(Source: Wikipedia)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal based on his 1970 best-selling novel. It was directed by Arthur Hiller.
The film, well-known as a tear-jerking tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute (#9 on the list), and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story in 1978.
Love Story starred actor Ryan O'Neal and actress Ali MacGraw and also marked the film debut of Tommy Lee Jones in a minor role.
Plot
The novel tells of Oliver Barrett IV, who comes from a family of wealthy and well-respected Harvard University graduates. Partly to break the traditional Ivy League mold, the Harvard student meets and falls in love with Jennifer Cavelleri, a working-class, quick-witted Radcliffe College student.
Upon graduation from college, the two decide to marry against the wishes of Oliver's father, who thereupon severs ties with his son.
Without his father's financial support, the couple struggles to pay Oliver's way through Harvard Law School with Jenny working as a private school teacher. Graduating third in his class, Oliver takes a position at a respectable New York law firm.
With Oliver's new income, the pair of 24-year-olds decide to have a child. After failing, they consult a medical specialist, who after repeated tests, informs Oliver that Jenny is ill and will soon die. Oliver then tries again. While this is not stated explicitly, she appears to have leukemia.
As instructed by his doctor, Oliver attempts to live a "normal life" without telling Jenny of her condition. Jenny nevertheless discovers her ailment after confronting her doctor about her recent illness. With their days together numbered, Jenny begins costly cancer therapy, and Oliver soon becomes unable to afford the multiplying hospital expenses.
Desperate, he seeks financial relief from his father. Instead of telling his father what the money is truly for, Oliver misleads him.
From her hospital bed, Jenny speaks with her father about funeral arrangements, and then asks for Oliver. She tells him to avoid blaming himself, and asks him to embrace her tightly before she dies.
The novel also includes the double meaning of a love story between Oliver and his father, highlighted by the scene between Oliver and his father at the end of the book. When Mr. Barrett realizes that Jenny is ill and that his son borrowed the money for her, he immediately sets out for New York. By the time he reaches the hospital, Jenny is dead. Mr. Barrett apologizes to his son, who replies with something Jenny once told him: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."
REVIEW:
This is one of my favorite love story movies which I really love to watch whenever I have the time inside the privacy of my room. I do not find it boring nor monotonous, what I find instead is the ability of the heart to be selfless when believing in the greatness of human emotions, whether rewarding or the opposite.
Emotions coming from selflessness means the need to believe in the betterment of the beloved for only through self-sacrifice can one really find the authentic essence of loving someone and being loved in return.
