Great Romantic Characters
Tristan and Susannah
To my mind this film is a quintessential example of an age old problem which confronts the female psyche: should I go with my mind and pick the boring but financially stable and dependable professional man who I can build a life with or should I follow the yearnings of my heart and try to tame the hot, wild, cowboy. In reality off course the answer depends on the personality of the woman and the means which she has at her disposal.
Aside from the fact that Tristan is incredibly good looking, another reason Susannah fell so madly in love with him is that he never really committed to her fully, he was always unclear about his emotions, which had the effect of keeping her in need. Attraction is one of the most powerful forces in the universe which can pull you in the direction of your destiny and Susannah, influenced by her attraction to Tristan, did indeed wait for him for a very long time, but not long enough. Ultimately her love for him brought her nothing but misery resulting in her eventual suicide.
It is my personal opinion that Susannah did not possess the strength of character and single-mindedness required to win Tristan. She could have conquered him: when Tristan did finally return from his wanderings, he straight away asked about Susannah. This indicates he did love her and hoped she would be there when he got back. Susannah had promised him that she would wait for him however long it took, however this was an empty promise because she was all too easily deterred by one letter he wrote her saying that their love was dead, she abandoned her dream and married his politician brother instead, who she did not love. A true romantic would never give up so easily, she should have understood that Tristan would eventually return to his family.
Young Isabel, on the other hand, who, as a little girl, promised she would marry Tristan, was far more determined and stronger minded than Susannah. She rejected an offer by her parents to send her to boarding school and instead stayed on the farm until Tristan returned and eventually she got her wish and married him. The lesson of the story is that: with Love, if you are all in…… then your faith shouldn’t waiver, it’s better to crash and burn than to give up. If you cannot be with your lover in this life than you should hope to see them in the next.
I feel Susanna’s final suicide scene and the scene where she cries when she sees Tristan with his son, powerfully portray the pain of unfulfilled love; a heart denied its yearnings is sure to wither and die.
Humbert and Lolita
The film Lolita, despite its long history of controversy, can be viewed as a study of overwhelming and destructive attraction. Humbert is portrayed as an educated and intellectually gifted man who becomes consumed by an obsession he is unable to understand or control. For reasons that are psychological rather than rational, this fixation gradually overtakes his emotional and mental life, ultimately leading to his collapse.
Such obsessive attachments are not unique to fiction. Throughout history, extreme infatuation has often been linked to harmful behavior, including stalking and other acts driven by emotional instability. When attraction reaches this intensity, it can resemble a form of psychological compulsion rather than a freely chosen feeling. Research into obsession and fixation has shown that these states can mirror patterns seen in certain mental health conditions, underscoring how profoundly they can distort judgment and perception.
From this perspective, the film serves as a cautionary tale. When emotions begin to eclipse self-control and ethical awareness, creating distance can be an essential act of self-preservation. The vacant expression on Humbert’s face in the final car scene poignantly captures the emptiness and despair that can follow unchecked obsession.
What is especially compelling from a psychological standpoint, however, is not only the loss of control experienced by an older, more powerful character, but also the way power itself is negotiated and misused within the relationship. The film raises uncomfortable questions about immaturity, manipulation, and agency, showing how imbalance can foster toxicity on both sides rather than portraying obsession as a purely one-sided phenomenon.
By the end of the story, Lolita moves on with her life, marrying and stepping outside the fantasy Humbert constructed around her. What unsettles him most is not simply losing her, but confronting the reality that his idealized vision never truly belonged to the real person. In this sense, the film underscores a central tragedy: obsession does not elevate love, but replaces it with illusion—one that ultimately leaves everyone diminished.
Alain and Stephanie
This one is a life affirming story about a union between a Whale Trainer who loses her legs and a struggling street fighter who has a young son. Both of them are obviously flawed but they support each other and eventually overcome adversity. The scenes where one lifts the other up when they are at their lowest points are particularly touching. He carries her into the sea after her accident and she supports him emotionally when he cries over his son almost dying due to his negligence. It’s a good example about how the right life partner can give you strength; nobody wants to fight the dragons alone.
Tolyan and Katya
A single mother with few life options in The Soviet Union falls in love with a thief posing as an army officer, who ruins her life. I find this film intriguing because it poses an interesting philosophical question: why do we fall in love with bad people? If they are bad isn’t it counterintuitive that someone would love them. How can a man fall in love with a prostitute or a good woman become infatuated with a criminal?
The conclusion I have come to is that immorality and virtue are not mutually exclusive. An imoral man can be bad yet strong and caring at the same time and a bad woman can also be wise and kind simultaneously. That’s what makes these characters so dangerous yet alluring, they have integrated their shadow into their personality; vice and virtue live side by side inside them giving them more depth of character, and a broader array of buttons to push.
I should add however that the main character in this film is more bad than good. Aside from his good looks, bravery and charm he has few other redeeming features. The scene where he forces her young son to break open the top floor window is particularly uncomfortable to watch. Eventually he get’s arrested and is thrown into prison and she dies from a botched abortion leaving the little boy alone in the world harboring hope to one day see Tolyan again because he is the closest thing he has to family.
Russian film directors have a special talent for conveying a particular brand of sorrow, so deep and profound that it leaves you paralyzed. I have yet to see this replicated by Western film makers; The Russians are indeed the masters of melancholy. Watching drunken Tolyan, in the final reunion scene, savagely crush teenage Sanya’s hopes of continuing their relationship, causing him to wet himself, perfectly exemplifies the cruelty of some peoples’ existence in this indifferent universe. Fate smiles at some while crucifying others.
Benjamin and Virginia
Warren Beatty’s portrayal of charismatic mobster Benjamin Seigel is one of my all time favorite performances in any Gangster movie. The film is based on a true story about a visionary Gangster who founded the Las Vegas strip by building the Flamingo casino. Bugsy is an interesting character because he is clearly much more than just a mobster, he is a man of vision who wanted to make his vision a reality at any cost; the idea of building something was more important to him than profit.
He also serves as a perfect example of how a strong man should handle a bad woman. Despite being a violent mob hit man and extremely hot headed and narcissistic himself, he always treated his temperamental girlfriend Virginia Hill with great patience and tolerance. Unlike other famous gangsters like Tony Montana who hit and abused their girlfriends, Bugsy literally had the patience of a Saint when it came to Viginia- this is what makes him a great Romantic character. Even when it became clear that Virgina had stolen 2 million from him and his associates, Bugsy didn’t even raise his voice to her and even let her keep the money when she tried to return it, despite knowing that her theft would result in his assassination. When he found out that he was going to be killed he agreed to go to his death quietly as long as they promised that Virginia would be protected- you don’t get anymore chivalrous then that.
Forest and Jenny
Due to his low IQ and moronic accent maybe some female readers will question Forest Gump’s romantic credentials. But the most important quality that Forest Gump shares with other great Romantics like Gatsby or Heathcliff is his single mindedness of purpose- once these types of personalities set their sights on you, they cannot be deterred- it’s either grandkids or an indefinite non-mol order. During the war he thought of Jenny, during his running he thought of Jenny, he bought a shrimping boat....he named it Jenny. His entire internal world is occupied by Jenny; she is his motivation, his entire reason for living.
What makes this film particularly life affirming is that Forest Gump doesn’t do anything particularly cunning, like study the stock market, or convince investors to lend him money for some tech start up he invented, nor does he try to manipulate his love interest like Gatsby does: Forest Gump simply perseveres in good honest conduct, abiding by the Laws of God and Man and eventually the universe repays his sincerity fully by granting him his deepest wishes- he marries Jenny and acquires great material wealth.
The depth of his feelings for Jenny can be gauged by observing his reaction to her running away from him the morning after she sleeps with him. This creates in him such deep emotional turmoil that he has to run accross America two times to burn of the negative psychic energy, this is because he is not able to process it any other way due to his low IQ. This is a perfect example how attraction can be used as mental fuel to achieve great things in the world.
On Love
Then said Almitra, Speak to us of Love. And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said: When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself. He threshes you to make you naked. He sifts you to free you from your husks. He grinds you to whiteness. He kneads you until you are pliant; And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God’s sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor, Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.” And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own under- standing of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with grati- tude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
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