A little fact for those unaware: the director of 'The Notebook' was Nick Cassavetes, who's the eldest child of one of cinema's most beloved on/off-screen couples John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands (yes, he lovingly cast his mother in the role of older Allie!
) John was considered the king of independent cinema. He always went against the mainstream and followed his own methods in his writing/directing.
Film-making is a shared family devotion, so there's a huge possibility that Nick was inspired to direct 'The Notebook' due to its core love story - something that his father always prioritized in his story-telling and also because of its eternal love aspect that is very true to the deep/unchanging love of his parents (who were married for 35 years until his father's death).
Here's a vintage family photo of Nick with his parents and younger sisters in 1974, during the filming of his mom and dad's movie ~
