The Best Movies About Forbidden Love

Updated July 22, 2020 4.2k votes 481 voters 27.2k views72 items

List RulesVote up your favorite films about couples kept apart by forces out of their control.

What is it about forbidden love movies? Why are they so engrossing and why do they seem to strike a chord across all cultures and periods of history?

Perhaps it's because we can identify with that kind of yearning, even if we don't have those restrictions in our own lives. We've all wanted something we can't have, whether that's a partner, a promotion, or even a different kind of life. Desire like that leads to fantasy, and what is a movie but a fantasy at 24 frames per second? Here the greatest films about forbidden love, doomed affairs, failed flings, lovers on the run, and star-crossed romances.

The best forbidden love movies, whether they're old or recent, transport us to a world of romance and drama. No wonder so many of them are period pieces or take place in exotic locales. Remember, even the Italian setting of Romeo and Juliet would have been exotic to Shakespeare's audience.

So close the blinds, light a candle and pick out a bottle of your most decadent and luxurious wine. Vote for your favorite movies with forbidden love and don't forget to add anything we've missed!

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Titanic
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Released: 1997
Directed by: James Cameron
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed by James Cameron. A... more
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Romeo + Juliet
Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Rudd
Released: 1996
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 American romantic drama film adaptation of William Shakespeare's... more
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Beauty and the Beast
Angela Lansbury, Frank Welker
Released: 1991
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by... more
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Edward Scissorhands
Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder
Released: 1990
Directed by: Tim Burton
Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 American romantic dark fantasy film directed by Tim Burton. An... more
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The Notebook
Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
Released: 2004
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
The Notebook is a 2004 American romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on... more
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West Side Story
Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno
Released: 1961
Directed by: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
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Moulin Rouge!
Nicole Kidman, Ozzy Osbourne
Released: 2001
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 Australian–American pastiche-jukebox musical film directed, produced,... more
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Romeo and Juliet
Laurence Olivier, Michael York
Released: 1968
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian romance film based on the tragic play of the same... more
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Suite Française
Michelle Williams, Margot Robbie
Released: 2014
Directed by: Saul Dibb
Suite Française is a 2015 romantic World War II drama film directed by Saul Dibb and... more
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Brokeback Mountain
Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal
Released: 2005
Directed by: Ang Lee
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The Duchess
Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 2008
Directed by: Saul Dibb
The Duchess is a 2008 British-American drama film directed by Saul Dibb. It is based on Amanda... more
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The Bridges of Madison County
Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep
Released: 1995
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
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Anna Karenina
Keira Knightley, Jude Law
Released: 2012
Directed by: Joe Wright
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The Thorn Birds
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Twilight
Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene
Released: 2008
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
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Underworld
Kate Beckinsale, Michael Sheen
Released: 2003
Directed by: Len Wiseman
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Tristan & Isolde
James Franco, Henry Cavill
Released: 2006
Directed by: Kevin Reynolds
Tristan & Isolde is a 2006 epic romantic drama film based on the medieval romantic legend of... more
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The Exception
Lily James, Jai Courtney
Released: 2016
Directed by: David Leveaux
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The Graduate
Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft
Released: 1967
Directed by: Mike Nichols
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Romeo Must Die
Grace Park, Aaliyah
Released: 2000
Directed by: Andrzej Bartkowiak
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First Knight
Sean Connery, Richard Gere
Released: 1995
Directed by: Jerry Zucker
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The Piano
Anna Paquin, Holly Hunter
Released: 1993
Directed by: Jane Campion
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The English Patient
Willem Dafoe, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 1996
Directed by: Anthony Minghella
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Underworld: Evolution
Kate Beckinsale, Michael Sheen
Released: 2006
Directed by: Len Wiseman
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Carol
Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Released: 2015
Directed by: Todd Haynes
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