Rendezvous Movies

 

Yesterday, I wrote about songs with a Rendezvous as the theme and it made me think about movies with this as a big part of the plot. So here are my 3 films that came, right away, into my head when I thought of that word…rendezvous…

1. BRIEF ENCOUNTER-1945

This is the first film that popped into my head and it is a brilliant film that does not age. It does not involve 20 something, beautiful kids but middle aged, real people in real situations. Celia Johnson is in a happy marriage but she feels a bit stifled, like she’s missing something. At the train station, she gets something in her eye and a kindly doctor, played by Trevor Howard, helps get that speck of dirt out of her eye. They talk and, instantly, they feel a strong attraction. Over time, they continue to meet at the train station and fall in love. They decide to consummate their love but her guilt takes control. It’s brilliantly acted, the storyline is perfect because it happens today. She’s in a good marriage, married to a kind man but we can’t control emotions. It’s a must see film.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS-1951

This film, arguably, won the Best Picture Oscar and it’s a worthy contender even if I don’t think it should have won. This film musical is famous for the 20 minute ballet set to Gershwin music with impressionist paintings as backdrops. It’s original and inventive even for today. Gene Kelly is an American trying to make it as a painter, in Gay Paris, along with his piano composer friend, Oscar Levant ( he always brings great sarcasm to the screen). At a nearby Cafe, they meet up with their famous cabaret friend who talks about his love for a girl who is perfect in every way. At a party, Gene meets a girl, Leslie Caron, and wants to know her even more. After some misunderstandings, they meet under the bridge along the Seine and have a loving rendezvous. He soon learns that she is his friend’s girlfriend and is devastated. The climatic ballet is one you can watch all on its own and it is brilliant, but I always loved this simple scene of the 2 who meet and dance under the bridge,

3. SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE-1993

I’m finally talking about this film which is a remake of  the Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr film, “an Affair To Remember” which is a remake of “Love Affair” that starred Gene Arthur and Charles Boyer. This is a sweet film that stars Tom Hanks as a bereaved widower who is still dealing with the loss of his wife. He has a precocious son who feels his dad needs to find a new woman to fall in love with. The boy calls onto a radio show and Tom ends up on the radio talking about his wife whom he loves. Now, every woman wants to meet this man including news woman, Meg Ryan. As she looks into this story she becomes more enamoured with Tom Hanks. The kid believes they need to meet on top of the Empire State Building like in the Grant/Kerr film and makes sure this will happen. It’s a wonderful romance comedy which was a big theme in the 1990s and often did star Meg Ryan. This is one of her better films.

So what films makes you think of rendezvous?