This month takes romantic viewers back in time for adventures in England (The Young Victoria), Africa (Out of Africa), and globe-trotting (The Thomas Crown Affair). For those with a craving for grittier locales, there’s Rocky, which returns audiences to 1976 in some of the lower rent districts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Thomas Crown Affair (Blu-ray)
From 1999, this romantic thriller (a remake of the 1968 film starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway) revolves around a rich playboy who steals art as a hobby. When a beautiful insurance investigator sets out to prove his guilt, they begin a sexy cat-and-mouse game that could land him in jail and could land her in his bed.
- Starring Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary, Ben Gazzara, Frankie Faison, Faye Dunaway
- Director: John McTiernan
- Writers: Leslie Dixon and Kurt Wimmer (screenplay); Alan Trustman (story)
- Discs: 1
- Genre: Romantic Thriller
- Run Time: 113 minutes
- Rating: R (for some sexuality, language, and nudity)
- DVD Release Date: April 6, 2010
Rocky (Two-Pack Format DVD and Blu-ray)
This romantic underdog story from 1976 launched Sylvester Stallone to stardom and began the Rocky film franchise. A neighborhood boxer with low self-esteem gets the chance of a lifetime when he is selected to fight the heavyweight champ. Along the way, he learns to fight for the woman he loves.
- Also starring Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Thayer David, Joe Spinell, Bill Baldwin
- Director: John McTiernan
- Writer: Sylvester Stallone
- Discs: 2
- Genre: Romantic Sports Drama
- Run Time: 119 minutes
- Rating: PG (sports violence)
- DVD Release Date: April 6, 2010
- Additional Information: Rocky won Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture Academy Awards, plus had seven additional Academy Award nominations.
The Young Victoria (DVD and Blu-ray)
This 2009 historical drama, set in 1837 England, explores Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne and her romance with Prince Albert. Her adolescent years as an isolated child and then her rebellious teenaged years are highlighted in this romantic period piece about a girl becoming a queen.
- Starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Thomas Kretschmann, Mark Strong, Jesper Christensen, Harriet Walter, Jeannette Hain
- Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
- Writer: Julian Fellowes
- Discs: 1
- Genre: Historical Romantic Drama
- Run Time: 100 minutes
- Rating: PG (for some mild sensuality, a scene of violence, and brief incidental language and smoking)
- DVD Release Date: April 20, 2010
- Additional Information: The Young Victoria won an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Costume Design.
Out of Africa: 25th Anniversary (DVD and Blu-ray Combo On One Disc)
This romantic adventure story from 1985 stars two heavyweights (Meryl Streep and Robert Redford) in a dramatic tale of a Danish woman writer who falls in love with a British adventurer while she lives in Africa with her German husband. Africa itself plays a large role in the film, which is largely biographical about the life of Karen Blixen, and set in 20th century Kenya on a coffee plantation.
- Also starring Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Malick Bowens, Joseph Thiaka, Stephen Kinyanjui, Michael Gough
- Director: Sydney Pollack
- Writers Kurt Luedtke (screenplay); Karen Blixen (books), Judith Thurman (book), Errol Trzebinski (book)
- Discs: 1
- Genre: Romantic Biographical Drama
- Run Time: 160 minutes
- Rating: PG (implied sexuality, some language and frightening animal scenes)
- DVD Release Date: April 27, 2010
- Additional Information: Out of Africa won seven Academy Awards, plus had four additional Academy Award nominations.
Also available this month: a remastered three-disc Blu-ray version of Gone With the Wind (The Scarlett Edition) from 1939 starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable that comes out April 13; and a newly restored two-disc version of Pride and Prejudice (1995) starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle that comes out on widescreen April 27.
For more information about any of these romantic films, visit Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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