This is one of the most famous lines in cinema. A philosophy of love condensed into eight words:“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”It was everywhere. You could see it on posters and love letters. It was repeated by lovers everywhere. It was repeated in wedding vows. It was parodied in comedies. Marriage counselors had a crazy time battling it in their sessions.The line was the soul of Love Story (1970), a romance-tragedy based on Erich Segal’s bestselling book. The hopeless romantics waited for the scene where Jenny (Ali MacGraw) says it to Oliver (Ryan O’Neal), and once she did, they felt as though romantic devotion was expressed in the best possible words.For all this adoration, the line was—is—also subjected to a lot of criticism. The rationalists came out, wielding their counter-reaction, and tried to expose the careless, misguided sentiment it was trying to normalize.So, what is it? An expression of unconditional love or the worst relationship advice?The Birth of an Iconic LineBefore it blazed on screen, Erich Segal birthed it in his bestselling novel, Love Story. The novel set the stage for how this line would be delivered and interpreted.Novel and Screenplay in TandemNot many know, but Segal wrote the screenplay first. Paramount requested him to adapt it into a novel as part of the film’s marketing campaign to generate publicity for the film. The strategy paid off. The novel was a phenomenal hit, and the line had already sparked the debate before the movie was even released.The...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today