Product: Endless Love [VHS] (1981)
Rating: 4.0
Obsessive love
Writing about this film brings back a flood of memories because when I first saw it, it was in the theater and I saw it with some friends and a girl who I refer to as my "endless love". Nowadays, it's popular to refer to such a person as a soul-mate but for me and in that time in my life, she was my endless love and to this day, over 20 years later, I'm still in love with her.This film has to be seen through that light. It has to be viewed through the eyes of what you remember most about that one person who you would have done anything for, perhaps even things that would have taken you beyond the boundaries of sanity and legality.The film itself wasn't a great production and it's difficult to squeeze a book the size of the original novel into a film only that long but at the same time, it was a stroke of genius. While there have been teen films that explored love on a superficial level, I can't think of any films that looked at love from the perspective of such a powerful obsessive desire.Speaking for myself, there was a time when I would have done anything to convince this one girl that being with me was a fundamental truth and I would have given my life for her. Looking back of course, you mature, you become more self-involved, you think more so of your needs and what you want to get through life. But there was a time when I looked at life through the eyes of love and sacrifice. At that time, it seemed more like you were living in a Disney film and the happy ending was right around the corner."Endless love" is the story of just such an obsession. Forgetting about some of the plot points and angles and silliness of the production, if you can just put yourself into that time of your life when obsession dominated your thinking and then feel your way through the film as to what the main character, David, was feeling as he lost his true love and then started losing his hold on his sanity. That's the way to watch this film otherwise you're just wasting your time and you'll find yourself focusing on production details.