Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

All titles in the ‘Romance’ genre

53 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year

0-9

1915 television program – 1982

The television series 1915 cleverly uses First World War historical footage and successfully moves between the action at the front and events at home in Australia.

A

All the Rivers Run television program – 1983

This program won a swag of awards and has arguably been watched by more people, more often, than any other Australian mini-series of the prolific ’80s.

Australia feature film – 2008

Three outsiders – an aristocrat, a stockman and a vulnerable child – are set against the malevolent forces of greedy neighbours, a world war and assimilationist policy.

B

Bright Star feature film – 2009

A chronicle of the platonic love affair between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne in early nineteenth century England.

C

Candy feature film – 2006

Candy is a beautifully controlled film with an intense sensuality preceding an equally intense descent into grief and regret.

The Cheaters (silent) feature film – 1929

Paula Marsh decides to end her career as a thief after falling in love with Lee Travers, son of a wealthy businessman.

The Cheaters (sound version) feature film – 1931

Paula Marsh decides to end her career as a thief after falling in love with Lee Travers, son of a wealthy businessman.

Children of the Silk Road feature film – 2007

A love story set against the backdrop of the Japanese occupation of China prior to the Second World War.

Clay feature film – 1965

Nick, a killer on the run from the police, takes shelter in an isolated artists’ colony. He falls in love with Margot, a sculptress.

The Coca-Cola Kid feature film – 1985

The Coca–Cola company sends its top trouble shooter to boost sales in Australia. He plans to win customers away from a much loved, old-style soft-drink maker.

Come In Spinner television program – 1989

Lisa Harrow, Kerry Armstrong and Rebecca Gibney feature in the story of three very different women in wartime.The series won a slew of AFI awards.

D

Dead to the World feature film – 1991

Two women battle for control of an inner-city boxing school.

Death Defying Acts feature film – 2007

Filmmakers often tell imagined stories to explore a famous figure or incident and this love story involving Harry Houdini in 1926 is a good example.

The Dirtwater Dynasty television program – 1988

In this 1980s epic production from the Kennedy Miller stable, Richard Eastwick, born in a London slum, dreams of establishing a family dynasty.

Dogs in Space feature film – 1986

Inner-city Melbourne, 1978. Aspiring rock singer Sam and his girlfriend Anna live in a crowded share house. The party atmosphere is shattered by tragedy.

F

The Far Paradise feature film – 1928

Despite their love for each other, family loyalties keep Cherry Carson and Peter Lawton apart until Cherry learns the truth about her father’s past.

Feeling Sexy short feature – 1998

A young woman struggles to maintain her creativity within the confines of her new marriage and motherhood.

Flirting feature film – 1990

In 1965 a rebellious private schoolboy finds his romantic soulmate in an African pupil from the neighbouring girls’ school.

G

The Golden Cage feature film – 1975

Murat and Ayhan are Turkish migrants living in Sydney. Ayhan falls in love with Sarah, but religious and cultural differences create problems.

H

The Hand of the Artist short film – 1906

The artist’s hand gives a young man and woman a number of options for romance. This English short film was used by the Corrick family entertainers in their performances.

He Died with a Felafel in His Hand feature film – 2001

An aspiring writer moves between share households in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

I

In a Savage Land feature film – 1999

Evelyn’s misadventures in the Trobriand Islands are in the foreground of this exploration of racism, colonialism and voyeurism set during the Second World War.

Innocence feature film – 2000

Innocence depicts an adulterous romance with a difference – the lovers are retirees, rekindling the flames of their intense youthful relationship.

Into the Straight feature film – 1949

Australian horse breeder WJ Curzon hires British trainer Hugh Duncan and his playboy son Paul. Father and son are both attracted to JW’s daughter, June.

J

Jack and Jill: A Postscript feature film – 1970

Jack lives in a condemned house and rides with a bikie gang. Gillian, a kindergarten teacher from a middle-class family, is attracted to Jack.

L

Lonely Hearts feature film – 1981

Comedian and satirist John Clarke wrote this film with Paul Cox: no wonder it is full of bright impish humour.

Loved Up – Lore of Love documentary – 2005

This film about people in love is a refreshing break from the usual heavy-handed anthropological treatment of Indigenous subjects.

Love Tricycle short film – 2003

Love Tricycle is like Grease with bicycles instead of people, complete with a high school, a love affair and a showdown between rivals on the racetrack.

Lucinda Brayford television program – 1980

Wendy Hughes, Sam Neill, Carol Burns and Barry Quin feature in the saga of an Australian heiress who marries into British aristocracy.

M

Mail Order Bride television program – 1984

A hard-hitting drama about racism, sexism and xenophobia in a small country town.

The Man from Kangaroo feature film – 1919

John Harland, a bush parson, is dismissed from his job for teaching children how to box. Harland moves to another town, where he combats ruffians and rescues his girlfriend from a forced marriage.

Metal Skin feature film – 1994

Social misfit Joe is befriended by the cool and confident Dazey. Their shared passion for drag racing leads to conflict and tragedy.

Moulin Rouge! feature film – 2001

Moulin Rouge! was a risky venture for director Baz Luhrmann but is a tour de force of imagination and appropriation.

My Brother Jack television program – 2001

This acclaimed mini-series is based on the classic Australian novel, a record of the changing social mores of the restless time between the First and Second World Wars.

O

Oscar and Lucinda feature film – 1997

Drawn together by a passion for gambling, Anglican priest Oscar Hopkins and Australian heiress Lucinda Leplastrier agree on a wager with life-changing consequences.

P

Palace of Dreams television program – 1985

In this acclaimed drama series, an aspiring writer arrives in Sydney from the country during the turbulent and desperate times of the Great Depression.

Playing Beatie Bow feature film – 1985

Playing Beatie Bow has the sumptuous look and feel of a period film, thanks to its award-winning cinematography and production design.

R

Redfern Beach short film – 2001

Redfern Beach is a love story between two people from different cultural backgrounds, set in a fish-processing factory.

Ride On Stranger television program – 1979

Bookworm Shannon Jones heads for the Harbour City to learn about life, love and politics in the 1930s.

Romeo + Juliet feature film – 1996

Baz Luhrmann’s radical update of Romeo + Juliet boldly shattered conventional wisdom that said Shakespeare as he wrote it would never appeal to a mass audience.

S

Sa Black Thing short film – 2005

This romantic comedy explores the role that cultural values play in the romance between two Indigenous characters.

The Shiralee television program – 1987

This miniseries was made during the golden decade of television drama. Its magic lies in the chemistry of Bryan Brown and Rebecca Smart.

Strictly Ballroom feature film – 1992

Strictly Ballroom is one of the most popular Australian films ever made. The story may be nothing new but the execution is so colourful and eccentric it hardly matters.

The Sullivans – On the Brink of War television program – 1976

The first four episodes of the long-running hit series cover the period leading up to the declaration of the Second World War in Australia on 3 September 1939.

The Summer of 77 short film – 2001

In this live action-animated short, a newly single woman runs into a former teenage crush and relives the summer they met.

Sunshine Sally feature film – 1922

The working-class Sally falls in love with the adopted son of wealthy parents from whom she was kidnapped as a child.

Sunstruck feature film – 1972

Welsh schoolteacher Stanley Evans takes a posting in Kookaburra Springs, a tiny outback town. He forms a children’s choir which travels to Sydney for a national competition.

T

Thank God He Met Lizzie feature film – 1997

This romantic comedy helped launch Cate Blanchett’s cinema career. It intercuts two stories to create a very satisfying contemplation on romantic love and commitment.

Those Who Love feature film – 1926

Barry Manton marries Lola Quayle, a dancer from a humble background. Lola faces an uphill battle for acceptance from Barry’s wealthy parents.

The Time Guardian feature film – 1987

The Time Guardian is one of the great missed opportunities of Australian cinema and symbolic of its wavering fortunes in the 1980s.

A Town Like Alice television program – 1980

This mini-series, based on the novel by Nevil Shute, tells an epic love story that begins in Malaya during the Japanese occupation of 1941–45.

Turn Around short film – 2002

Director Samantha Saunders refers to her film as a 'girl fantasy’ and it is refreshing to have an all-Indigenous cast in a romantic comedy.

U

Unfinished Sky feature film – 2007

The same Dutch actor plays the lead role in this Australian remake of a Dutch film, and the original.