Unconditional LoveOne of the most unforgettable love stories of this decade on film is "The Notebook," directed by Nick Cassavetes, which was released in June 2004. It is based on the “Best selling” novel by Nicholas Sparks, published in 1995. The Notebook was inspired by the unforgettable love story that belonged to Nicholas’s wife‘s grandparents. This is a story of the enduring power of love between a man and women that lasts for over 70 years. Love is proven to be an everlasting feeling that is strong enough to create miracles.
The story begins in the first-person with an 80-year old man(James Garner) reading to an old women (Gena Rowlands) from a worn notebook, the story of a young couple‘s love that was proven to be stronger than any disapproval or separation. Later in the story, we realize that the man is Noah and the woman is Allie. Allie is suffering from Alzheimer’s and only knows Noah as the man who reads to her, not the man whom she has shared her life with for over 60 years. Every now and then, Allie's memory comes back and she is able to relive the memories of the story. When Allie remembers, the short moments her and Noah have together are precious. After 60 years, you can see that Noah’s love for Allie hasn’t changed, by the way he holds her hand and the light that appears in his eyes when he has her back in his arms.
In the 1940’s as teenagers, Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) met at a carnival in a southern town of NC. Noah didn’t know much about Allie, but when he saw her, he knew he had to have her. Noah’s excitement and charm quickly stole the city girl’s heart. Their magical summer romance quickly turned into first love. They fought all the time, rarely agreed on anything and challenged each other everyday, but they were crazy about one another. When Allie’s upper-class folks found out how serious she and the poor country boy were, they told her she was not to see him anymore. “He’s just not suitable for you, baby,” (Cassavetes) said her father. Allie was forced to go back to the big city for school and Noah, still working at the lumber yard, writes 365 letters throughout the next year to Allie but gets no response. Just after writing his final goodbye letter, the draft takes him into WWII. When Noah returns home a few years later, he is able to buy the old plantation home and plans to restore it just the way Allie pictured it, in hopes that she‘ll come back into his life. Meanwhile, "Allie was surprised how quickly she fell in love with Lon Hammond. He was handsome, smart, funny, sophisticated, and charming. He also came from old Southern money and was fabulously wealthy" (Cassavetes). Lon asked Allie to marry him and she said yes! But she couldn‘t understand why at that very moment, Noah’s face came to mind. While trying on her wedding dress, she sees Noah’s picture in the paper next to the beautifully restored home and realizes she must confront her past in order to shape her hopes and dreams for the future. When they reunite after seven years, the couple of days they share together are passionate. Noah to Allie: "I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day" (Cassavetes). Allie is now faced with the toughest decision. Does she follow her heart and marry her soul mate, or the man of class order?
The character I would become from this story is young Allie Hamilton. It is so easy for me to wrap myself around this character because I have been through many similar experiences. It is hard for me to think of anything I would do differently as this character because I wouldn’t want it to have an affect on the outcome of the story. When I think of myself as Allie, there is only one thing that I would have done differently, and that is to have written to Noah instead of waiting to hear from him. It wasn’t Noah’s fault that Allie didn’t receive the letters so there wasn’t anything else that he could have done, but Allie didn’t try to do anything. When they reunite after seven years, Allie explodes with anger and questions as to why he didn’t write her. If it wasn’t over for her and she still wanted to be with him, why would she put herself through the pain and misery of not knowing whether they could have been? I guess we can only wonder if the outcome would have been different if they did keep in touch and didn’t face the separation. All I know is, if their love never failed after all those years apart, who is to say that it wouldn’t have been as strong if they had stayed together? In the end, Allie knows their meant to be together and shes not going to push him away again. I couldn’t have been happier with the ending of the story!
The reason why this story has touched me so deeply is because my true life love story is so comparable. I fell head over heels for my now husband Ryan at the age of 17. We met through a mutual friend and although we didn’t have much in common it was obvious there was something drawing us closer. I was going through a hard time at home and he became my shoulder to lean on. We spent that entire summer hand in hand, young and falling in love. As time went on, it became clear that we were raised much different and our families were also very different, just as Noah and Allie‘s. As a result, we knew we would face challenges along the way and it would either make or break us. I thought things could only get better, little did I know they were about to pull a U-turn.
Ryan told me he would be leaving in just two weeks to join the Navy. I had no idea what was going to happen but I was obviously devastated. Before leaving, he told me that it wasn’t over and in the end we would be together. Letters were our only way of keeping in touch for the next two months. After those two long and painful months, Ryan was stationed in Florida. Our lives were going in complete opposite directions that it seemed impossible for us to understand what each other were going through. On top of not being able to see the love of my life, I was still going through a really hard time at home and was barely hanging onto my High School Diploma. Ryan and I saw each other twice throughout the next five months and he was able to make it home to be my prince charming at the senior prom. It was an amazing weekend that I didn‘t want to end. What made it so amazing is that Ryan made it clear that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me by asking me to marry him.
After my graduation, I moved to Florida and said “I Do.” Our families were shocked. I think we were even a little shocked, but sometimes you have to take a chance in order to follow your heart. Our son was born one year later and that became our real test. Ryan was going through some of the toughest training courses in the Navy which sent him away often for weeks at a time leaving me at home with a newborn. I had only a few friends in the area and no family within 500 miles. To sum up my life in one word would be, depressing. The past two years of our relationship has been heart wrenching, but I believe that everything happens for a reason and this was just another one of god’s plans to prove that our love was strong enough to make it through. One year ago we almost lost hope. I moved to Buffalo, NY with the baby to be around support of my family and in hopes of “finding myself.” I began working full-time as a server, moved into my own apartment and most importantly, gained confidence through becoming a young independent women. I recently moved back into our VA home. My husband will be home from his seven month deployment in Iraq in less than two weeks and words cannot describe how anxious I am to start this new life as a family again.
My marriage has been everything aside of perfect, but what marriage is? Nothing in life is easy and you have to work at everything you want in order to be successful. Following your heart, taking chances and making mistakes are all part of life. Separation does make the heart grow fonder. I know that my husband and I will be blessed through sharing that special gift of everlasting, unconditional love with one another for the rest of our lives, just as Noah and Allie did, because of everything we have been through. I have had my heart broken and I know it won’t be the last, but the strong ones always make it through the stormy weather. This story is truly remarkable and I know it will forever be in my heart.
MOVIE CLIPS
Love Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omtKkWeFYyU
Fight scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJOcKJNGGCE
Kissing scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNKrCuPGtzY
What do you want Allie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww1WvFZzv4A
Noah's letter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJFPLuCdtGI
IMAGE: http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/GLO/FLM60018~The-Notebook-Posters.jpg
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