Who did Preston really love?

I think he loved Amy. He loved Julie in a different way, as you say correctly. Julie represented all that the South was. Pres was southern and that was part of him, as was Julie. But he also understood that the South was headed for destruction because of its way of life. Two scenes, the one with Buck at the dinner table where they argue about the war, and another early in the movie at the bank demonstrate this point.

Julie was headed for the same destruction as was the thick-headed Buck Cantrell because she would not change her southern ways.

Pres understood that Julie would destroy him, too, as she tried. So Pres left the South because he knew to love it meant to die and he left Julie for the same reason. He fell in love with Amy because she represented all that made him leave the South.

In the end, however, the South and Julie were his first loves. But he was smart enough to know he had to leave that love behind.



D

And the wnner is: Julie!

And the prize is: Yellow Jack

"When you throw dirt, you lose ground" --old proverb

Here is where english is not as flexible as another languages like spanish, italian, portuguese, etc.

I think he "loves" both of them but differently.

In Spanish "to love" can be translated as "querer" or "amar".
"Querer" means to love very fondly. It's a different kind of love, based more on fondness, mutual comprehension, respect, etc. than on pure passion.
"Amar" means to love as well, but to love with pure passion, fire, even pain or rage.

Some poet once said that "Amar is to suffer, querer is to enjoy".

I dunno if my english is good enough to explain the nuances of "amar and/or querer" in spanish. I did my best, though.

In short: Preston "quiere a Amy" but he "Ama a Julie".

In english he simply loves both

I disagree I think it was Amy who he truely loved. Although Julie was his first love and no one can forget that, he did not come back to her due to her behavior. I think that Preston pitied her. Julie basically did everything she could do to push him away at first and when Preston came back she was still a child to think that things could go back to the way it was. It can't. The damage was already done. Preston and Amy however, you can sense that the relationship between them is a bit more mature because it is apparent that she did not resort to childish behavior like Julie had. I also think that Amy loved him more then Julie could have loved Preston. She could have stood her ground and went with her husband despite all of the hardships but then again she knew that Julie could handle things better with Preston and to care for him. Julie left with him in an act of love and redemption but then again it was Amy who sacrificed her husband for the sake of his health.

I know that Preston loved Julie in the end, though it wasn't particularly obvious.
When Preston was sick at Julie's old house, Julie rushed back to him and tended to him.

And if you listen carefully, though (and turn the subtitles on) Pres is not muttering nonsense in his delirium, but saying (and responding to) the things Julie said to him. To quote exactly this is what he says:

"Yes...blood. That's what is...."
"It's my head."
"It's a part of...."
"Remember...White."

To jog your memory, the first quote, he's remembering when Julie came after him in the garden, telling him that the South is a part of him, just like she is--a part of his blood, and she'll never let him go...that she's the only one he belongs with.
The second quote, I think that's his only coherent words in the scene about his condition.

The third quote shows he's still fixated on Julie, who's a part of him and he knows this. Even unconscious, Pres is talking about Julie and him together.

The last quote is from where Pres sees Julie for the first time in a year, inside the house in her beautiful white dress. She told him:

"Are you remembering that time you wanted me to wear white? Are you? Well until now, I never have." and that entire exchange.
Pres is clearly thinking of seeing Julie again, remembering how much he loves her and how she's come back to him and apologized, asking him to love her again.

It's this scene where Pres is sick, too delirious to put up airs of indifference and too sick to put on the gentlemanly manners that forced him to push Julie away when he kissed her. Like Amy said in the last scene, asking Julie if Pres is still in love with her, since he might not know it himself subconsciously. This scene is the most revealing of all, but is often looked over since you can barely hear Pres and his tortured mutterings.

I can't help but think of Gone With the Wind and Scarlett's scene after she's just had an accident and had a miscarriage, where she's in bed and delirious, calling for Rhett (who she subconsciously loves more than Ashley, whom she always outwardly presses to love) but no one hears her...least of all Rhett. I don't think Julie noticed he was talking to her in his thoughts, in that outdoor scene, finally agreeing with her that "Yes....blood....[you're] a part of me. I remember when I wanted you to wear white. And here you are."

Gotta love that subtle love confession. It's too bad Julie never hears/recognizes it!! :D

[deleted]

Pres loved Amy; he was merely infatuated with Julie. See my reply to the "Julie/Pres/Bette/Henry No Chemistry" thread.

"The answers to all of life's riddles can be found in the movies."

Himself