Film Articles
5 Classic Romance Movies on DVD for Your Next Movie Night
In this article
A classic romantic movie can offer much more than a familiar happy ending. These five films from the Retro Classic Flixs catalog range from a tentative new relationship to supernatural comedy and a love triangle shaped by ambition.
Use this list to choose a mood for your next movie night. Each recommendation links to its DVD listing, and our romance DVD collection offers more ways to explore. These are editorial selections rather than a poll or a best-to-worst ranking.
1. A Man and a Woman (1966)
For a tentative new beginning
Two widowed parents meet through their children and begin a relationship complicated by memories of their former partners. Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant star in Claude Lelouch’s French romance.
Start here if you want a love story about the hesitation that can accompany a second chance. The attraction matters, but so does the question of whether either person is ready to begin again.
2. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
For romance with a fantastic premise
A British pilot survives a fall from his aircraft and falls in love with the American radio operator who heard his final message. Then a messenger from the afterlife arrives to correct the mistake that allowed him to survive.
David Niven and Kim Hunter give this choice a very different setting from an everyday courtship. Try it when you want romance mixed with fantasy and a question about the value of a human life. It is also known as Stairway to Heaven.
View A Matter of Life and Death on DVD
3. Paris Blues (1961)
For music and competing ambitions
Two American jazz musicians living in Paris meet two visiting women. Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll play people whose relationships raise questions about work, home and returning to the United States.
Choose this if you enjoy a romance in which love does not automatically settle every other decision. It offers a useful contrast with A Man and a Woman: both concern relationships, but the lives around those relationships pull in different directions.
4. Room at the Top (1959)
For romance with consequences
An ambitious young man pursues a wealthy woman while becoming involved with an older married woman. Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret star in Jack Clayton’s drama about desire and social ambition.
Save this for an evening when you want an uncomfortable romantic drama rather than a reassuring courtship. The tension comes from what the central character wants from love and what he hopes a relationship will give him socially.
5. Blithe Spirit (1945)
For a ghostly marital comedy
A novelist invites a medium to a séance as research for a book. When his first wife’s ghost returns, his current marriage becomes considerably more complicated. Rex Harrison and Margaret Rutherford star in David Lean’s adaptation of Noël Coward’s play.
This is the mischievous option: a comedy about romantic entanglements rather than a conventional love story. Pair it with A Matter of Life and Death for two contrasting ways of bringing the supernatural into a relationship.
Plan a double feature
For a change of tone, follow the serious romantic choices with Blithe Spirit. For an evening built around the choices people make as a couple, pair A Man and a Woman with Paris Blues. If you prefer the more dramatic end of the genre, explore our drama DVDs next.
Choose the film, then check the DVD
A film’s story and reputation do not tell you which edition is being offered. Check the linked listing for language, subtitles, playback region and any version notes that matter to you. Consult About Our DVDs for the store’s general format information, or ask about an edition when a detail is not stated.
Catalog selections can change. The product listing is the place to check the current offer before ordering.
Film references
These references concern the films, not the specifications of the DVDs listed here.