Select members of the Sidewalk Staff have picked some of their favorite romantic movies for our Valentine’s Staff Picks Weekend (Feb. 14 – 20)! Spend a date night with your partner or bring your closest friends to a weekend full of love, heartache, and…vampires? That’s just how Sidewalk rolls.
Roman Holiday (1953), selected by Projectionist Kate Burney
Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann’s regal identity and bets his editor he can get an exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.
“I grew up on a steady diet of Roman Holiday and other mythologies. As I’ve gotten older, the 72 year-old film has steadily rang truer to my experiences of love and loss, challenging or delighting me, depending on the day. Roman Holiday sparked several of my research interests as a film scholar, including film-induced tourism, geography in narrative film, and the romantic comedy genre. Ultimately, it’s one of my favorite stories for how it captures the bittersweet. That’s a hard note to hit right, but Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck make it sing. And yes, I cry every time!”
– Kate Burney
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), selected by Box Office Manager Jennifer Freehling, Senior Box Office Associate Richard O’Brien, and Front of House Associate Teresa Kelley
After a painful breakup, Clementine (Kate Winslet) undergoes a procedure to erase memories of her former boyfriend Joel (Jim Carrey) from her mind. When Joel discovers that Clementine is going to extremes to forget their relationship, he undergoes the same procedure and slowly begins to forget the woman that he loved.
“Like all of Charlie Kaufman’s work, Eternal Sunshine is ultimately a film about violently cracking yourself open to see who you really are, finding instead the people you’ve met and loved in your life. There’s a definite (and obvious) read that Joel and Clementine are doomed, trapped in an eternal recursion of the Aging Hipster Couple no one can stand, but there’s a less obvious read pointing to a state of grace: hell might be other people, but love can be a door to a place we can’t imagine going by ourselves. I watch this movie every Valentine’s Day.”
– Richard O’Brien
“This movie takes me through all the various emotions that come with love; it’s scary, sweet, exciting, stupid, and painful. It asks the old question, is it better to have never loved than to have loved and lost? As a bit of a realist, and as one who manages mental health issues, I can absolutely empathize with the desire to forget everything that ever hurt me, even if that means losing the good part too. It’s heartbreaking and comforting at the same time.”
– Teresa Kelley
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), selected by Front of House Associate Violet Gein
Artistic, sophisticated and centuries old, two vampire lovers (Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston) ponder their ultimate place in modern society.
“Only Lovers Left Alive is not your average vampire movie. It is an exploration of immortal love, life, and the human condition. The moody cinematography and dark humor represent my mind very well. I’ve always had this film in my yearly rotation and I hope to make this your next favorite vampire movie! I encourage guests to dress up in their finest Gothic attire when attending this showing.”
– Violet Gein