25 of the most swoon-worthy romance movies of all time
By Amy Kaplan
Titanic
What’s better than a romance set during one of the most tragic events in world history? Okay, okay so there’s probably a lot of things better, but Titanic (the movie) is probably as tragically amazing as the actual sinking.
When Titanic was released it was the most talked about movie of the time. Teen girls went streaming to the theater to watch their beloved heartthrob Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) woo Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and sat on pins and needles wondering if they would both survive the infamous boat sinking. I hate to admit that I watched it 12 times myself (spoiler alert: the ending doesn’t change, someone still dies). There’s a reason that Titanic broke all kinds of records — it’s because it was a damn good movie.
The movie tells the story of an upper-class woman (Winslet) who is looking to escape the demands of her life and her controlling fiance. A fateful encounter brings her face-to-face with a steerage passenger who saves her life (DiCaprio) and her perspective is changed forever. In addition to one of the greatest love stories of the century, we get a glimpse at the lives of some of the famous names who were aboard the fateful voyage as well as the tragedy that was the Titanic. You’ll see the heartbreaking moment the boat hits the iceberg, the way that steerage passengers were treated during the evacuation and even the aftermath of all of the lives destroyed. It’s hard to believe that love could survive something so tragic, but it does.
Fun Fact: Titanic held the record for over 12 years with a worldwide total of $1.843 billion until another James Cameron flick came around — Avatar.
Release date: December 19, 1997