Top 20 Most Romantic Moments in Classic Hollywood Movies

When looking back at the trajectory of Audrey Hepburn’s path to Hollywood icon, “Sabrina” is one of the first stops. Hepburn stars as a chauffeur’s daughter in love with a man who doesn’t return her affection. Instead, the man’s older brother falls for her. The two twirl on a dancefloor in Paris, as “La Vie en Rose” plays. They both realize something is happening between them, but they don’t say it outright. It’s all longing gazes and half-revealed truths, but it’s clear in their eyes just how much they are starting to care for each other.

Most modern rom-coms owe a debt to this 1934 Best Picture winner. In it, Clark Gable plays Peter, a roguish reporter who gets the scoop of his life when he intercepts Claudette Colbert’s runaway heiress, Ellie. Their contempt for each other cools, and when it comes time for them to part and for her to marry a rich man, Peter has no interest in the reward money. Gable plays Peter’s frustration and pride brilliantly. Even when he admits to Ellie’s father that he’s in love with her, he can’t help but spit it out. It makes his pretending that he doesn’t love her all the more suspenseful.

When Maid Marian confides in her Nurse about her feelings for Robin of Locksley, she asks, breathlessly, what it feels like to be in love. Of course, as it turns out, Robin has been listening the whole time. Marian is anxious about the possibility of Robin being discovered, even denying her love for him to make him leave. Robin is undeterred, only flirtatiously reminding her that if he goes, he will have to face the bloodthirsty king’s guards below. With her confession, he happily climbs back in her window. Their romantic interlude plays out as throbbing strings fill the soundtrack, and the two embrace for the first time.

Real life isn’t like the movies. In real life, goodbyes are never quite as romantic and the dialogue is never as sharp. But “Now, Voyager” gave us an all-time ending that spoke to some big emotions. At the end of this Bette Davis classic, the man she once loved comes back into her life. For reasons that feel incredibly unfair, they can never be together. Instead, Davis’ character reminds them both that the sacrifice is worth it. Her reply to his question about whether or not she’ll be happy is as heartbreaking a line of dialogue as Davis ever spoke.

Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, and starred in this post-silent era silent romance about a street tramp who falls in love with a blind woman. After a bizarre set of circumstances, he ends up with a millionaire’s money and can get it to the woman before he is arrested. The two meet again months later. Her sight has been restored by an operation she could only afford because of him. But she does not recognize him. We watch, transfixed as the two nearly miss each other. Only the touch of his hand clues her into who he is.

Rodgers and Hammerstein were known for a certain brand of polished and highly romantic musicals, where music became the bridge between even polar opposite people. A visiting governess, Anna Leonowens, finds herself falling for the brusk but handsome King Mongkut of Siam. Their worlds clash constantly, but here is where they make an undeniable connection. Her lesson in dance and English customs turns into a sweeping and unforgettable dance across his opulent palace. His enthusiasm and her sudden shyness mark a huge transformation in their relationship. Whatever walls were of propriety were up before are tumbling down with every step.

Billy Wilder’s romantic comedies could get surprisingly dark. In this one, Jack Lemmon stars as C.C. Baxter, an unmarried executive who loans out his apartment to his married coworkers so they can carry on affairs. He falls in love with one of their guests, the depressed and sarcastic elevator operator, Fran. Realizing that she loves him, Fran runs to tell Baxter, but is terrified when she mistakes the sound of a cork popping for a gunshot. Once they are alone together, Fran cuts right through the mush, ending the movie with a quip instead of the traditional kiss as the credits roll.

There’s a reason it’s considered the best of the classic Hollywood musicals. “Singin’ in the Rain” brings to life a love story set during Hollywood’s transition to the sound film era. Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds’ love story is punctuated by dance numbers that are equal parts rigorous and effortless. The two meet and share a song on an empty studio set, which springs to life all around them. As they dance in and out of pools of colored light and match step by step, it’s not just a great dance sequence. It’s a tribute to the magic of movies.

Having had a fight, George Bailey and Mary Hatch are about to potentially part ways forever when a chance phone call from an old friend comes through. To hear him on the phone, they have to stand achingly close to each other while the friend yammers on. The whole time, they can barely contain the building tension. Modern viewers expecting a wholesome Christmas classic might be surprised at how intense and passionate the whole scene is. The end result turned out to be so passionate that censors demanded part of it be cut from the film.

Nowadays, the sight of Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster frolicking on a beach and kissing in the hot sand is so heightened that it’s almost a parody of other scenes. That’s proof of how this moment infiltrated pop culture. In its original form, their loving embrace, set against sumptuous footage of crashing waves captured in crisp black and white, was enough to send 1953 audiences into a frenzy. This is romantic melodrama at its very finest. There’s so much longing between this soldier and a superior officer’s wife that it practically burns a hole in the screen.

Okay, so technically “Brief Encounter” isn’t a Hollywood film, it’s a British one. But this 1940s classic is too iconic to leave out of our list. The movie tells the story of an emotional affair between two married people, Laura and Alec, who have a chance meet-cute at a train station. Like many films of the era, it’s both melodramatic and painfully restrained. In the much parodied denouement, the couple have agreed that they must part forever and are saying a final farewell. However, they’re interrupted by a friend just as Alec’s train arrives and are therefore denied those longed-for last moments together. This heartbreaking finale has become one of the most famous break-up scenes in movie history.

It may be a cliche, but kissing in the rain is one romantic trope that we can’t get enough of. “Breakfast at Tiffanys” gives us the definitive example. The most memorable image of the movie is Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly in that dress. But the most romantic scene comes during the film’s finale. Holly is hit with the realization of what and who she really wants. She begins frantically searching for Paul, who in turn, is looking for her lost cat. She discovers them both down an alleyway and all three are reunited in a rain-soaked embrace. It’s a very different ending from the book, but it’s so romantic that we don’t care.

There are an abundance of passionate scenes in this epic romantic saga - although some of them are pretty problematic. Still, Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara remain one of the most iconic movie couples of all time. They’re always at cross-purposes and they fight like cat and dog, but there’s no denying that chemistry. For Rhett and Scarlett, it’s not always the big dramatic moments that are the most romantic. We love it when they’re playfully sparring together, as in this memorable scene. She tries all her tricks on him and he gives as good as he gets.

This epic drama film is not the best known Hollywood movie today, but back in the 1940s it was a commercial and critical success. The plot follows three men who are returning to civilian life after World War II. The most touching storyline involves Homer, a young middle-class man who has lost both his hands in active service. He worries that his fiancee, Wilma, will no longer want him. In a beautifully tender sequence, Homer lets his guard down and shows Wilma the reality of his new life. She accepts him whole-heartedly. The moment is made all the more poignant as Homer was played by a real veteran who had also recently lost his hands.

“The Sound of Music’s” romantic duet was famously filmed in silhouette, as the lead actors got the giggles and struggled to keep a straight face. However, they did manage to hold it together for our favorite romantic moment of the movie - when Maria and Captain Von Trapp dance the Ländler. Maria is attempting to teach Kurt the steps of the Austrian folk dance, while the Captain watches from the doorway. After a few moments he decides to cut in. It’s a beautifully understated scene that tells us all we need to know about the couple’s feelings for each other. For the length of the dance, we’re able to watch them together and their chemistry is unparalleled.

We all love a romantic dance scene, and classic Hollywood has some great moments to choose from. From “Funny Face” to “The King and I”, we’re spoilt for choice. However, since Paris is known as the city of lovers, we had to include this swoon-worthy scene from “An American in Paris.” Gene Kelly’s leading man, Jerry, begins by serenading Leslie Caron’s Lise with the George Gershwin jazz standard “Love is Here to Stay.” Of course these two talented dancers are soon turning the moonlit Seine river bank into their own private stage. They give us a picture perfect routine that showcases the talents of both while still maintaining the tender intimacy of new love.

This classic romantic comedy follows a divorced couple who find themselves falling in love for the second time. Katharine Hepburn plays Tracy, a socialite engaged to be married. Her resolution wavers when her ex, Cary Grant’s Dexter, comes back into the picture. The final scenes of the film see Tracy calling off her marriage to potential husband number two. Luckily however, Dexter is there to step into the breach and propose a more satisfying resolution to the story. It’s a sweet, funny and hopelessly romantic moment that’ll make you believe in second chances and happy endings. And if you like it that much, you can see it all over again in 1956’s “High Society.”

“West Side Story” has so many romantic moments that it’s hard to pick a favorite. However, the scene that best summarizes the movie’s theme is the duet “Somewhere.” The re-make gave this song to Rita Moreno’s Valentina, but in the original it’s all about Tony and Maria. At this point in the film, the lovers have declared their feelings for each other, but it’s already beginning to look as if their romance is doomed. “Somewhere” is a heartfelt love song, with lyrics that are both hopeful and tragic. The couple acknowledge that their love can’t flourish in this time and place, but they hope that eventually they can be together.

“Casablanca’s” Rick and Ilsa fell in love during the war, while she believed her husband to be dead. When the star-crossed couple meet again, everything has changed. Throughout the movie, Rick’s bitterness and cynicism eventually make way for a desire to do the right thing. Unfortunately, that means he must give up the woman he loves. In the heartrending finale, Humphrey Bogart’s hero utters his immortal catchphrase. It’s a reminder of Rick and Ilsa’s shared romantic history together. and all the more poignant as they may never meet again. It’s not all bad though - after all.

One of the best scenes in “Sleepless in Seattle” is the moment when Rita Wilson describes the final moments of the classic Hollywood movie, “An Affair to Remember.” Starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, it’s the story of two people who love each other but are kept apart by circumstance and pride. When Kerr’s Terry is hit by a car, she’s unable to meet Grant’s Nickie at the top of the Empire state building as originally planned. It’s not until he comes to visit her, years later, that he realizes why she didn’t show. It’s a close call, but the couple is finally reunited in a scene that doesn’t leave a dry eye in the house.

What classic movie moment made you believe in love? Tell us in the comments.