Romance

Directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Garland, Meet Me in St. Louis is a radiant Technicolor musical that blends nostalgia, romance, and family warmth into one of the most enduring and beloved films of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Set in the year leading up to the 1904 World’s Fair, this MGM classic is more than just a musical—it's a heartfelt portrait of American life at the turn of the century, suffused with charm and emotional depth.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s 1936 screwball comedy Libeled Lady is a shining example of the studio system at its most polished and effective, blending the star power of four Hollywood heavyweights with a witty, fast-paced script. Directed by reliable studio hand Jack Conway and boasting an impeccable cast led by Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Spencer Tracy, the film sparkles with charm, sophistication, and comedic precision.

Few on-screen pairings in classic Hollywood can rival the enduring charm and comedic synergy of William Powell and Myrna Loy. In I Love You Again (1940), their 9th collaboration, the duo once again delivers a delightful screwball comedy that deftly blends romance, mistaken identity, and con artistry into a briskly entertaining package.

An American in Paris, directed by Vincente Minnelli and released by MGM in 1951, is one of the most celebrated musicals of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Featuring the talents of Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, and Nina Foch, and built around the iconic music of George Gershwin, the film is a sumptuous blend of dance, romance, visual artistry, and musical innovation.

Double Wedding (1937) stands as a classic example of 1930s screwball comedy, bringing together the legendary screen duo William Powell and Myrna Loy in one of their most spirited and eccentric pairings.

That Touch of Mink (1962) is a classic romantic comedy that captures the glossy charm and societal mores of early 1960s America. Starring the ever-suave Cary Grant and the queen of the rom-com, Doris Day, this film was a major box-office success in its time and remains a notable example of the final golden years of Hollywood’s studio-produced, screwball-influenced comedies.

The Grass Is Greener (1960) is a genteel romantic comedy with a razor-sharp wit and a star-studded cast, wrapped in a quintessentially British setting. Directed by Stanley Donen, best known for musicals like Singin’ in the Rain and Funny Face, this film adapts a popular stage play by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner into a charming yet subtly subversive film that examines marriage, fidelity, and class with elegant humour.

East of Eden (1955) is a landmark in American cinema, notable not only for its powerful adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel but also for introducing James Dean to the screen in a performance that changed the trajectory of American acting.

Following the surprise success of Romancing the Stone (1984), a spirited action-romance adventure in the vein of Indiana Jones, it was inevitable that a sequel would follow. Enter The Jewel of the Nile (1985), which reunites the dynamic trio of Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito for another globetrotting escapade.

Romancing the Stone is a thrilling, funny, and unexpectedly charming romantic adventure that became a surprise smash hit in 1984. Directed by Robert Zemeckis—just a year before his blockbuster Back to the Future—and starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, the film blends swashbuckling action, screwball comedy, and old-fashioned romance with vibrant energy and chemistry.

Walt Disney’s The Parent Trap (1961) remains a beloved classic of family cinema, notable for its engaging blend of comedy, romance, and heartwarming family themes. Featuring Hayley Mills in a groundbreaking dual role as long-lost twin sisters, the film was both a critical and commercial success upon its release and has since endured as one of Disney’s most charming live-action productions.

Released in 1958 at the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age of musicals, Gigi stands as one of the last and most sumptuous studio-produced musical extravaganzas. Directed with elegance by Vincente Minnelli and produced by the legendary Arthur Freed, Gigi is a visually lavish, musically charming, and thematically complex film that took home a then-record-breaking nine Academy Awards—including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Splash is a landmark film in several respects. Directed by Ron Howard and released in 1984, it marked the debut feature of Disney's newly established Touchstone Pictures label—created to produce more mature fare than the traditional Disney brand allowed.

Released in 1983, The Man with Two Brains is a wildly inventive sci-fi comedy that serves as a hilarious satire of mad scientist tropes and classic horror conventions. Directed by veteran comedy filmmaker Carl Reiner, the film stars Steve Martin at the peak of his manic comic powers, paired with the sultry and dangerous Kathleen Turner.

Penny Serenade (1941) is a quintessential example of Hollywood’s Golden Age melodrama: a tender, emotionally rich portrait of a marriage tested by time, tragedy, and the unpredictable turns of life. Directed by George Stevens, known for his mastery of both comedy and drama, and starring the formidable pairing of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, the film is a deeply moving meditation on love, loss, and perseverance.

Few animated films have captured the essence of romance, charm, and Americana as completely as Walt Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. Released in 1955, this landmark feature was not only a narrative triumph but also a technical one—it was Disney’s first animated film presented in widescreen Cinemascope, giving an unprecedented sense of scale and intimacy to the studio’s storytelling.

In 1959, Walt Disney released Sleeping Beauty, his most ambitious and expensive animated feature to date. Nearly a decade in the making and reportedly costing six million dollars—a record for animation at the time—the film was both a technical marvel and a commercial gamble. Upon release, it was met with mixed critical reception and underwhelming box office returns, casting a shadow over the studio’s feature animation department for years.

Roxanne (1987) is a romantic comedy that wears its intelligence—and its heart—on its sleeve. Written by and starring Steve Martin, and directed by Fred Schepisi, the film is a modern reimagining of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, transporting the story of the eloquent, big-nosed hero into a quirky American mountain town in the 1980s.

Shirley Valentine (1989), directed by Lewis Gilbert and based on Willy Russell’s acclaimed stage play, is a poignant, funny, and quietly radical portrait of a woman reclaiming her identity after years of domestic invisibility.

Franco Zeffirelli’s 1967 adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is a riotous, visually extravagant, and unashamedly theatrical film. Starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor at the height of their volatile real-life romance, the film turns the Bard’s problematic comedy into an electrifying battle of the sexes, a lush Renaissance spectacle, and a showcase for its leading couple’s magnetic chemistry.