The power of cinematic love
A tribute to supercouples
By: Joanna Arcieri
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Entertainment
The supercouple is perhaps the most famous entity in entertainment. Supercouples, a term used since the early 1980s, are the high-profile, culturally significant and nearly perfect romances that influence our expectations of what a great love story should be.
They exist in television (Ross and Rachel from Friends), comic books (Clark Kent and Lois Lane), literature (Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett), musicals (Tony and Maria, West Side Story) and soap operas (Luke and Laura, General Hospital).
Of all the various forms of entertainment, film is arguably the most influential medium that defines a supercouple. A movie has less time to develop characters and story. It depends on the allure of a fairy tale romance and the idea that love can overcome any obstacle to create a compelling argumnt for why a couple should be together. After a classic line is spoken ("Love means never having to say you're sorry") and the often mismatched duo is drawn together, an iconic supercouple is born. Whether it is a couple from a classic (Joe Bradley and Princess Ann, Roman Holiday) or a couple that just emerged (Cecelia Tallis and Robbie Turner, Atonement), audiences continually seek out these romances for thrilling, unequalled love stories.
In Casablanca, the ill-fated romance between ex-lovers Rick Blaine, an American expatriate, and Ilsa Lund, the wife of a Czech resistance fighter, is often considered the greatest romance in American film history. When Ilsa enters Rick's café for the first time after their Parisian affair, he utters the classic phrase: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."
Their brief reunion combines drama, comedy, suspense and the emotional struggle of who Ilsa really loves: Rick, or her husband, Laszlo. In the end, Rick sacrifices a lasting relationship with Ilsa because solving the world's problems is far more important than personal love.
The dangerous love of Depression-era gangsters Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker has maintained an enduring international popularity in film, television, music and poetry. The 1967 film based on their relationship, Bonnie and Clyde, has cemented the duo's enormous impact on popular culture. The tragic and graphic death of Bonnie and Clyde, paired with their ceaseless appeal, cements this couple as an American legend.
They exist in television (Ross and Rachel from Friends), comic books (Clark Kent and Lois Lane), literature (Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett), musicals (Tony and Maria, West Side Story) and soap operas (Luke and Laura, General Hospital).
Of all the various forms of entertainment, film is arguably the most influential medium that defines a supercouple. A movie has less time to develop characters and story. It depends on the allure of a fairy tale romance and the idea that love can overcome any obstacle to create a compelling argumnt for why a couple should be together. After a classic line is spoken ("Love means never having to say you're sorry") and the often mismatched duo is drawn together, an iconic supercouple is born. Whether it is a couple from a classic (Joe Bradley and Princess Ann, Roman Holiday) or a couple that just emerged (Cecelia Tallis and Robbie Turner, Atonement), audiences continually seek out these romances for thrilling, unequalled love stories.
In Casablanca, the ill-fated romance between ex-lovers Rick Blaine, an American expatriate, and Ilsa Lund, the wife of a Czech resistance fighter, is often considered the greatest romance in American film history. When Ilsa enters Rick's café for the first time after their Parisian affair, he utters the classic phrase: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."
Their brief reunion combines drama, comedy, suspense and the emotional struggle of who Ilsa really loves: Rick, or her husband, Laszlo. In the end, Rick sacrifices a lasting relationship with Ilsa because solving the world's problems is far more important than personal love.
The dangerous love of Depression-era gangsters Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker has maintained an enduring international popularity in film, television, music and poetry. The 1967 film based on their relationship, Bonnie and Clyde, has cemented the duo's enormous impact on popular culture. The tragic and graphic death of Bonnie and Clyde, paired with their ceaseless appeal, cements this couple as an American legend.