Love Story
by Arthur Hiller
List Price:
Our Price: $3.40
You Save: $6.54 (66%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.45 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ali MacGraw, John Marley, Ray Milland, Russell Nype, Ryan O'NealDirector: Arthur Hiller
Brand: Paramount
Cinematographer: Richard C. Kratina
Editor: Robert C. Jones
Producer: David Golden
Producer: Howard G. Minsky
Writer: Erich Segal
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Running Time: 99 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-04-24
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Love Story
Movie Review: The infamous catch-phrase sums it all up
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm amazed by how many people have written reviews bashing the line which sums up this entire film's essence & message: "Love means never having to say you're sorry." I think people are misunderstanding & misinterpreting this phrase in a way which makes it seem both simplistic (it's not) and implausibly meaningless (again, it's not). The precise aspect of this film which 'gets' under your skin (if you enjoyed it & understood its subtletly) is summed up in this one line. If you read the line (or hear it) as meaning that love means never SAYING you're sorry OR never DOING so in a relationship - then it will seem saccharine & of course, untrue. But if you dig a little deeper you'll see that the word 'having' changes the entire tone of the line -and people are misinterpreting it woefully. When you love someone as these two characters love each other (and it is a rare love - which is perhaps why so many people are skeptical of its very existence) and understand each other on the level of the spirit and soul - then it is a tacit & implicit understanding at the core level of the relationship that you love the other person unconditionally - faults and all & they love you in precisely the same way. Therefore - to say you're sorry for any number of possible slights, hurts, offenses or bruises which WILL come along in the course of ANY close relationship - is neither necessary or productive WHEN it stems from guilt over something which the other party has ALREADY FORGIVEN YOU FOR because they see straight through to the core of your humanity, know that you're imperfectly flawed & love you just the same. This line doesn't mean literally 'never say you're sorry to your spouse or significant other' - it simply means that love on this level has an understanding that goes beyond words & which words cannot elevate any higher - which makes using them superflous at times such as the moment which this line is from. Jenny knows Oliver didn't mean what he said, she already KNOWS he regrets having said it and the fact that the guilt & pain on his face move her to say such a beautiful thing out of truly altruistic/unconditional love is the point of this ENTIRE movie. Guilt is harmful for both parties in any relationship and never more so than when it is induced or required or elicited by one person seeking an apology from the other - nothing damages a relationship quicker than the demand of apologies for behaviors which are not only human but inevitable. Jenny is simply freeing Oliver up to be who he is, however he is, at any moment - because when he's with her it is understood that he will be accepted regardless of his actions due to the fact that she sees the person & NOT the behavior. If more people loved in this way today the world would be a much better place. Of course you're GOING to say you're sorry many, many times in a relationship. But if it's a strong, healthy & mature relationship - your apology truly isn't necessary because the other party isn't holding a grudge or expecting it - it is simply a courteous reminder that you admit you behaved badly AND that you respect your mate's feelings- nothing more (if it becomes more & is used like a bargaining chip in a relationship you may as well give up because the other party loves themselves more than you - and that is NOT true, unconditional love.).
This is one of my all-time favorite films for the simple fact that it doesn't spend too much time TRYING to impress the viewer - it is understated where it needs to be, emotive when it's appropriate and a superb example that sometimes less is more in a classic film. If more films stuck to telling a compelling story in a straightforward way today this movie would not stand out - the fact that it does (36 years after its initial release) should tell us something about what the heart & soul truly require of art: to be moved by a situation or moment or life which you can put yourself in the middle of and in doing so you are awakened to the very essence of your own humanity & forever changed.
Summary of Love Story
Love means never having to say you're sorry... Love Story. Everyone loves Love Story! One of the most romantic movies ever made also remains one of the most enduringly popular. This heartfelt 1970 tale of the love of a lifetime-the most successful Paramount movie up to that time-received seven Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and won one for Francis Lai's magnificent score. As filming was underway on Love Story, the filmmakers knew they had something special-so special that Erich Segal was simultaneously shaping his best-selling novel from his own screenplay. Stars Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw each received Academy Award. nominations and became overnight movie sensations for their poignant portrayals of a young couple who cross social barriers, marry and ultimately face the greatest crisis of all.Strife-torn America wanted a meat-and-potatoes romance in the late '60s, and the country embraced Erich Segal's slim, generic-sounding novel in a big way. It did so again for the film adaptation in 1970, starring Ryan O'Neal as a law student who defies his rich and powerful father (Ray Milland) on every issue, including the former's love for a music student (Ali MacGraw). The two marry, start life together...and then the Grim Reaper turns up at the door. Directed by Arthur Hiller (The In-Laws), the film ends up lacking the kind of stylistic boost that might have made it a must-see for the ages. But its faithfulness to the book's uncomplicated and, yes, moving intentions is pretty solid. O'Neal is convincing as a nice guy who's as bullheaded in his own way as his steely father (a nice job by Milland), and MacGraw has a way of getting under one's skin. A viewer just has to try not laughing at the refrain, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." --Tom Keogh
Similar DVD Movies
Gone with the Wind (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Edition)by Margaret Mitchell
Warner; Release date: 2009-11-17; Published: 2009; DVD
Best price: $7.29
Price in other shops:
Summer of '42Warner Brothers; Release date: 2002-02-05; Published: 2002-02-01; DVD
Best price: $24.50
Oliver's StoryRelease date: 2003-11-18; DVD
Best price: $15.97
On Golden Pond (Special Edition)LION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2003-12-16; DVD
Best price: $5.44
Price in other shops:
The Bridges of Madison CountyWarner Brothers; Release date: 2010-06-01; DVD
Best price: $4.57
Price in other shops:
Terms of EndearmentPARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-01-20; DVD
Best price: $7.59
Price in other shops:
Brian's SongCAAN,JAMES; Release date: 2000-08-08; DVD
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops:
Somewhere in Time (Collector's Edition)Universal Studios; Release date: 2000-10-31; DVD
Best price: $3.48
Price in other shops:
Doctor Zhivago (45th Anniversary Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2010-05-04; DVD
Best price: $9.19
Price in other shops:
The Way We Were (Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 2004-12-02; DVD
Best price: $4.27
Price in other shops: