The sentimentality of "Love Story" ("What can you say about a 25-year-old girl who died?") is a hearty welcome retreat to the past... There is nothing to spoil love, trust, confidence or even the events... Jenny seems to die... She just escapes in loveliness...
Jenny (Ali MacGraw) is half of a pretty young married students from a working class background... And Oliver (Ryan O'Neal) is from a very wealthy family... Both have the predictable problems with disapproving parents... Both struggle along through hard times, until Oliver obtains a fine job with his own merit... When Jenny tries to get pregnant, the doctor finds out that she has an incurable disease, and has a very short time to live...
Ryan O'Neal plays well the intense sensitive rebel, giving a heart-breaking performance as the ultra-rich man's son who works to pay his way through law school when his father won't...
Ali MacGraw is good and touching in her portrait of Jenny, the dying heroine, the poor baker's daughter studying classical music at Radcliffe, the smart young girl who gives up her plans to study in Europe in order to marry Oliver... She never missed a 'shred of her beauty' in her role...
Ray Milland is the 60-year-old Oliver Barrett III... He is a strong, articulate, civilized millionaire from Boston who refuses to support his son in marrying a girl of such low social stature... He commands him instead to finish law school...
John Harley is Phil, the father of Jenny... For him, "Father's love is something to cherish and respect."
There is three sequences that I liked the most in the film:
The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran said once: "Love knows not its own depth, until the hour of separation." And let me say that 'nothing is more beautiful than the love that has weathered the storms of Life.' They say: Time mends a broken heart and true love never ends... But if true love never ended then time wouldn't have to mend... So "Love Story" was followed by "Oliver's Story".
Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw are splendid and beautifully matched... Arthur Hill's sincere direction commend the picture to a wide audience eager to a flood of tears...
"Love Story" won 7 Academy Award nominations and Frances Lai - touching music - mixed by Bach, Mozart and Handel, won an Oscar, enriching the beauty of the film...
An intense, tough-looking leading actor is seen: Tommy Lee Jones in his film debut...
Jenny (Ali MacGraw) is half of a pretty young married students from a working class background... And Oliver (Ryan O'Neal) is from a very wealthy family... Both have the predictable problems with disapproving parents... Both struggle along through hard times, until Oliver obtains a fine job with his own merit... When Jenny tries to get pregnant, the doctor finds out that she has an incurable disease, and has a very short time to live...
Ryan O'Neal plays well the intense sensitive rebel, giving a heart-breaking performance as the ultra-rich man's son who works to pay his way through law school when his father won't...
Ali MacGraw is good and touching in her portrait of Jenny, the dying heroine, the poor baker's daughter studying classical music at Radcliffe, the smart young girl who gives up her plans to study in Europe in order to marry Oliver... She never missed a 'shred of her beauty' in her role...
Ray Milland is the 60-year-old Oliver Barrett III... He is a strong, articulate, civilized millionaire from Boston who refuses to support his son in marrying a girl of such low social stature... He commands him instead to finish law school...
John Harley is Phil, the father of Jenny... For him, "Father's love is something to cherish and respect."
There is three sequences that I liked the most in the film:
- Jenny and Oliver wonderful kissing scene... From this point on, both were entirely engrossed with each other, ready to risk anything for love...
- Oliver's long day search looking for Jenny, until he sees her sitting, outside, on a stair... She forgot her keys... Jenny is comforted by Oliver who tries to apologize for his continual disputes... Jenny, all shaken, and with tears in her eyes and with an emotional voice stops him with words of deep affection: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."
- Oliver, sitting alone and lost to the world, uncertain and perplexed, unable to understand Jenny's tragic fate... If Jenny could spend an hour in his mind, a minute in his heart, a second in his soul to discover what he really feels loving her... Why Jenny has to die so young? Why destiny is against us sometimes, smashing all our hopes and happiness? Why we feel so impotent in front of the will of God? Why can't we understand that we are 'blessed with Life,' and this is our great gift, our true treasure! Barrett's millions could never save Jenny!
The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran said once: "Love knows not its own depth, until the hour of separation." And let me say that 'nothing is more beautiful than the love that has weathered the storms of Life.' They say: Time mends a broken heart and true love never ends... But if true love never ended then time wouldn't have to mend... So "Love Story" was followed by "Oliver's Story".
Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw are splendid and beautifully matched... Arthur Hill's sincere direction commend the picture to a wide audience eager to a flood of tears...
"Love Story" won 7 Academy Award nominations and Frances Lai - touching music - mixed by Bach, Mozart and Handel, won an Oscar, enriching the beauty of the film...
An intense, tough-looking leading actor is seen: Tommy Lee Jones in his film debut...