Love that stands the test of time reunites two people in The Notebook.
Duke (James Garner) is a dutiful guardian to his lovely companion (Gena Rowlands). They live in a senior’s home, and he reads to her from a handwritten notebook. Within its pages lives the story of two young lovers whose devotion endures despite the odds.
He tells the tale of Noah (Ryan Gosling), a simple young man working in a lumber yard in the 1940s. When he lays eyes on Allie (Rachel McAdams), a pretty, straightforward young woman, he’s immediately smitten, and his determination lands him a date. Allie comes from money, and her parents disapprove of Noah’s working-class life and their summer romance. Their interference keeps the two young lovers apart, and after Noah’s daily letters to Allie go unanswered, he loses hope, enlists in the army and throws himself into the battles of World War II. Allie fills her obligation for the war effort, too, volunteering as a nurse and capturing the heart of Lon (James Marsden), an injured soldier who comes from a rich family. After the war, Noah and Allie meet again, and they must deal with a big decision after Allie accepts Lon’s marriage proposal.
Nick Cassavetes directed this classic romance starring Rowlands, his mother. Based on Nicholas Sparks’ book of the same name, the love story spans the young lives of two people with an undying love for each other. With two notable Canadian actors in the lead and Noah’s battle sequence filmed in Montreal, it’s easy to see why The Notebook can stake a claim in the annals of Canadian cinema.
