Did you forget today was Valentine’s Day? Today I’m devoting this post to more romantic films about love. And since today is Valentine’s Day, this will end my parade of romantic films, so you may rest easy.
West Side Story (1961) is considered a modern take on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This film adaptation of West Side Story won 10 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound. West Side Story‘s producer, Robert Wise, went on a few years later to produce The Sound of Music (1965), which some of you might have heard of.
Grease (1978) is a musical film staring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. This film was nominated for many Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Original Song. A very young John Travolta stars as the leading man Danny Zuko.
Shakespeare in Love (1998) is a romantic comedy that centers around what Shakespeare might have looked like during the time he wrote Romeo and Juliet. This isn’t supposed to be historically accurate in any way, but the film makes references to the original.
While You Were Sleeping (1998) is a romantic comedy set in Chicago about Lucy Moderatz, a token collector for the CTA (the token system is now long gone), falling in love with a commuter she sees everyday. The story takes some twists and turns, but all ends well. Sandra Bullock was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, but didn’t win.