Nora Ephron

“It struck me that the movies had spent more than half a century saying, “They lived happily ever after” and the following quarter century warning that they’ll be lucky to make it through the weekend. Possibly now we are entering a third era, in which the movies will be sounding a note of cautious optimism: You know, it just might work.” (1)

Nora Ephron (born on 19 May 1941 –2012) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist.

Among her many works, she wrote the script for the film “When Harry Met Sally”,  released in 1989. It  was directed by Rob Reiner, and starred Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan

The most iconic scene of this iconic romantic comedy  is the fake orgasm scene, in which Sally pretends to have an orgasm during lunch in the middle of Katz’s Deli.  The couple are talking  about a man’s (in)ability to recognize when a woman is faking an orgasm.  According to Sally men cannot tell the difference, and to prove that, she vibrantly feigns  passionate cries  while other amazed patrons are  watching. At the end of the scene Sally casually returns to her meal as  a nearby diner places her famous order, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

(1) “Mi ha colpito il fatto che i film abbiano detto per più di mezzo secolo:” E vissero felici e contenti “e nel quarto di secolo successivo abbiano avvertito che se fortunata, la coppia avrebbe potuto superare il fine settimana. Forse ora stiamo entrando in una terza era, in cui nei film suonerà una nota di cauto ottimismo: “Sapete, magari potrebbe anche funzionare. “