Ah romance…deep sigh! Love it, hate it but deny it at your cost and it’s highly likely that you will end up a miserable old git! I have too many romantic bones in my body to count and they tend to rattle when I watch a scene in a film that sends a tingle down my spine. Not a big fan of the Rom-com with the love theme running all the way through from the opening credits; talk about overload but I do like films that convey in the most delicate and unexpected way romance blossoming.
‘Love Actually’ has one of those scenes and when Portuguese housekeeper Aurelia jumps in the biting lake to save Jamie’s (Colin Firth) half-finished script you can’t help but think she’s a keeper. Without hesitation or thought for the trout that could be lurking beneath she strips to her undies and jumps in to save the drenched paper like an Olympic diver. I didn’t see that coming and neither did Colin (Jamie) I wonder if anyone would jump in for my literary efforts? Technology has its pitfalls making it highly unlikely for a gust of wind to blow my laptop into any pool of water.
‘Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger’ the second and last of my romantic ramblings…some of you will be relieved to know may come as a surprise. A story of a stolen sword, poison and wall climbing ninja’s doesn’t exactly give off an air of romance does it? Even though this film leans towards destructive passions I like to focus on how they begin. As Jen Yu rides through the desert with her entourage a group of bandits ambush and rob them of their riches. The smouldering leader of these rascals swipes her ivory comb away from her raven coloured locks and rides off with it in the Chinese dust. She chases after him to rescue her accessory at top speed, relentless on her horse.
She was after more than an old bit of tat from the pound shop, that’s obvious. I’d probably do the same but I don’t have a thoroughbred in my yard and I don’t think racing down the M25 in my Fiat 500 is a fantasy I want to live out. Romance needs to be spontaneous and completely unexpected with an air of mystery that doesn’t smell of anything a horse might leave behind. The last thing I want to be is that miserable old git regretting all the moments I didn’t take a chance on; I’d rather be a wise old bird with a mind full of memoirs to write about.