Last February, we recommended some underappreciated movies worth checking out to ring in the year’s most romantic month. Here are a few more.
History is Made at Night (1937), dir. Frank Borzage
Borzage’s luminous, genre-mixing romantic drama epitomizes the idea that love can conquer all with a narrative that almost never goes where you think it will. (The Criterion Channel)
Dark Passage (1947), dir. Delmer Daves
Power couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s third movie together is objectively their silliest — a major part of the plot involves plastic surgery as a disguise — but it’s also their most straightforwardly romantic. (Hulu)
The Earrings of Madame de … (1953), dir. Max Ophüls
Elevated by knockout performances from Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux, Ophuls’ sumptuous 1953 masterpiece is tragic romance at its best. (HBO Max, The Criterion Channel)
Claudine (1974), dir. John Berry
This romance, between a harried single mother of six (Diahann Carroll) and a garbage collector (James Earl Jones), gives us the feel-good pleasures we want from a romantic comedy while also meaningfully engaging with everyday complications. (YouTube)
Crossing Delancey (1988), dir. Joan Micklin Silver
Silver’s magnum opus beautifully evokes the take-you-aback excitement of a new, unexpected romance. (Hulu)
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995), dir. Maria Maggenti
This spirited movie, which tracks the blossoming romance between two high-school girls (Lauren Holloman and Nicole Ari Parker), is a high-water mark for both the coming-of-age film and for the romantic movies of its decade in general. (YouTube)
Brown Sugar (2002), dir. Rick Famuyiwa
Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs have electric chemistry in this romantic comedy about two best friends who realize they can’t stave off their mutual romantic attraction to each other for much longer. (Prime Video)
Weekend (2011), dir. Andrew Haigh
Haigh’s drama about a one-night stand that turns into something deeper is an emotionally astute two-hander featuring great performances from Tom Cullen and Chris New. (Pluto)