What films, series, or scenes usually brings you to repeated tears...

[maxparrish]

As we grow older and become more sentimental there are moving moments in film and television that stick with us for a lifetime. The ones that can STILL bring me to tears are:

West Side Story (original film) and the end scene where Maria holds dying Tony in her arms and sings "Somewhere". With music by Leonard Berstein and lyrics by Sondheim how could I not? (eg: the partial reprisal of"

"There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,,,,"

Another is the closing of On the Beach (original film). The deserted Melbourne, Ava Gardners lonely racing car along the shore, empty playgrounds, and the use of Waltzing Matilda always makes me tear up.

And finally, just remembering the opening of To Kill a Mocking Bird and the hauntingly perfect score by Elmer Bernstein and I'm practically crying.

I have one or two others, but I'd like to first hear others...

 

[maxparrish]

 

[Mr Person]

Repeated? I don't know.

But I've definitely always gotten goosebumps plus a teary eye upon witnessing real or fictional acts of tremendous will. Reading about WItold Pileki, for example, who was a member of the Polish resistance during WWII. Did all sorts of things. Including a plan for someone to infiltrate Auschwitz to gather intel, foment resistance, get people out, etc.

Guess who volunteered: him. And he did all he proposed. For years. He ultimately escaped, and continued the fight after WWII, ultimately being executed by the Polish communists in 1947.

Various passages in accounts of war. Scenes in Band of Brothers, Letters from Iowa Jima, The Pacific. The insane bravery of Doss. Fictional, even, if you can suspend disbelief enough...The Silmarillion, even, Fingolfin's hopeless duel with Morgoth (essentially, second only to the God-figure in that mythology), Beren & Luthien, etc. Or other books. Aragorn leading people through hosts of the dead. Sam, on the brink of death from starvation and dehydration, giving himself a pep talk about how he will carry Frodo up that mountain even if he dies doing it, and does it - that absolute refusal to yield.




Never sad stuff. Never romance. Always someone being the very best of humanity. Always some act of invincnible will.

 

[maxparrish]

Repeated? I don't know.

But I've definitely always gotten goosebumps plus a teary eye upon witnessing real or fictional acts of tremendous will. Reading about WItold Pileki, for example, who was a member of the Polish resistance during WWII. Did all sorts of things. Including a plan for someone to infiltrate Auschwitz to gather intel, foment resistance, get people out, etc.

Guess who volunteered: him. And he did all he proposed. For years. He ultimately escaped, and continued the fight after WWII, ultimately being executed by the Polish communists in 1947.

Various passages in accounts of war. Scenes in Band of Brothers, Letters from Iowa Jima, The Pacific. The insane bravery of Doss. Fictional, even, if you can suspend disbelief enough...The Silmarillion, even, Fingolfin's hopeless duel with Morgoth (essentially, second only to the God-figure in that mythology), Beren & Luthien, etc. Or other books. Aragorn leading people through hosts of the dead. Sam, on the brink of death from starvation and dehydration, giving himself a pep talk about how he will carry Frodo up that mountain even if he dies doing it, and does it - that absolute refusal to yield.




Never sad stuff. Never romance. Always someone being the very best of humanity. Always some act of invincnible will.

Interesting. For me it is scenes (and the theme music) in Schindler's List, and the line "I could have got more". (And as a kid, the death of "Old Yeller".).

And like you, some other kinds of trial and outcome are similarly moving: Saving Private Ryan end scene, the D Day landing, I imagine there are more but I tend to dodge sad endings (like the last two episodes of Breaking Bad),

 

[Mr Person]

Interesting. For me it is scenes (and the theme music) in Schindler's List, and the line "I could have got more". (And as a kid, the death of "Old Yeller".).

Sad/tragic things tend to cut far deeper than tears, for me. That's a cold numbness, a depression, and an indescribable disgust with people who happen to be the same species as I.

 

[tosca1]

There's this particular parking lot scene in "Heart and Souls" that always makes me cry.
When the ghost of the black woman had found her son, who's now a cop with a family of his own, and she was so excited about it.
She felt the need to hug him before she leaves.

 

[maxparrish]

That which brings us to tears might also be same thing as what causes depression and disgust. Schindler's List sort of affects me both ways.

Still, the death of a beloved and innocent character due to happenstance (say an illness or injury) is hearbreaking; different than the same death due heroism or sacrifice in the face of evil force.

The second kind of death also invokes, at least in me, a frustration of not being able to hold those accountable to justice.

 

[maxparrish]

There's this particular parking lot scene in "Heart and Souls" that always makes me cry.
When the ghost of the black woman had found her son, who's now a cop with a family of his own, and she was so excited about it.

Hmm...makes me want to see the movie.

 

[tosca1]

Hmm...makes me want to see the movie.

It's a romantic comedy.

It evokes a mixture of feelings in me - of being overjoyed for her when she finally found him, and yet also sad because she's about to leave for good.


Here's the full movie.

Heart and Souls PG-13 1993 ‧ Fantasy/Romance ‧ 1h 44m Robert Downey Jr. • Tom Sizemore Charles Grodin • Kyra Sedgwick Alfre Woodard • Elisabeth Shue Welcome to the movies and television

Harrison (Charles Grodin), Penny (Alfre Woodard), Julia (Kyra Sedgwick) and Milo (Tom Sizemore) die in 1959 when the bus they are riding crashes. The four continue as ghosts, guardians to the child born at the moment of their deaths. Baby Thomas grows up to be a businessman (Robert Downey Jr.)...

ok.ru

 

[Real blank]

None I’m a double hard bastard…………..Love actually

 

[maxparrish]

None I’m a double hard bastard…………..Love actually

I am straight, a male, and cannot imagine being anything else. Still, I am a romantic.

 

[maxparrish]

Can't believe no one has mentioned Titanic, the Notebook, Million Dollar Baby or Love Story. Not that I would include them on my list but they are classic tearjerkers.

 

[Real blank]

I am straight, a male, and cannot imagine being anything else. Still, I am a romantic.

It has its critics these days but I think it’s literally the only film that made me cry.

 

[Helix]

 

[phoenix2020]

This. Every single time.

 

[maxparrish]

This. Every single time.

Nice to know others were moved as I was - and that was first seen by me when I was nine or ten. Heck I'm 73 and had a hard time posting the video...

Also, in my opinion, Natalie Woods greatest role.

 

[maxparrish]

Greatest songs of Showboat and Westside Story.

 

[CimpleMan]

Marley & Me

 

[maxparrish]

Marley & Me

I just read a synopsis of it. Oh boy, as a dog lover I know it will be moving.

 

[Ahlevah]

As we grow older and become more sentimental there are moving moments in film and television that stick with us for a lifetime.

Man, there are so many. I'm a sucker for stories that contrast between the best and the worst in humanity and the human condition. People who are forced to confront the specter of death amidst the fragile, fleeting nature of their own mortality, perhaps escaping it due to a simple matter of fate or circumstance, perhaps not, but who nonetheless demonstrate how "good" can triumph over "evil" is a theme where I find myself moved to tears. I have in mind both historical as well as fictional characters:

Władysław Szpilman, depicted by Adrien Brody in The Pianist:



Louis "Louie" Zamperini in Unbroken, played by Jack O'Connell:



Jean Valjean, played by Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables:



West Side Story is another good example. Even in a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, while it's still a tragedy, love is nonetheless proven to be the winner over hate, and that's really why the story still resonates with people centuries after it was written.

 

[maxparrish]

Man, there are so many. I'm a sucker for stories that contrast between the best and the worst in humanity and the human condition. People who are forced to confront the specter of death amidst the fragile, fleeting nature of their own mortality, perhaps escaping it due to a simple matter of fate or circumstance, perhaps not, but who nonetheless demonstrate how "good" can triumph over "evil" is a theme where I find myself moved to tears. I have in mind both historical as well as fictional characters:

Władysław Szpilman, depicted by Adrien Brody in The Pianist:



Louis "Louie" Zamperini in Unbroken, played by Jack O'Connell:



Jean Valjean, played by Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables:



West Side Story is another good example. Even in a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, while it's still a tragedy, love is nonetheless proven to be the winner over hate, and that's really why the story still resonates with people centuries after it was written.

All these comments have made me realize I have to see films that, for one reason or another, I have not. Especially The Pianist and Les Miserables. (Nor have I seen Sophies Choice...)

 

[Ahlevah]

All these comments have made me realize I have to see films that, for one reason or another, I have not. Especially The Pianist and Les Miserables. (Nor have I seen Sophies Choice...)

I’ve seen both the theatrical and stage versions of Les Mis. I’ve also seen a quite a few operas and plays over the years, but that one is in a class of its own. Sophie’s Choice I saw once. Tremendous movie, but it’s the sort of movie I could only see it once, mostly because it’s such a downer. Same with Platoon. Powerful movie, but man….

 

[maxparrish]

I’ve seen both the theatrical and stage versions of Les Mis. I’ve also seen a quite a few operas and plays over the years, but that one is in a class of its own. Sophie’s Choice I saw once. Tremendous movie, but it’s the sort of movie I could only see it once, mostly because it’s such a downer. Same with Platoon. Powerful movie, but man….

Yes...when I was young I even liked downer movies because they seemed realistic and thought provoking. Now, as a sentimental old guy, I tend to avoid them as too taxing. While I used to be interested in films set during the holocaust, now I shy away from them - the horror and helplessness I feel to change history really bothers me now.

I've managed to avoid spoilers on Sophies choice and a few other downer movies but I also feel I've missed out. Yes...I did see Platoon...and, of course, Saving Private Ryan. (I had a hint on the outcome of Million Dollar Baby that softened its impact - although still quite sad).

I had the good fortune (although I didn't realize that at the time) of being "tracked" in English courses in high school (1969) - somehow going from the middle of the road tracking for three years and then, my senior year, suddenly ending up in the class for the barely literate. At first, I was really annoyed and thinking of demanding a transfer until I realized that there was no work, and all we saw were films of the greats.

On the Waterfront, On the Beach, Dr. Zhivago, Johnny Belinda, Meet John Doe, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Dr, Strangelove. I probably saw at least a dozen or more films by great directors and I was exposed to cinema in a way most kids were not (these were rarely seen on network television and there wasn't video or streaming available).

And to this day they are still favorites: Capra, Kramer, etc.