Product: Elvira Madigan [VHS]
Rating: 4.0
A lesson about fantasy and reality
I saw this film once, in 1967 when it first came out, and I've never forgotten it. I was 21 years old, engaged, and totally enamored with love. The lovers were beautifully filmed, and their love was gloriously portrayed. But then reality intruded. Both the beauty of their love and the tragic ending have stayed with me - running through the grass chasing butterflies does not pay the bills or fill your growling belly; having a realistic plan for your life does that. It does not matter if you are gorgeous and madly in love, you can't avoid needing to work, face responsibility, and survive. I can't say that I always took the film's message to heart, but in the 40 years hence I have nonetheless reminded myself of it many times over. My 1967 love didn't last - reality intervened - but my second has lasted for 35 years. We mainly strool through the grass now, but we evolved from chasing butterflies by basing our love on its reality as well as its fantasy.