Script
I've bicycled through France, paddled the canals of Venice, and bet on horses at the track all while watching A Little Romance from my padded seat in a darkened theater. My friends and I were on our way to see some violent war film and my mother told me I couldn't go. She said if I wanted to see a movie, I could go with her and her friends to see a new little gem that had just come out. I was angry as hell, but wasn't about to sit around the house, so my friends and I trudged behind and found seats even further behind my mothers gabbing group.
Only moments into the film, I was smitten. The tale began to slowly unravel and it wasn't long before I too was not only in love with a young Diane Lane, I was in love with the Romance.
That week alone, I saw the movie 6 times. Alone, in a darkened theater, just me and the tale of two lovers so cleverly woven by director, George Roy Hill.
Characters
Can you even imagine being a young actor or actress and having the opportunity to work with Sir Lawrence Olivier? The honor was equally satisfying as I watched him interact with the two children played by Diane Lane and Thelonious Bernard. The chemistry between the children was magical but more importantly believable as they navigate the streets of Europe in an effort to evade the authorities and uncover a little secret of their own.
Music
George Delerue's music engulfs you, pulling you into the story so deeply that you are sure to drift there with melodies in your head for days to come. The sad and melodic lovers theme will leave you stranded in your seat reflecting on what beauty can be made of film when it is in the hands of grand masters like Hill, Delerue and Olivier.