Welcome to the FREE Monday newsletter! I saw this edit on Twitter this morning, and as a result started feeling all romantic and crazy inside (seriously, that video makes me feel like I could run off a cliff and live). So, without further ado, here are three underrated (IMO), and very different romances!
Far From the Madding Crowd
Considering this has some of the best performances from each of the actors involved (particularly from Michael Sheen, who is achingly sad in a role that is so often played for jokes or pushed to the side in favor of the main couple), and considering that it looks inCREDible (Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen, to put it simply, went off), it’s astounding to me we don’t talk about this movie more when we talk about period romances.
That ending … “You will never know. Because you never ask.” Somebody procure the smelling salts – there’s been a swooning!
What If
What If has a premise that could so easily go awry. Boy meets girl, girl has boyfriend, boy is “friendzoned” – which is not a real thing, but alas. But the chemistry between Zoe Kazan and Daniel Radcliffe (at the beginning of a post-Potter heater that really hasn’t stopped) is so very sweet that even some of the film’s writing flaws don’t really bother me all that much. I’ve always had a soft spot for this one – I’m just rooting for those little nerds!
This Property is Condemned
This is a Tennessee Williams adaptation I wasn’t aware of before watching the movie, and thus I didn’t expect too much going in. I’m always happy to be proven wrong! There’s such a fascinating tension between reality and fantasy in This Property is Condemned, and where the characters fall on that line has the power to drive them mad and is what ultimately determines their fates. There’s real heat in this movie, whether it be the setting or the crackling chemistry between Natalie Wood and Robert Redford. Feed it to me in spades.
Thanks for reading!
Another great job of writing, Sammie!
Thanks!
Struggle a bit with Daniel Radcliffes' acting style, but Natalie Wood and Robert Redford are so good, hypnotic even. Thanks Sammie.