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Best Tragic Love Story on DVD (1 Viewer)

Jefe Noche

Stunt Coordinator
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Feb 5, 2002
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Leaving Las Vegas
Punch Drunk Love
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Leon: The Professional
Magnolia
 

Charles Ellis

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What's wrong with you guys? No one has mentioned An Affair To Remember, let alone the original Love Affair! And what about Random Harvest?

I'm praying for Warners to release The Enchanted Cottage (with Robert Young & Dorothy McGuire), Camille,and Queen Christina (with Garbo's 100th birthday this year, they're probably being readied for release as we speak- right, Mr. Feltenstein?), but there are two films in the Warner library that may not be as well known as the above but are great examples of tragic love in the grand Hollywood manner:

All This And Heaven, Too - an alltime favorite starring Bette Davis & Charles Boyer. Once you see this Anatole Litvak-directed epic, you'll wonder why Davis & Boyer didn't work together again as the chemistry is fantastic. Based on a true story, Davis is the spinsterish governess to the children of Boyer as the Duc dePraslin (prounounced "prallan") in 1840s Paris. The problem here is the Duchess, the jealous and bitchy Frances, played by Barbara O'Neil in a great Oscar-nominated performance. (Those of you who only know her as Scarlett's saintly mom in GWTW are in for quite a shock!) Frances bitterly accuses Henriette Deluzy-Deportes (Davis) of stealing away the affections of her husbands and kids, so she fires her and the Duc responds to this by- well, it is a tragic romance!!

The other film that you may have not heard of is Between Two Worlds, with Paul Heinreid and one of the most underrated leading ladies of Hollywood's Golden Age, Miss Eleanor Parker (I am proud to say that there's an inscribed photo of her on my bedroom wall!). This unusual wartime romance/fantasy has Heinried and Parker as a married couple in London who may or may not have perished in a car wreck. The next thing you know, they find themselves in a secluded hotel with John Garfield, Sara Allgood, George Tobias, Edmund Gwenn and Sydney Greenstreet as their mysterious host. The title gives away the plot to a degree (it's somewhat similar to Lubitsch's Heaven Can Wait [to be released this year by FOX- yes!!] and Powell & Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death), but it's a gem worth looking for.

Before I go, two other Warner classics that are classics of the "tragic romance" genre that have yet to be released in ANY home video format:

One Way Passage(1932) starring Kay Francis & William Powell, and its 1940 remake 'Til We Meet Again starring Merle Oberon and George Brent
 

MarkHastings

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Has anyone seen Stealing Home with Jodi Foster and Mark Harmon. Unfortunately the DVD is P&S, but I loved that movie SO much, I HAD to buy it.

It's truly a great tear jerker.
 

Steven Piquet

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Sep 7, 2004
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Two modern masterpieces by Kieslowski:

Three Colours Blue
A Short Film About Love

and one from Cronenberg

Deadringers
 

Ray H

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I thought The Notebook was pretty tragic. They finally get together, but she gets Alzhemiers later in life so she doesn't remember any of it.

The Remains of the Day was sad. I guess it's the lack of love but all these missed opportunities get to me.

Cinema Paradiso: The New Version is also very sad to me.
 

Mark_vdH

Screenwriter
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May 9, 2001
Messages
1,035
My favorites:

Dangerous Liaisons
Turkish Delight (Turks Fruit)
Brief Encounter
Casablanca
Breaking the Waves
Gone with the Wind
Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du Paradis)
The Age of Innocence
 

Travis Brashear

Screenwriter
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Oct 31, 1999
Messages
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Yet another vote for TITANIC.

Yo, Mark_vdH, why the LOLITA icon but no mention of said film for this list? Romances don't usually get as tragic as the one in LOLITA...
 

Mark_vdH

Screenwriter
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I actually had that in my response, but decided to delete it. I guess because I felt it wasn't the sort of tragic love story tragic love story lovers love to watch. ;)
 

David Coleman

Supporting Actor
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Jan 5, 2000
Messages
764
LEGENDS OF THE FALL- I just love the story between Tristan and Susannah. It's tragic in that fate interfered to keep them apart and tragedy so they could never be together.

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS- So tragic cause at the end you feel they both compromised. That is a really tragic, hollow feeling.

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO- so sad in that the forbidden great love affair that fate would not allow it to be.

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE- Bond falls in love and gives up his life and his work for Tracy to only have tragedy befall at the end.
 

JohnRice

Bounded In a Nutshell
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I'll second:

Far from Heaven
Leaving las Vegas
Cinema Paradiso
(though I think I prefer the theatrical release)

and nobody mentioned:

Heathers ;)
 

JohnRice

Bounded In a Nutshell
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Also, on the topic of Romeo & Juliet, it is a tragedy regardless of who makes the movie adaptation. Just read the play.
 

WillardK

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 25, 2003
Messages
318
One of the very best from the 90's just got released (surprised it hasn't been mentioned actually):
My Own Private Idaho

more queer titles:
Velvet Goldmine
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Prick Up Your Ears
Law of Desire

and there's the excellent made for TV:
Soldier's Girl
 

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