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| Ryan O'Neil and Ali McGraw |
Screenplay: Erich Segal, based on his novel
Music: Francis Lai
Cinematography: Richard Kratina
Released: 16 December
Budget: $2.2 million
Box Office: $136.4 million
Jennifer Cavilleri...Ali McGraw
Oliver Barrett IV...Ryan O'Neil
Phil Cavilleri...John Marley
Oliver Barrett III...Ray Milland
Viewed today, Love Story and The Wild Bunch could be seen to come from different worlds and different eras, even though they were released a year apart. Ivy League Cambridge and Manhattan, rich preppy lawyers vs. the Mexican border, 1913, and...well, you know. In neither film is there a glimpse of what we may think of as the 1970 zeitgeist: hippies and the counterculture, Vietnam.
Or do I speak too quickly.
Actually, in Love Story, the Vietnam war is referenced quickly and subtly: over dinner or lunch at what we might assume to be the Harvard Club or some other snotty blue-blood eatery, Papa Barrett mentions that a friend of Oliver junior is going into "OCS", and young Oliver makes a quick comment about how that is not good. OCS is Officer Candidate School, a training program for officers-to-be in the Army; and that certainly means, in 1969-70, being sent to Vietnam. At some point as well, Ollie says to his father something along the lines of "At least I'm not marrying a hippie." And even though The Beatles are mentioned in the film, we never hear their music. We actually hear very little music (don't they own a stereo or a radio?).
And The Wild Bunch? Several of you brought up Vietnam in our discussion of it. Americans laying waste to a foreign country? A law that is corrupt? Outlaws who could be mistaken for a scruffy rock band? This is not a movie that reminds us of World War II.
1. What scene or moment in the movie stayed with you? What about it made it memorable?
2. The movies is shamelessly—or as Jack said, "unapologetically"—sentimental. Yet no one expressed any criticism of this in class. What allows this movie to get away with being so sentimental?
3. What does this movie say to us about 1970? In answering this, use three specific details from the film.
Write about 250 words.
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1. The first scene in the movie, with Jenny and Oliver’s first interaction really stuck with me. The way she judged him immediately for being rich but still flirted with him and called him “Preppy” was funny as well as interesting. Oliver seemed to be attracted to her because she did not play into the normal giggly college-age girl and instead seemed deeper, more intelligent and able to banter with him.
ReplyDelete2. The fact that it is sentimental but also has more emotions helps the movie get away with it. The viewer gets caught up in the relateable story and with that comes less criticism of the sentimentality. They (the viewer) see themselves in the characters and then feels less inclined to make fun of the sappiness. That, and it was still a sad movie so there really were multiple emotions rather than just a silly romance.
3. Love Story shows the stereotyped ideas of people from back in 1970. Oliver’s father expected him to carry on the family name the same way he did before him, and this is what causes their estrangement. Jenny’s father comes from a poorer background and is more accepting of Jenny and Oliver’s decision to marry. Also, Jenny was Catholic but gave up her faith, making her seem different from the traditional 1970s-era girl. But it is the fact that the characters are breaking free of their typical stereotypes that makes the movie seem so good.
1. At the beginning of the movie, Jennifer went to one of Oliver’s games where he was put in the penalty box. As he sat there, frustrated that he was taken out of a game he was so absorbed in, Jennifer came up to him and started to ask him questions. I was shocked when she did that. It just seems to show a lot about her character, someone who plays by her own rules, as going up to someone in the middle of their game is not exactly what I would deem socially acceptable. Because this occurs at the beginning of the movie, this scene really helps to set the scene and show Jennifer’s character as an independent woman. Also, it is cute.
ReplyDelete2. Because this is a love story, it seems fitting that this movie is sentimental as love, in at least some sense of the word, is related to emotions and tenderness. The movie is about two people who fall in love and then one of them dies a tragic death. Therefore, it feels justified that this movie is sentimental. But, it is interesting that in some parts of the movie, Oliver and Jennifer’s relationship is not very sappy or affectionate. Specifically, they tease each other in a way that, at some points, can even be perceived as rude, like when Oliver repeatedly calls Jennifer a “bitch”.
3. This movie shows some of the counterculture movement, which was prominent in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Because Jennifer and Oliver’s relationship goes against the status quo, this movie shows an aspect of this movement as it goes against the established social hierarchy at the time. Specifically, Oliver’s dad expresses his disapproval of his and Jennifer’s relationship on multiple occasions - the most aggressive when he and Oliver are eating together and their relationship as father and son ends over Oliver Barrett III disapproval of his son’s choice in wife. Earlier in the movie Oliver’s parents ask Jennifer about her father’s work, and Jennifer responds that her father is a baker, to which Oliver Barrett III seems very uncomfortable and even condescending about the class background of his son’s then girlfriend. Lastly, the most impactful display of the counterculture movement in this movie is Oliver and Jennifer’s wedding, which is not religiously affiliated and where Jennifer does not where the traditional wedding dress and veil. This movie shows the ways that the younger generations in the 1970’s rebelled against the social norms existing at the time.
1. I know its a somewhat silly scene, and arguably not that significant to the overall plot, but the scene that stuck out to me and still stayed with me after the movie was over was the scene with Oliver and Jennifer in the snow, making snow angels and tackling each other. I think this is the scene that made me start believing in their love story. Maybe it’s something about how innocent/childlike they appeared or how genuinely happy they seemed with each other, but I found myself becoming very invested in them as characters.
ReplyDelete2. I don’t think this movie just “gets away” with being sentimental. I think the sentimentality is supposed to be somewhat obvious and over done because that’s what people expect and want from a movie of this genre. I think you also have to point out(as other people have in their blog posts) that the movie is broken up somewhat with more serious topics; Oliver’s relationship with his father, the class difference between Oliver and Jennifer. So although the movie is very much about the sentimental love story between Oliver and Jen, it also has its more difficult/serious moments.
3. I think this movie shows us a lot about the accepted lifestyle back in 1970, and in turn the resistance to the common lifestyle that was growing among many young people. One moment that comes to mind for me is when Oliver and Jennifer are explaining to Phil their non religious and non traditional wedding plans. We can tell by Phil’s reaction that this kind of wedding was very against the status quo of the time. In fact, their whole relationship is pretty abnormal for the time, which is evident by Oliver’s father’s reaction when introduced to Jen. The movie even briefly references the hippie movement when Oliver assures his father that he is not marrying a hippie.
1. A moment that stuck out to me from “Love Story” was when Oliver and Jenny first meet. Their sassy banter was fun to watch, which I think is very important for the movie because the plot itself, you could argue, is rather expected (i.e. two people that fall in love, and one of them tragically dies). Somehow I found their simple conversations and seemingly mundane meeting in a library to be entertaining and enjoyable to watch.
ReplyDelete2. This is a strange question to me because I don’t see the problem with sentimentality in a movie, especially one called “Love Story”. It’s clear from the title what kind of movie it will be, so I find the emotion and sentimentality to be important. I also find this question interesting because we just viewed “The Wild Bunch”, so I find the question of what allows that movie to get away with being so violent, patriarchal, disgusting, (you could say a lot of things) etc. to be more of a question.
3. This movie says something about the gender roles and societal norms in 1970, because much of Jennifer and Oliver’s characteristics are unconventional or even radical to other characters, however they are hardly controversial in 2020. Jenny’s character is sassy in the way that she takes no bullshit from anyone, and seems to present the “I don’t need a man” attitude, which was likely radical for some people in 1970. Oliver and Jennifer’s relationship is so upsetting to Oliver’s father that he forbids him to marry her. The fact that two white, ivy-league students’ relationship is rebellious and unacceptable seems ridiculous to me in 2020. Another aspect of their relationship that seemed partly controversial was when Jenny was supporting him through law school. This was a sweet moment, and it also makes sense given their situation. This is another aspect that few people today would have a large issue with.
1. I was incredibly touched by Phil’s “she asked me to be strong for you” dialogue as Oliver stood with him after Jenny died. I despise the “be strong, don’t pretend you’re in pain” expectation that is often forced on people, especially men. Though I first interpreted Jenny’s wish as for her father to be such, asking him not to be upset in front of Oliver, I now understand that she knew Oliver would need someone to lean on throughout the pain. And my admiration for this scene continued in Oliver’s response to Phil’s explanation: their hands gripping each other’s arms, their physical support both allowing each other to mourn whilst keeping them strong and upright in order to survive the future. As I mentioned in class, it bothered me that the film did not continue after Jenny died, where the impact of her death would be realized in full. However, I thought this scene did allow a bit of the intensity of pain after a loved one’s death and the need to connect with others to emerge.
ReplyDelete2. I thought the conversation at the end of class about the poor acting ability quite humorous; though McGraw and O’Neil may have not been superb actors, it was obvious by the comments in class that we believed Oliver and Jenny were in love. And I think that though the movie was sentimental and cliche at times, it was not Disney’s 100% “happily ever after” story. In my opinion, though fairly ruined by the “love means never having to say you’re sorry” scene, the previous fight between Jenny and Oliver didn’t contain the heart-eyed romanticism of the snowangel construction or mini-make-out-in-front-of-six-year-olds session. Oliver’s actions were upsetting and cruel- but real. Yes, Jenny loved Mozart, the Beatles, and Oliver, but she also worked hard, lost her mother, and had fights with the husband she adored. I believe that the sentimental aspect is balanced, even further understood, as the film also includes scenes that are upsetting and painful.
3. As we have discussed in class and previous blog posts, the 70s were, as Phil so clearly says, a time different than the previous decades. Youth were able to make decisions independent from their parents. One such demonstration in the film, causing Phil’s above statement, was the break from religion both Jenny and Oliver had. As is much more prominent currently, religion may not be shared by both the parents and children. I found it interesting that even though Oliver’s parents were unhappy that Jenny’s family was Catholic, even more shocking to both them and Phil was that Jenny and Oliver were not religious. However, the 70’s were not the 2000’s, so this break in tradition was not fully autonomous. The emerging lack of formality is present in Jenny’s addressment of her father as “Phil” versus Oliver’s much more formal “Sir.” (Interestingly, there still seems to be a bit of an expectation that children should refer to their parents as something more formal along the lines of “Mom/ Dad-” I have called my mom by her name for the past five years and always receive exclamations from other people about it). And though Jenny’s role as a working woman shows the more “revolutionary” characteristic of the 70s, the film also presented her as the more traditional stay-at-home role of an aspiring mother. As Phil realizes, the bride can speak at her wedding, and additionally, women can study abroad, explore their interests, and support their husbands. But the formality of the previous decades is not absent in Jenny’s character; she gives up her plans to marry Oliver, and even with his prompting to study at Juliard, is set on having children instead. Thus, the film explains both the previous formalities and new informality of 1970.
1. One scene that stuck with me after the movie was the scene when Oliver went to his dad for a loan. I guess that the reason that scene sticks with me is how he refuses to tell his dad whats going on despite asking for a lot of money. Basically I remember it as how he interacts with his dad, and that despite how generous his father is, Oliver refuses to love him back.
ReplyDelete2 . I didnt really know what sentimental meant, but I just looked it up and it fits the movie quite well. I would say that the reason that the movie is able to get away with being so sentimental is that most of the movie isnt based in sadness, rather only the final 20 minutes or so. The rest of the movie is that love story where everything is happy and fun.
3. I would say that this movoe shows that the 70's were a time when people were starting to break away from their parents more often. For example Jenny stops being a catholic and they wed themselves rather than be wed by someone else. Oliver does not want to continue the family name like his father would. Also things like a rich boy marrying a poor girl. Basically I think that this movie says that the 70's were a time when people stopped living like the generation before them and started to do what they really wanted to do.
1) The scene where they got the invitation to Oliver’s dad 60th birthday party really stayed with me even after watching the movie. When Jennifer calls his dad and he essentially explodes at her for saying something that was justified in her mind. She didn’t really understand why there was so much bad blood between Oliver and his dad. She felt that they both loved each other in very different way, but still loved each other nonetheless. I also feel like this scene was their first real fight. Before, it was all fun and games, or just joking around. But this moment just had so much emotion.
ReplyDelete2) If you’re watching a movie called “Love Story” I think you kinda have to expect there will be sentimental parts in the movie. I don’t really take it for a movie especially one of this genre to be sentimental. There also wasn’t a lot of sentimentality, or at least it didn’t feel that way. Of course there were moments where there was more sentimental, but the moments were understandable.
3) I feel like to me at least this movie seems cliché. I’ve seen many movies where it’s the poor girl falls in love with the rich boy. But I do see there are many ideas that may have seemed radical in the 1970s. One that’s came to mind was Jennifer leaving behind her catholic beliefs. I’m sure in any catholic household back then that might’ve been viewed as a disgrace. Or Oliver leaving his popular financially stable father. Straying away from his estate. Also, even though I said the relationship between classes is a cliché I assume that would’ve been unheard of.
The scene that stuck with me was Oliver and Jenny’s first interaction. I think part of what made it so memorable was their unexpected style of communicating. The strong sarcasm was not something I expected from two Harvard students; however, they followed that blueprint throughout the entire film. Somehow, Oliver and Jenny were able to remain open and honest with each other, while spending so much time messing with each other. I think this is a large contributor to the success they had with their relationship.
ReplyDeleteI think the film was able to get away with its sentimentality by not apologizing for it. They never gave the audience an opportunity to see any other kind of interaction between characters. The consistency of the film forced me to accept the way Oliver and Jenny’s relationship was portrayed.
I thought Love Story depicted the relationships Jenny and Oliver had with their fathers very well. They both were full of a certain awkwardness. They both love their parents; however, each pair struggles as the younger kid starts to break away. Oliver has an immense amount of respect or fear for his father, as he repeatedly calls him sir and stands when he enters the room; however, he is forced to stand up against him when he wants to marry Jenny. Leaving that kind of wealth has to be difficult, possibly hinting at the previous turmoil that exists within the Barret family. Jenny calls her father by his first name. Although more endearing than sir, there still seems to be a divide. She mentions that Phil is Catholic, and he clearly is not happy when Jenny decides to leave the church and perform their own wedding ceremony. In a time like the 1970’s, where counterculture was such a prominent way of acting, these relationships relate directly back to that ideology. There’s possibly some benefit in doing things differently than they have been done before. Oliver and Jenny certainly experience their own troubles; however, they both grow as people throughout the film. I don’t believe that would be possible if they stayed under the wings of their parents.
1.
ReplyDeleteOne part of the movie that stood out to me was the classic “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” scene. This was memorable to me because of how Jennifer doesn’t even need an apology from Oliver after fighting with her. The connection and level of understanding between Jennifer and Oliver is what allows them to never have to say they’re sorry.
2.
Love Story gets away with being sentimental because that’s how love stories work. Love Story would far more likely be judged for being not sentimental enough than too sentimental. The deep connection between Oliver and Jennifer that exists through them fighting and picking on each other is a key factor that lets the film be sentimental.
3.
One of the things that’s the film tells us about 1970 is that society is class based. The first reason why could be a bit of a stretch but also could be true. Since Oliver and his family was rich, he never worried about being the Vietnam War throughout the entire movie when he was at an age where he could have been drafted. Another reason why society was class based was when Oliver and Jennifer first met. Jennifer sees him and immediately assumes he’s rich and resents him for it. She calls him preppy and makes fun of him. Another thing the movie tells us about 1970 is how polar the social climates were. On one end was Oliver and Jennifer who were extreme by calling each other a bitch and on the other side is the hippies. Now although zero hippies are pictured in the films Oliver mentions one once when he says: “At least I’m not marrying a hippie” showing his dislike for them.
1. What scene or moment in the movie stayed with you? What about it made it memorable?
ReplyDeleteThe scene that stuck out for me was the final scene of the movie. Oliver has just received news of Jennie’s death, and he is absolutely devastated. He informs his father of the news and tells him “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” His father stands stunned as Oliver walks away. The city is completely empty as he crosses the street towards the park. There are neither pedestrians on the sidewalks nor cars on the road, in contrast to what we see earlier in the film after Oliver found out about Jennie’s illness. He walks over to the hockey rink where he skated for her when she was sick, and right before she started to get treatment. It was the last memory he had of them living a normal life, and when he arrives, it is completely barren. This imagery is a metaphor for how the world stopped for Oliver when Jennie passed. He is completely lost and confused about what to do, as we saw when he originally found out about the sickness. The hockey rink being shut down also is a part of this.
2. The movies is shamelessly—or as Jack said, "unapologetically"—sentimental. Yet no one expressed any criticism of this in class. What allows this movie to get away with being so sentimental?
While the movie is undoubtedly somewhat cliche, the love we see is clearly very genuine. When we polled the class nearly, if not everyone said that they believed the love was genuine. Nearly every scene in the movie is simply dialogue between the two protagonists, because the director wants to put emphasis on their love.
3. What does this movie say to us about 1970? In answering this, use three specific details from the film.
The 1970 that we experience in this film is very different from 1970 in most of America, as well as the rest of the world. All the characters we see are wealthy, or very well educated. While this was not the case for most Americans, specifically soldiers in arms, it is worth it to observe the cultural tendencies of these characters. One thing that stuck out to me was the scene with Oliver and his friend playing squash. This is still typical for older men today, but I would consider it rare for young men to be playing squash today. Another cultural difference between today and 1970 would be the music. The main musicians the characters allude to are is Beatles, as well as the classical legends like Mozart and Bach. The final difference I noticed was the emphasis on religion. Jennie’s father is a very religious man, but he is okay with a non-traditional wedding simply because Oliver is so wealthy. The graduation ceremony from Harvard Law was done in a church, where a pastor would preach.
1. For me the scene where Oliver was chasing and looking around for Jenny stuck in my mind the most. The cinematography in this scene really has stuck in my mind over the past couple of games with each scene fading in and out while you can read Oliver’s expression of panic all the way until he finally finds her back at home. I especially remember the section where Oliver is in the music building and when he is checking in each of the rooms, as he opens the doors you can hear inside the rooms and the viewer is able to know it is not her by the music being played without needing to watch Oliver.
ReplyDelete2. I believe the movie can be so sentimental because of the way it is structured. The movie is structured in a way that really only follows two characters with only Oliver’s dad and Phil receiving minimal chunks of time. This creates an atmosphere that allows for a more sentimental movie because by the end of the movie it feels like they could have done anything as sentimental as possible because it was so focused.
3. I think one thing you can see about the 70s in this movie is that it was a time of change and more open minded attitudes. First the scene where Oliver and Jenny go to Phil’s house shows this as they repeatedly have to explain to him that they don’t really believe in the things that he does anymore and he has to just accept that as fact. Also, the wedding ceremony in the film shows this as rather than being catholic with a priest, it was done very non traditionally while Phil talked himself into accepting it. Finally, the relationship between the two is between two different Social classes that Oliver’s father is unaccustomed to seeing in his more traditional life. The movie showed this was okay by having Oliver reject his father and the marriage turning out well within his control.
1. I really enjoyed this film. I loved what Maude said about life - how you just have to live and not think about what haters or judgemental people say or think. I found this film incredibly funny, even though the humor was very dark. At times, watching Harold and Maude was very uncomfortable, not just because of the obvious age gap between the two, but because of Harold’s suicide “attempts”. In the first scene when he pretend hangs himself, I did not realize that he was faking it to get back at his mom. I thought it was real, and for each subsequent fake suicide, I felt the same way I felt with the initial scene: anxious and shocked.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Maude being a Holocaust survivor is significant in part becuase it helps to show the age gap between her and Harold. It shows that Maude had very significant and serious life experiences long before Harold was born. I also think that the director focusing on this concentration camp number adds some sort of explanation as to why Maude was so adamant on living a fulfilled life. After coming so close to death, she may have found a new appreciation for life. Also, in a scene in which Maude cries to Harold, she mentions a man, an old husband or lover, that seemed to have died (maybe in the Holocaust). It is possible that his death sparked a new desire to live for her. Although, it would then be extremely ironic that a woman so obsessed with life would choose to kill herself.
3. Yes, the ending is happy. Although Maude dies and Harold is left lonely, on the top of a cliff in the middle of nowhere, Maude seemed to have made a life altering impact on him; she changed his view on life. In her words, Harold seems to no longer “[back] away from life”. Although he continues to perform elaborate, fake suicides, the film ends with a shot of him playing music, specifically the song he and Maude sang together. Maude commented earlier in the film on the importance of music in life, and in turn, Harold seems to accept and appreciate that sentiment as the movie concludes with him having learned the banjo. Yes, this movie included a tragedy, but Harold seemed to have become a better, happier person because he met Maude. As the saying goes, “‘tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all”.
4. I do not think this movie offers a solution to the problems we’ve seen in other movies we have watched. Although this movie does not include the overt violence that was shown in The Wild Bunch or Gimme Shelter, it has very dark humor that makes fun of self harm and therefore includes violence. This film does not offer a solution to the seemingly natural human desire for power and control shown in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, as Harold's mother desperately tries to control Harold - arranging dates for him with girls she approves of and trading in his hearse for the more appropriate jaguar - and still fails to control him despite her outrageous attempts. Finally, this film seems to have an ending that is almost identical to the tragic ending in Love Story where Jenny dies; therefore, this film does not offer a solution to the loss of a loved one or a way to prevent such a tragic ending.