Top Classic Romance Movies List And Overview
Classic movies are extremely popular and certainly one of the most beloved genre among moviegoers. These movies are called “classics” because they are so well-known and have managed to win our hearts and touched our souls since they first appeared. We love these movies, we adore them and we are grateful that they are available to us at our ease.
In the list below, we have put together some of the best and greatest romantic classic films that have entertained us for so long. These are some wonderful and heart warming tale of greatest love stories, passion and romances; and hope you would like them.
Casablanca
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
Directed By Michael Curtiz
Year 1942
Overview: No romantic movie list is complete without "Casablanca", which is considered to be one of the best ever. The story of Rick, a pessimistic, expatriate and nightclub owner in Casablanca who encounters Ilsa, the ex-lover who broke his heart. She needs a significant favor from Rick, but will he help her?
Casablanca Movie Trailer
Gone with the Wind
Starring Vivian Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia DeHavilland
Directed By Victor Fleming
Year 1939
Overview: The ultimate film epic! This movie is breathtakingly beautiful in all of its glorious 3½ hours. Set amidst the Civil War and its aftermath, "Gone with the Wind" is the story of Scarlett O'Hara, the beautiful, haughty southern belle who has a passionate and tumultuous romance with the devilish Rhett Butler. This has long been considered one of the best romantic movies of all time.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard
Directed By Blake Edwards
Year 1961
Overview: Loosely based on the novella by Truman Capote, this movie made Audrey Hepburn a fashion icon. Holly Golightly , the elegant escort, seems to have her life planned out, but her ideas about her future change, when she meets the young struggling writer Paul, who moves into the apartment below hers. And as her secrets begin to emerge.
Titanic
Starring Kate Winslet, Leonardo Dicaprio
Directed By James Cameron
Year 1997
Overview: Probably the most famous modern romance classic and another romance epic. Set aboard the ill-fated ship, Titanic, Rose is engaged to marry a man her family has chosen for her. She meets Jack, an American pauper and the two fall in love. As the ship steams across the ocean towards its destiny, what lies ahead for the fate of these lovers?
The Philadelphia Story
Starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart
Directed By George Cukor
Year 1940
Overview: A very clever romantic comedy and drama! Katharine Hepburn is wonderful as the proud socialite who is preparing for her second marriage, when suddenly her ex-husband arrives with a friend, who is actually a newspaper reporter, complicating the whole situation. Now will she go through with the wedding, or will she have a change of heart?
Gilda
Starring Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford
Directed By Charles Vidor
Year 1946
Overview: Balin Mundson is the owner of an illegal casino in Buenos Aires, who enlists Johnny Farrell to be his assistant. However, when Mundson returns with his new wife Gilda, some old secrets begin to surface and an excruciating tension exists between Johnny and Gilda. Look out for the wonderfully seductive dance number, "Put the Blame on Mame".
Adam's Rib
Starring Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy
Directed By George Cukor
Year 1949
Overview: Married couple on the screen, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy have luminous chemistry as two lawyers on opposite sides of an attempted murder case. Will the stress of this case affect their marriage? Both poignant and hilarious, a wonderful, sleeper classic romantic film.
Giant
Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean
Directed By George Stevens
Year 1956
Overview: An epic story spanning generations and running just over 200 minutes, "Giant" is the story of a Texas rancher, Bick, and his marriage to the beautiful Leslie and their life on an expansive Texas ranch. A rivalry develops between Bick and Jett, a ranch hand who strikes oil, and enters the ranks of the nouveau riche, who also happens to be in love with Leslie.
Notorious
Starring Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Claude Rains
Directed By Alfred Hitchcock
Year 1946
Overview: When a young German woman is asked in infiltrate a German spy ring in Brazil by the United States government, she never expected to fall in love with her American agent. However, when she is asked to marry the leader of the spies, to further infiltrate the ring, what will she choose?
Wuthering Heights
Starring Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley
Directed By Coky Giedroyc
Year 2009
Overview: Adapted from Emily Bronte's classic novel, "Wuthering Heights", the story of Cathy and Heathcliff, childhood sweethearts who are forced apart due to circumstance. The ultimate story of unbridled romantic passion, in the end will it consume them all? The version with Lawrence Olivier and Merle Oberon is classic and the most beloved; however, it has become very hard to locate, but there are several other new remakes which are equally good and this new version is definitely worth watching.
To Catch A Thief
Starring Grace Kelly, Cary Grant
Directed By Alfred Hitchcock
Year 1955
When a string of thefts occur strongly resembling the robberies of the retired thief known as "The Cat", the police force decides to enlist his help to catch the robber. Along the way, "The Cat" whose real name is John Robie, begins to fall in love with Francie, the daughter of a wealthy widow. But when the widow's are stolen, was it "The Cat" or the copycat thief that stole them?
Bringing Up Baby
Starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant
Directed By Howard Hawks
Year 1938
What happens when you combine a free-spirited heiress, a tame leopard named "Baby", a prudish paleontologist, and a sly dog with a stolen dinosaur bone? A wonderful screwball comedy, full of playful banter and lots of romance. Considered to be one of the top romantic comedies ever, and has inspired many other movies.
The Quiet Man
Starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara
Directed By John Ford
Year 1952
Sean Thorton, a retired boxer, returns to his home country Ireland, to settle down to a peaceful life on his family farm in Innisfree. He falls in love at first sight with the fiery red-head Mary Kate, when he sees her herding her flock in a field. However, it's not just her hair that's fiery, but her temper and pride as well, along with her brother's. Before Sean will be able to live happily with Mary Kate, there are many obstacles in he will have to overcome, including a dark secret from his past.
The Shop Around the Corner
Starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart
Directed By Ernst Lubitsch
Year 1940
The story of two clerks, Klara and Alfred, who work in the same store, both trying to find love and who can't stand one another. Klara posts an ad looking for a pen-pal, and a young man answers her request. Klara and the young man agree not to disclose their identity and soon the two fall in love. What happens when the two, Alfred and Klara find out that they have been writing and are in love with each other? A heartfelt romantic comedy, with clever, witty banter between Klara and Alfred.
Swing Time
Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers
Directed By George Stevens
Year 1936
When John aka "Lucky" arrives late to his own wedding, the bride's father demands that Lucky earn $25,000 to show his dedication to his fiancée, before the two can be married. Lucky sets off with one of his friends to New York to earn the money, and there he meets the beautiful dance instructor Penny. Lucky finds that he and Penny make a great dancing team, but when Lucky earns the $25,000 who will he choose, his fiancée or Penny?
The Apartment
Starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray
Directed By Billy Wilder
Year 1960
Bud Baxter is a mediocre insurance salesman who in the hopes of a promotion lends his apartment to his superiors, as a place that they can take their mistresses. Bud has a crush on Fran, an elevator operator in his building, however, one night when he returns to his apartment, he finds out that Fran is one of his superior's mistresses and she has tried to commit suicide in his bed. Kind-hearted Bud takes care of her, but is his love for Fran destroyed or has it deepened?
Marty
Starring Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair
Directed By Delbert Mann
Year 1954
The story of Marty, an unmarried, Italian butcher, who at thirty-four years old, lives with his mother and has resigned himself to a life without love. One night at a dance at the Stardust Ballroom, Marty meets schoolteacher Clara. The two find that they have much in common and fall in love. However, Marty's mother and friends do not approve of the match. Will Marty find the strength to follow his heart, or will he take the advice of his friends and not pursue Clara?
Camille
Starring Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore
Directed By George Cukor
Year 1937
A classic retelling of the Alexander Dumas tale, which also inspired the opera, "La Traviata", is the story of Marguerite, a beautiful courtesan who falls in love for the first time with a handsome nobleman. However Marguerite is faced with a difficult choice when the nobleman's father pleads with her not to marry his son. Will Marguerite choose her own happiness at the expense of the nobleman's family? And will she reveal her own tragic secret?
Woman of the Year
Starring Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy
Directed By George Stevens
Year 1942
The first of nine films made by Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, "Woman of the Year" is the story of the marriage between sports reporter, Sam and political commentator Tess. A wonderful romance comedy which traces how one couple try to balance, work, marriage and family. These two wonderful actors are able to bring this straight forward script to life and fill it with lots of laughter.
Ball of Fire
Starring Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck
Directed By Howard Hawks
Year 1941
Another classic from director Howard Hawks, "Ball of Fire" is an unconventional love story about the feisty burlesque star "Sugarpuss" O'Shea, who seeks refuge from the law in the house of eight professors who are working on an encyclopedia. The professors agree to let her stay if she will teach them about contemporary American slang and culture. Along the way, Sugarpuss and the young Professor Bertram fall in love. But what happens when the law catches up with Sugarpuss?
We are hoping that you enjoy the above list of classic movies on romance genre. If you have any suggestions or would like to add some other favorites to the above compilation then feel free to email us with your suggestions. We would also appreciate if you would share us your opinions and reviews regarding some of these classic flicks.