Everybody loves an on-screen romance, it gifts us with a form of escapism and an opportunity to entertain our own loved up dreams. From toe-curling kisses to cherished romantic gestures, these are some of the most iconic cinematic couples ever to grace the silver screen.

Rose and Jack, Titanic

It may have been doomed from the start, but you really can’t beat snooty, corseted Rose DeWitt-Bukater (Kate Winslet) who falls in love with destitute third-class passenger, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) onboard the ill-fated Titanic. The fact that their romance is forbidden due to class differences only adds to the appeal of this all-time grand love affair. And 13 years later, with the film returning to Netflix shortly, audiences the world over can once again indulge in this coming-of-age love story.

Ilsa and Rick, Casablanca

Ah, the one that got away. Isla Lund (Ingrid Bergman) resurfaces in her former lover Rick’s (Humphrey Boggart) life as a married woman. Try as they might, the couple can’t fight their burning attraction for one another. This 1942 story of a love lost has you glued to the end with its ‘will-they-won’t-they’ storyline.

Baby and Johnny, Dirty Dancing

The unforgettable romance in Dirty Dancing is played out by beloved leading man Johnny (Patrick Swayze) who liberates ‘Baby’ (Jennifer Grey) from the emotional shackles of her youthful naivety through dance, in this coming-of-age classic. It is the holiday love story we’ve all dreamed of, backed by possibly the best soundtrack ever.  

Sally and Harry, When Harry Met Sally

When Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) first meet in the back of a car from Chicago to New York, we were gifted arguably one of the most memorable love stories of all time and one of the best movie couples ever to be captured on film. Meg Ryan also inspired the haircut of millions of women following the movie release.

Vivian and Edward, Pretty Woman

A true ‘rags to riches’ story, Vivian (Julia Roberts) is rescued from her life as a struggling sex worker by businessman Edward (Richard Gere), and she then saves him right back from his grey life of suits and meetings. Empowering and moving, with a shopping spree scene that will leave you green, you cannot help but fall in love with this unlikely duo. 

Pretty Woman
Image Credit: Time

Molly and Sam, Ghost

Heaped in heartbreak and unlike conventional love stories, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) is left widowed by her fiance Sam (Patrick Swayze). Yet, the romance plays on from beyond the grave as Sam’s ghost continues to watch over and protect Molly from harm, communicating with her through medium Oda Mae Brown played by Whoopi Goldberg.

Carrie and Mr Big, Sex and the City

Do we want them to or not? The literal roller-coaster relationship of Manhattan socialite Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her older lover ‘Mr Big’ (Chris Noth) was followed with passionate enthusiasm by millions as the star-crossed lovers tried to find themselves and each other.

Edward and Bella, Twilight

Written as a romance novel, Twilight features multiple couplings between vampires, werewolves and humans alike. However, possibly the most unforgettable is the dark and almost tragic connection between Bella, a human (Kristen Stewart) and Edward, a vampire (Robert Pattinson). The couple battle to find common ground with Bella eventually succumbing to his ghoulish lifestyle, transforming to a vampire for eternity, all in the name of love.

Twilight
Image Credit: Express.co.uk

Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet

Probably the most famous of all fictional lovers, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet are a beautifully crafted couple with devastating destinies. Young lovers torn apart by their feuding families, their love will only ever exist in death. More than 400 years later, the reference of Romeo and Juliet continues to symbolise true burning love.

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Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, Brokeback Mountain

One of the main reasons why Brokeback Mountain is so highly regarded is because the two main characters – Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) do not have the typical colourful personalities that are usually linked to homosexuality. Ennis is especially closed-off and bottles up his feelings, using anger as a defence mechanism to combat his feelings for Jack. It’s precisely what makes Brokeback Mountain so refreshing. It is the epitome of acknowledgement that love can happen between any two people and that homosexuality should not be placed in the film industry’s stereotypical box.

Racheal Marron and Frank Farmer, The Bodygaurd

Based on the relationship between pop star, Whitney Houston and her real-life bodyguard, David Roberts, the movie was an instant hit, catapulting Houston to international stardom.

The duo begins what is initially a professional relationship, but romantic feelings emerge as Costner protects Houston from a series of life-threatening attacks. The passionate relationship that eventually develops between Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston) and Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner) never fails to make our hearts flutter.

The Bodyguard
Image Credit: Looper
Bianca Church