Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Favorite Romantic Scenes of All Time: Love Actually

Today's special guest is one of the funniest ladies I know. Jill Monroe is the author of "Wet and Wild" in the upcoming ENDLESS SUMMER ANTHOLOGY (Harlequin Blaze, July 2009), and her novel SEALEd AND DELIVERED will be on a shelf near you this November. She's also one of the creators of Author Talk. I had the joy of filming one of these hilarious (and certainly now infamous!) Author Talk skits with her and her partner in crime, Gena Showalter, for my GODS OF MIDNIGHT series. Without further ado...

When Deidre asked me which romantic scene from a movie was my favorite, I only had to narrow it down to...which Colin Firth movie. So many choices, Colin in a wet shirt in Pride and Prejudice bumping into the woman who'd rejected him months earlier - charming and awkward and sexy...just the way I like my men. And of course there's Colin Firth telling Bridget Jones he likes her just the way she is - charming and accepting and sexy...even more ways I like my men.

But then it hit me, my all time favorite romantic scene is from Love Actually, which stars Colin as Jamie. As he tells Aurelia, in butchered Portuguese, that he loves her, tears are streaming down my face (although it has been pointed out that I'm an easy crier - I sobbed watching Mama Mia, which also stars you know who).

Thus started a three day quest to find the video of that scene. It's not anywhere. I tried YouTube, Google and IMDB, although I could find it in another language, which may have been Italian, but without the English subtitles, the humor of the scene was lost. BUT here it is in plain text (courtesy IMDB):

"Beautiful Aurelia, I've come here with a view of asking you to marriage me. I know I seems an insane person - because I hardly knows you - but sometimes things are so transparency, they don't need evidential proof. And I will inhabit here, or you can inhabit with me in England."

Her response, in butchered English is just as romantic because it shows to Jamie that in their separation she'd been thinking about him just as much, even trying to learn his language:

"Thank you. That will be nice. Yes is being my answer. Easy question."

The scene below is when they part. To me, it's romantic because it's heartbreaking. Brilliant actor that Colin is, his face shows so much - his hope and yearning, but also his pain and frustration. This is followed by the physical comedy of almost walking into each other, which proves great comedy is emotional. It's the second most perfect romantic scene!

*Technical Note* This video cannot be embedded. You'll have to make a trip over to the You Tube theater! Click here. It's so worth it ;).

8 comments:

Gwen Hayes said...

So, basically, what you're saying is you like Colin Firth?

*sigh*

It's really, really hard to pick the most bestest romantic scene of all time. Right now, I'd choose the last scene in the BBC production of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (not the US miniseries about the civil war, though that was good too)

The way he looks at her while she's trying to spit out the business proposition. He's so utterly enchanted with her, and his heart is so full of hope. *sigh*

What is it about the English man that is so appealing do you think?

Gena Showalter said...

She LOVES Colin Firth. And oh, I was with her when she cried at Mama Mia. All I can say is wow. Just wow. :)

Jill Monroe said...

Gwen - You're the second person to tell me how good North and South is. I can't seem to find it, although I looked for it on iTunes the other day.

And Colin Firth...sigh. Daniel Craig is right up there, too!

Gwen Hayes said...

I watched North and South on Netflix "watch instantly". I'm going to buy it now, though.

Linda said...

North and South was wonderful! But my favorite romantic scene is from An Officer and a Gentleman with Richard Gere and Debra Winger. It's the ending of the movie when he realizes he loves her and goes into the paper factory where she works and carries he out with all her co workers applauding. Yup, that gives me a little lump in my throat every time I watch it. :)

Jill Monroe said...

Desiree - that is a wonderful scene!

Louisa Edwards said...

Good one! Colin Firth is wonderful, so good at conveying deep emotions with very few lines. And I'm an easy crier, too--I cried during the second Terminator movie, when Arnold lowers himself into...hot...melting...metal *sob!*

ginathefan said...

Yikes! My must have book list is ever growing... So I read Red Kiss and it was sooo good. I am so interested in all the seeds of love you have planted. Thankfully July is a slow month for the new releases i am interested in so I am going to gobble up your Parallel series and check out Miss Monroe. Ms. Knight who will be next? Leonidas,Nikos,Aristos,or Sable? Or maybe you plan to tease them further and go for Straton or Kalias instead.If I had a vote (which i know i don't)I am all about Sable. *purrs like a kitten* He is so in need of the mercy of love. Can u tell i like rooting for the underdogs?