about her character and some of the difficult
moments she had expressing her feelings on camera.
This film marked a very special point in her life --
it was a moment when her childhood was ending and her
movie career was just beginning. You'll enjoy sharing
some emotional memories with the actress.
(length: approx. 6.5 minutes)
Making Romance consists of pages of production
notes that tell how director George Roy Hill took
French author Patrick Cauvin's novel and adapted it
for the screen.
Retro Artwork is a collection of different
poster designs done for various markets. Unfortunately,
these pictures run on a timed cycle so don't attempt
to manually browse through them using your remote
or you will miss many images in the progress.
The film's original theatrical trailer is
included here as well as a cast and crew
filmography and the often wasted space fiven to
a dedicated awards page.
Final Thoughts
Please do yourself a favor and pick up A Little
Romance, a sweet and endearing tale of first love
that you will soon not forget. It's a movie that will
just make you feel good all over!
Release Date: January 7, 2003
All screen captures have been further compressed.
They are for illustrative purposes only and do not
represent actual picture quality
