Falling In Love

I just read an article in the National Geographic on the chemistry of love. It turns out that we produce different chemicals when we’re in the courtship phase of a relationship and when we’re in a long term relationship.

The reason that we experience such intense feelings at the beginning is to find a suitable mate to reproduce with and the more masculine the man, the more likely that he’ll give us healthy children. And the most attractive women have a good hip to waist ratio because that’s the body type that’s good for squeezing the kids out. In fact, it’s possible, that all that we’re looking for in the opposite sex is the immunity that our own bodies don’t produce. We need someone to round out our ability to fight bugs.

All this is very unromantic, to be certain, but with that in mind, I’m going to recount some of my favorite romantic scenes in modern movies. When our chemistry changes from the fireworks of courtship to the familiarity of a long term love, these movies can take the viewer back to a time when our hearts skipped erratically, way back when.

Best Look
In the movie Sabrina – the remake in 1995, not the original – with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond, the two give each other the look. These two look like they are actually in love with each other and not two actors making eye contact.

Best Kiss
One of the most satisfying kisses is at the end of Lost in Translation when Scarlet Johansson and Bill Murray finally kiss. By the time the characters reach that point, the tension has been built up and this kiss is the only way it could have ended. (Or at least that’s what I think.)

Best Fall
There is a scene in French Kiss when Kevin Klein’s character, Luc, ends up kissing Kate, played by Meg Ryan, on the train – kind of on accident. She’s dreaming and he’s trying to steal her bag. When he emerges from the kiss, he has clearly starts his fall in love with her.

Best Hurt
If you’ve ever loved someone that was not available to you, you can relate to the scenes in Love Actually about the guy who had fallen in love with his best friend’s wife. He tries really hard to hide his feelings but she discovers the truth and he comes clean. His portrayal of the gut wrenching pain of unrequited love is spot on.

Best Unsuspecting Romances
Two of my favorite movies have unsuspecting romances in them. The first is Bread and Tulips. This wonderful movie matches the housewife Rosalba with the unlikely Fernando, who is truly a connoisseur of her soul. Another wonderful unsuspecting romance is in the movie Monsoon Wedding. When the wedding planner falls in love with the maid my heart just skips a beat.

Best Fall Revisited
There is a scene in Pride and Prejudice, the remake with Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen, where they are dancing at the ball. The scene so accurately depicts the sensation that when the one you are attracted to is in the room, you are only aware of them and everything about them.

I’m sure that I’ve forgotten some good stuff. I’m not sure that the kiss mentioned is the one that I was originally thinking of, but they’re all good. All I know is that I’m in the mood to watch a movie now. But which one…