# What is the greatest film of all time without a love plot, sub-plot, or aspect? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473 "2003-02-12T00:20:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/21 "2003-02-12T02:54:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*On further reflection, I don’t really think it’s that unusual to not have any love interest. There are whole genres that lack them most of the time: Sci-Fi, War, Children’s movies. \*\* Yeah, but how many of them _suck_? So maybe we leave out most SF, War, Children’s movies and start from there. What great movies without a romantic plot or subplot are left? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/22 "2003-02-12T02:55:07Z")
Walt Disney’s _Pinocchio Intruder in the Dust The Battle of Algiers The Spirit of the Beehive Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ (Castle Anthrax notwithstanding) _Dead Man_ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/23 "2003-02-12T02:58:36Z")
“Saving Private Ryan” used Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) talking about his wife quite a bit to flesh out his character. Very effective use of a character we never see or hear. I’d say the winner is “Lawrence of Arabia.” Any movie I can think of that competes with it has some male/female dynamic to it. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/24 "2003-02-12T03:06:46Z")
**Bridge on the River Kwai** ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/25 "2003-02-12T03:44:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by divemaster \* > \*\*Also, what about **Reservoir Dogs**? No love interest or subplot at all. > \*\* Did they even have any women with speaking roles in that movie? Interesting, I never gave the matter much thought. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/26 "2003-02-12T03:50:19Z")
No female speaking role made the final edit. The DVD shows a deleted scene with a female detective. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/27 "2003-02-12T03:52:52Z")
Didn’t the waitress in the restaurant, in the first minutes of the film, speak? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/28 "2003-02-12T04:02:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anamorphic \* > \*\ ***Bridge on the River Kwai** \*\* You’re forgetting Ann Sears as the nurse dating William Holden’s character. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/29 "2003-02-12T04:11:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Citizen Kane? Doesn’t qualify due because it depicts Kane’s relationships with his first and second wives (who he tried to turn into an opera singer). How about _The Great Escape_? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/30 "2003-02-12T04:39:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > \*\*:smack: > > But, I’d say war movies in general have a pretty good record in this department: Saving Private Ryan\*\*, **Kelly’s Heroes** … \*\* On the other hand **Saving Ryan’s Privates** would be a terrible example for these criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/31 "2003-02-12T04:49:14Z")
The City of Lost Children (no romance, plenty of familial love) The Shawshank Redemption (mostly, he speaks about how he did his wife wrong) ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/32 "2003-02-12T04:56:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KarlGauss \* > \*\*Didn’t the waitress in the restaurant, in the first minutes of the film, speak? \*\* I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/33 "2003-02-12T05:09:41Z")
I don’t remember **Alien** Having anything akin to romance in it. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/34 "2003-02-12T05:12:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*On further reflection, I don’t really think it’s that unusual to not have any love interest. There are whole genres that lack them most of the time: Sci-Fi, War, Children’s movies. \*\* Well, sometimes you have a Token Love interest, just to (apparently) draw women. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/35 "2003-02-12T05:31:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\ ***Wizard of Oz**? \*\* You’re forgetting about the scene with the five of them in the poppy field. Or maybe I just imagined it. I’m a sick sick sick human. ---
**Author:** ![NeutronJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neutronjack/32/4134_2.png) [@NeutronJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeutronJack)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/36 "2003-02-12T05:36:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Donut \* > \*\*I’m not sure what you mean here. If you’re saying absolutely no expressions of love at all, period, no matter how tiny a role they play in the film, then pretty much any movie featuring a (happily) married (or dating) couple is out. I will, however, nominate: > > _2001: A Space Odyssey_ > > which meets this strict interpretation. \*\* I don’t think that it does. Frank Poole receives a birthday greeting from his parents, who, as I recall. are even touching in the recorded greeting! You can’t watch that scene without being reminded of their animalistic coupling! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/37 "2003-02-12T05:48:26Z")
The Killing ---
**Author:** ![Pantone\_Swatchbook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@Pantone\_Swatchbook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantone_Swatchbook)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/38 "2003-02-12T05:52:12Z")
Glengarry Glen Ross. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/39 "2003-02-12T05:55:29Z")
What about **E. T.**? Or perhaps **Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory**? ---
**Author:** ![SnugTheJoiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473/40 "2003-02-12T06:01:29Z")
I don’t think that WIZARD OF OZ qualifies, because the Tin Man dreams of having a heart so that he can fall in love: TIN MAN: Picture me: a balcony . . . above a voice sings low: SOPRANO VOICE-OVER: Wherefore art thou, Romeo? TIN MAN I’d hear a beat! (Lub-dub!) How sweet! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time-without-a-love-plot-sub-plot-or-aspect/154473.md?page=3)