A tribute to Nora Ephron, 1941-2012
Sad news today that writer Nora Ephron has passed away at the age of 71. Despite being a highly regarded journalist and novelist in a career spanning decades, she remains probably best known for her work as a screenwriter, particularly of the romantic comedy persuasion. The films, as she herself admitted, were occasionally hit and miss, but she has the distinction of writing two of the definitive romcoms, not just of the late 80s/early 90s, but – without wishing to slip into hyperbole – arguably of all time. They are the Affair To Remember-referencing Sleepless inSeattle, and, of course, When Harry Met Sally.
The latter is one of my absolute favourites (I’m listening to Harry Connick Jr’s gorgeously smooth soundtrack as I write) and here’s why:
I have laughed out loud every single time I have watched it, since ‘discovering’ it on video in my early teens to watching it on a hen weekend a few weeks ago. The faked orgasm scene and it’s punchline (is there anyone left who doesn’t know that was a cameo by director Rob Reiner’s mum?) are firmly embedded in film history and have made a film-tourist hotspot of Katz's Diner in NYC. There are so many quotable lines (“You made a woman miaow?”) – before we even get to Billy Crystal’s perfectly romantic speech at the end (I still really hope one day I get to hear a “Harry”). I don’t know if Crystal and Meg Ryan have ever been better, but they damn near get the show stolen from by Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby in the supporting best friend roles. It’s set in New York. It offers one of the more realistic portrayals of relationships in the genre. All in all, it nails the romcom formula - staying sweet without becoming sickly, and showcasing its smarts whilst never becoming smug or cynical. To my mind, few films have come close to successfully replicating this in the 23 years since.
Tributes to Ephron’s smart, funny writing with its warm yet sharp voice have poured in all day. All I want to say with this is: Thanks Nora. For Harry and Sally.
