There are many films that portray love and romance as easy.
But some ambitious movies break from the formula, exploring relationship conflicts with couples finding themselves in extreme, even life-threatening conditions.
To celebrate the release of The Mountain Between Us, a story of a high stakes romance, here’s a look back at the most extraordinary love stories in film.
Jack and Rose – Titanic (1997)
‘I’m the king of the world!’ Perhaps the most famous doomed romance in Hollywood history, the story of Jack and Rose’s ill-fated journey on the Titanic hardly needs an introduction
Perhaps the most famous doomed romance in Hollywood history, the story of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater’s ill-fated journey on the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic hardly needs an introduction.
The story is familiar: a pretty ingénue (Kate Winslet) engaged to be married to selfish businessman Cal Hockley (Billy Zane) falls for a young artist (Leonardo DiCaprio) from the third-class cabins.
But disaster strikes when when the Titanic collides with an iceberg two days before its scheduled arrival in New York, with 2,224 passengers and crew on board, on the night of 14 April, 1912.
Eventually, Rose survives to tell the story of her star-crossed love affair, but Jack dies (in rather controversial circumstances) when he sinks into the icy depths.
Lou and Will – Me Before You (2016)
In Me Before You, a working-class woman, Louisa (Emilia Clarke), is hired as a caregiver for Will (Sam Claflin), a depressed former banker left paralysed in a motorcycle crash
In Me Before You, a working-class English woman, Louisa (Emilia Clarke), is hired as a caregiver for Will (Sam Claflin), a depressed former banker left paralysed from a motorcycle crash.
After learning his ex-girlfriend is engaged to be married to his former best friend, Will becomes frustrated and furious – but eventually forms a close bond with Lou.
But Lou soon becomes aware of Will’s intention to die by assisted suicide in Switzerland, where it is legal, and is determined to show him that life is worth living.
Eventually he goes through with his euthanasia plans and in a final letter, which she is seen reading in a Parisian cafe, tells her to follow her dreams and ‘just live’.
Ben and Alex – The Mountain Between Us (2017)
Desperate situation: The film adaptation of Charles Martin’s bestselling novel The Mountain Between Us follows two strangers who fall in love when their plane crashes in the wilderness
Stunning scenes: The beautiful and dangerous landscapes of Canadian Rockies serve as the backdrop to The Mountain Between Us. Pictured: Kate Winslet and Idris Elba
The beautiful and dangerous landscapes of Canadian Rockies serve as the backdrop to new film The Mountain Between Us, a gripping tale of love and survival starring Academy Award winner Kate Winslet.
The film follows two strangers who fall in love following a deadly plane crash, as they struggle to navigate through the remote Utah wilderness.
Kate plays Alex Martin, a soon-to-be married American photojournalist, who finds herself injured hundreds of miles from safety alongside handsome surgeon Dr. Ben Bass, played by Idris Elba.
After discovering help is not on the way, the pair decide to push through in sub-zero temperatures across the snowy ranges, eventually finding an inner strength they never realised they had.
The must-see film explores how a relationship can form when people are pushed to their limits and how falling in love could be the only way to survive.
Noah and Allie – The Notebook (2004)
Plot twist: The heartbreaking ending of The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, is as famous as the compelling love story which precedes it
A love affair between a lower class boy, Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling), and a teenage heiress, Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), is cut short by her elitist mother and the outbreak of World War II
But their journey to finding each other again is not the reason romance fans remain so devoted to the The Notebook.
The film’s framing device – an elderly man reading a romantic story to a fellow patient in a nursing home – leads to a now-famous plot twist where it is revealed the modern day characters are actually Noah and Allie, and he is re-reading their journals to help her recover memories lost to dementia.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Perhaps one of the most famous romantic comedies of the modern era, Harry Met Sally discusses whether men and women can just be friends.
The film details the relationship between the title characters, played by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, as they share a series of chance meetings over a 10-year period.
Although the question of romance comes up from time to time, the pair seem wholly unsuited for one another, despite discussing their love lives in great detail. The diner scene which sees Sally demonstrate to Harry how easily women can fake it, seemed to highlight just how much the opposite sex can misunderstand each other.
Although their relationship seems frustrating it also proves that nothing can stand in the way if two people are meant to be together.
Robbie and Cecilia – Atonement (2007)
Period drama: In 1935, a blossoming romance between wealthy English woman Cecilia Tallis and the housekeeper’s son, Robbie Turner, is shattered by her younger sister’s lie
In 1935, a blossoming romance between wealthy English woman Cecilia Tallis and the housekeeper’s son, Robbie Turner, is shattered when he is falsely accused of a crime by his lover’s 13-year-old sister, Briony.
The consequences of the young girl’s lie are far-reaching as Robbie (James McAvoy) is jailed, before later being shipped off to fight on the beaches in World War II.
Flash forward several decades, and Briony – now a successful writer – is still seeking forgiveness for her dreadful mistake. Dying of vascular dementia, her last book is autobiographical and deals with Robbie and Cecilia’s relationship. The shocking twist is heart-wrenching.
Henry and Clare – The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
Quite a dilemma! Henry (Eric Bana) and Clare (Rachel McAdams) appear to be a match made in heaven – until his habit of randomly travelling back in time throws a spanner in the works
Chicago librarian Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) and artist Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams) appear to be a match made in heaven.
That is, until his habit of randomly warping back in time at the most unhelpful of moments throws a spanner in the works.
The film adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s book club favourite is bittersweetly romantic – but also vaguely silly at times, especially when Henry’s ‘paranormal disorder’ always results in him re-materialising completely naked.
But despite the slightly illogical storyline, the dilemma at the heart of The Time Traveler’s Wife makes for an appealing and unorthodox love story.
Gone With The Wind (1939)
This historical romance included a killer cast and not only was it the highest grossing film up until that point, but it also won 10 Academy Awards at the 12th Oscars ceremony.
The epic is set in South America during the American Civil War and tells the tale of Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner and her pursuit for the man of her dreams Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard).
Despite believing herself to be madly in love with Ashley – who married his cousin Melanie – the true love story plays out between Scarlett and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).
Through war, loss, death and financial ruin, the iconic film delves into the nature of desire and lust versus true love.
THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US
Stranded in the snowy wilderness after a deadly plane crash, two strangers must journey across dangerous mountain ranges in sub-zero temperatures while pushing each other to survive.
As they discover their inner strength in the extreme conditions, photojournalist Alex and surgeon Dr. Ben Bass form an unlikely bond. This bond turns into love in the most challenging of circumstances.
Coming soon! The Mountain Between Us is in cinemas this Thursday
The Mountain Between Us, starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba is in cinemas this Thursday.