Minimalist Love Scene?

John and I really like to watch a good movie about once a week at night when the kids are in bed. Over the years, I have seen many things in movies that I wish I had never seen. I really don’t like to watch people kiss on television shows or in movies. It does not deeply disturb me, however. On the other hand, when I see it shown or alluded to (through noises, movements, or facial expressions, for example) that people are having sex in a movie, it completely offends me. I know … what does one expect when one rents some of these films? That is why we have rented less and less of the films with an R rating.

Now, I’m thinking that some of you are probably above this discussion because you would never have viewed an R rated film. I really respect you for that. For the others who have seen some of the types of scenes that I refer to above, you know just what I am talking about. You are sitting there, watching a film and suddenly (usually very suddenly) this sex situation is there. There is often no warning. I have felt like a voyeur when I have witnessed such things in a movie. It is almost as if I am looking into someone’s bedroom window. I really despise the way that Hollywood does this. Many times these scenes are out of nowhere – they have nothing to add to the plot. They are gratuitous sex scenes that cheapen something that is supposed to be special between a husband and a wife.

I say all that to say this:

My husband John and I watched the film Pride and Prejudice last night. It was about romantic love, among other things. Toward the end of the story, there is a love scene. The man is confessing his deep affection for the woman. She responds. It was truly the most powerful love scene I think I have ever seen in a movie. I had goose bumps. It moved me! I then pointed out to my husband that the couple hadn’t even kissed. We were both so amazed by this portrayal of love … it was so well crafted. That is good film-making! I would that more Hollywood film makers would rely on story and skill to portray these powerful human emotions than through allusions to sex.