Carmen Jones (1954): Dorothy Dandridge (in her iconic, Oscar-nominated role) and Harry Belafonte star as doomed lovers in this adaptation of the Bizet Opera.
Black Orpheus (1959): The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice — one of the most tragic love stories in Greek mythology. This French adaptation, which won the 1960 Academy Award for best foreign language film, is set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.
Lady Sings The Blues (1972): Diana Ross was nominated for an Oscar, and won several awards for her portrayal of the legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday alongside the never-suaver Billy Dee Williams as her man Louis McKay.
Claudine (1974): Diahann Carroll (in an Oscar-nominated role) and James Earl Jones star in the romantic comedy about a struggling mother of six, living on welfare in Harlem working part-time as a maid.
Mahogany (1975): In this campy, cult hit Diana Ross plays Tracy, an aspiring fashion designer from Chicago who works hard to see her dreams come to fruition, but then has to choose between her career in Rome and her boyfriend (Billy Dee Williams) back home.
Mississippi Masala (1991): Sarita Choudhury stars as Meena, the daughter of Indian parents who were expelled from Uganda during a time of racial tension between black Africans and Ugandan-Indians. They move to Miss., where Meena falls in love with an American black man (Denzel Washington).
Boomerang (1992): Marcus (Eddie Murphy) is a womanizer who doesn’t let himself fall in love with women, but when he gets involved with his new boss Jacqueline (Robin Givens), the tables are turned. Halle Berry plays the good girl.
Jason’s Lyric (1994): Jason (Allen Payne) falls deeply in love with Lyric (Jada Pinkett Smith), but his dark family history and crazy father Maddog (Forest Whitaker) come back to haunt him and compromise their relationship.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998): Stella (Angela Bassett) is convinced by her girlfriends to vacation in Jamaica, where she meets the much younger Winston Shakespeare (Taye Diggs), and their ensuing romance forces her to reevaluate her life.
Love & Basketball (2000): Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps play Monica and Quincy, childhood friends and aspiring NBA players who’ve always loved each other, but let life’s obstacles get in the way of their relationship until adulthood.
Brown Sugar (2002): A magazine editor (Sanaa Lathan) and a hip-hop record executive (Taye Diggs) fall for each other through their shared love of music.
Deliver Us From Eva (2003): Eva’s (Gabrielle Union) in-laws are tired of her interfering in their lives, so they pay Ray (LL Cool J) $5,000 to date her — things get messy when he actually falls for her.
Valentine’s Day is the time of year we go the extra mile to show our loved ones that we care. There’s no ‘right’ way to celebrate a romance — although a candle-lit dinner never fails — as long as you’re with the one you love. But if you find yourself just wanting to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie, we’d suggest one of these classic black romantic films.
