Director Arthur Hiller couldn’t had brought together more perfect actors to take the lead roles of the two fateful lovers. Ali MacGraw as Jennifer, a music student and Ryan O’Neal as Oliver, a rich hockey player turned lawyer, displayed more chemistry onscreen in this 1970 masterpiece that it wouldn’t have surprised me if they were married in real life. Their onscreen personalities play off of each other perfectly when Jennifer and Oliver come alive.This is quite possibly one of the best love stories (no pun intended) that emerged from the 70s, and has been difficult to replicate since. All of it starts with the actors.
As for the story, writer Erich Segal did a perfect (and I really do mean perfect) job of keeping the story focused on the lovers. Segal’s ability to put them into situations, put other people into the story and still come out focusing completely on Jennifer and Oliver is nothing short of amazing. A lot of writers could learn a lot from Segal’s story. What does that mean for the audience? Well, when you watch Love Story you’re going to take a trip through early love, early marriage, the ups and downs, and the tragic conclusion; all while piggybacking on the two main characters. You’ll see what they see, you’ll feel what they feel and you won’t break away from that one bit. In other words, the story is about Jennifer and Oliver, solely about them. Nothing else will matter to you by the end of the film.
It’s so incredibly difficult for a writer to pull this off, but Segal did it beautifully. This truly is a love story about two people; nothing more, nothing less.
Are there any issues with Love Story? Well, it will seem a bit cheesy to newcomers. It is a love story and in this day and age, you rarely get that pure, honest love story. Generally it’s onscreen passion mixed with some sexiness. Love Story isn’t about that, it’s about two people who are simply madly in love with each other. Again, it’s pure, but it may come off cheesy. Having said that, someone online rated “Love means you never have to say you’re sorry” as one of the cheesiest lines of all-time, which is a bit harsh in my opinion. How it’s used in context and what built it to that moment, really makes it appropriate for the situation. I can only assume two things about that person: A. They’ve never been married or B. They’ve never fallen in love.
Anyway, the story doesn’t have a lot of flaws outside of MacGraw’s little bit less than natural acting. She read lines a few times in this one and it sounded like it. O’Neal carries the movie on his back and makes you forget there were any flaws, but it’s tough to hide the other person that makes this film work. MacGraw seemed raw and new in Love Story, and it shows a bit.
Still, the pair are perfect onscreen and they make Love Story a good one to watch more than once.
As for the Blu-ray, you’re in for a treat. While it isn’t exactly perfect, it comes close to being perfect. There are moments of artifacts and graininess in the film, but the majority of the transfer is pretty damn clean. For example, when we see O’Neal’s Oliver playing hockey for the first time, take note of the clarity of the ice and the uniforms. It’s simply stunning how clean everything looks in this particular scene. There are a lot more scenes like that, as the Blu-ray brings out some stunning blues, whites, blacks and reds. Again, it’s not perfect, but it’s a very nice transfer.
On top of great video, you get great audio mastered in 5.1 DTS-HD. Is it necessary for this film? Probably not, but it’s nice they did it.
As for the features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– Commentary by Arthur Hiller
– Love Story: A Classic Remembered
– Original Theatrical Trailer
Not a lot here, but still some decent stuff. The commentary is fascinating from Hiller. The Love Story featurette is insightful and good. After that, there’s nothing but empty. I would have loved to hear some commentary from O’Neal and MacGraw. Alas, we don’t get that, but it’s still a decent set of features.
