This was another one of those films that I heard my mom talk about when I was growing up. I knew it needed to be on our list--the score is also quite famous. I didn't know what the plot was, but I was pretty sure one of the lovers would die. I mean, why else would people love it? I knew there had to be some element of tragedy. And I was right.
And the opening scene is Oliver Barrett (Ryan O'Neal) sitting on snowy bleachers with his voiceover, "What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful and brilliant? That she loved Mozart and Bach, the Beatles, and me?"
Boom. First expectation met--instant gratification. Now, I asked myself why would the filmmakers tell you at the beginning of the movie that a lead character would be dying. The only thing I could think was that this was an attempt to build tension throughout the film, to keep you interested, waiting and watching for the moment when the Grim Reaper would arrive. It worked. But this movie isn't really about death. This was merely a vehicle for keeping you interested in the love story--and for bringing a strong sense of irony to the story.
This story is a love story and fairly predictable--boy meets snarky girl, and they engage in "verbal volleyball," taunting and swearing at one another so that at the end of their first interaction, Barrett declares himself to be "in love" with Jenny Cavalieri (Ali Macgraw). These kinds of romances only happen in Hollywood! They're two kids in ivy league college who fall in love, despite Barrett's family snobbery, get married, and then are separated by Jenny's death.
What is so true and beautiful about this film is the dichotomy--Oliver falls in love with Jenny--and his father, who doesn't approve of Jenny's low social background, disapproves of his son's choice. Oliver, already a rebel to his father, pushes him away, and basically disinherits himself from his family's millions. Of course, his relationship with Jenny was the straw that broke the camel's back. He already had a growing hatred for his father and his father's plans for him. But this final straw drew the line, and Oliver turned his back on his family. Jenny urges reconciliation--she pleads with Oliver to restore his relationship with his father, knowing that life is too short not to be on good terms with those we love. Yet, when Jenny ends up in the hospital, Oliver finally speaks to his father, requesting money without a true explanation of why he needs it. His father later finds out that the money was actually for Jenny, comes to talk, but Jenny has already died. He begins to apologize to Oliver, but Oliver, having learned from Jenny says to his father, "Love means not having to say you're sorry." While we don't see an on-screen, dramatic restoration of their relationship, this line plants hope in the viewer that the bitter feud was over. It was Jenny's death that brought the reconciliation between the father and son who were ultimately estranged because of her union with Oliver.
So, yes, this is a love story, but the ultimate message wasn't about "love at first sight" or "all your wildest dreams coming true." Rather, the message is that true love is about making things right with each other--loving even when things aren't easy and when people aren't lovely. Jenny loved Oliver despite the way he treated his father--and we find our hope as viewers that her love and constancy helped him learn to love the man he had grown to despise and to gain perspective on the fleeting nature of life.
Next up: The French Connection
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