Love

“Old love, new love, every love but true love…Who’s prepared to pay the price for a trip to paradise…” Ella Fitzgerald gives these lines from Cole Porter’s classic “Love for Sale” a world-weary elegance. The seasons of love are thrilling, mysterious, and very, very challenging!

In this book, the chapters on romance, sex, and relationships precede the chapter on love. This was intentional on my part because I define “Love” to mean the deep familial love that grows out of a lengthy relationship. Perhaps this “familial love” is the “old love” referred to in Cole Porter’s song. Of course, there is no reason why this “old love” cannot include all the romance and excitement of “new love!” Sometimes, a strong familial love can develop early in a relationship. I think this is unusual, however.

Here are three extraordinary movies that explore different aspects of love. The movie “The Road Home” shows us love at its most tender. “La Strada,” on the other hand, shows us a different sort of love. The recipient of love in “La Strada” is cruel and abusive. It doesn’t seem to matter. The love still flows. Pope Francis has said that “La Strada” is his favorite movie.

At the beginning of “Smiles of a Summer Night,” all the characters are attached to the wrong person. A sorting process occurs. Magically, by the end of this wonderful movie about love, everyone ends up with the right person. The critic Pauline Kael called “Smiles of a Summer Night” a nearly perfect movie. I hope you enjoy these extraordinary movies about love.