This post originally appeared on the DVD Netflix blog “Inside the Envelope.” That company folded in 2023, and the blog was shut down, but you might find some good stuff here.
Romance movies. Formulas, right? Boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again. The end. Of course, it doesn’t have to be only the boy losing the girl. It can be the opposite. Or boys may lose boys, girls may lose girls, or any variety of gender identities getting and losing and getting again.
There are any number of reasons that one might lose the other, and one of the most interesting, and often most tragic, are those that include class struggles, with each half of the couple originating from different stratum. Here are seven films that represent a nice variety of plots built on romance and class struggle. Which have you seen? Which will you put in your queue?
Splendor in the Grass – 1961 (NR)
There’s nothing more romantic and tragic than a love that might have been. And nobody can play tragic better than Natalie Wood. She’s Deanie, a good girl, from a family not as affluent as Bud’s (Warren Beatty). His family has plenty of money, but it’s lacking in culture. Bud has “needs” and his father sets him off in a direction that ruins everything. But, there’s an interesting reversal of fortune, and so all might not be lost for the star-crossed lovers.
Nothing But a Man – 1964 (NR)
Set on a civil rights theme, this romance takes place between Duff (Ivan Dixon) from the wrong side of the tracks and Josie (Abbey Lincoln), the daughter of a preacher. They marry, despite their societal differences, which are eclipsed by southern racism. The union is threatened by Duff’s refusal to accept things as they are, leaving him unemployed and unable to support his wife and son. As Josie’s father looks on in terror for his daughter, the idealistic Duff sinks lower and lower.
Pride and Prejudice – 2005 (PG)
It’s unfortunate that Mr. Bennet could only produce daughters—five of them in all. And especially unfortunate for the rest of the family upon his demise, when the modest home and property will be inherited by a male cousin, leaving the women destitute. Mrs. Bennet makes it her mission to secure her daughters’ futures and she’s constantly on the lookout for suitable mates. Lizzie (Keira Knightley) says she’s never going to marry but them meets extremely wealthy Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). At first, Lizzie is not impressed, but circumstances bring them together again and again.
Fox and His Friends – 1975 (NR)
Winning the lottery might give you lots of money, but it won’t necessarily admit you to the world of the upper class. You will likely always be left out on the fringe. That’s what happens to Fox (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), a former circus performer, who hits the winning numbers and pursues a new business venture (and relationship) with Eugen (Peter Chatel). Fassbinder also wrote and directed this German film.
Howard’s End – 1992 (PG)
Based on the E.M. Forster novel, three separate classes collide in this romance. Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham Carter) are in the bourgeois middle. Helen is briefly engaged to aristocrat Paul Wilcox, and Margaret develops a friendship with Paul’s ailing mother, eventually becoming involved with his father when he becomes a widow. Helen develops a passionate relationship with the poor Leonard Bast and tries to help his destitute situation. Lots of moving parts in this film, and well worth watching.
Titanic – 1997 (PG-13)
Any discussion of class struggles in romantic movies must include Titanic, in which the richest of rich girls falls for a poor, but handsome and witty artist. Rose (Kate Winslet) is engaged, quite unhappily, to an abusive rich man and considers committing suicide to escape her obligation. She is saved by Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), who has wandered out of steerage. As the ship steams across the Atlantic toward its certain fate, a secret romance develops between the unlikely lovers.
All That Heaven Allows – 1955 (NR)
This film is the oldest of the seven, but it is probably the most representative of the group and certainly, the most complex. Jane Wyman plays an affluent widow, still passing time as a homemaker, while her children make their way through college. She’s lonely, and Rock Hudson’s character, who has done tree pruning work at her home for years, can tell. He sees no reason that their age and class differences should keep them from pursuing happiness. Her children and her snobby social set don’t agree. But whose life is it anyway?
