Films that made you cry

[silentscreen]

To Kill a Mockingbird may be my favorite movie of all time. It's flawless from the story to the realization of all the characters. Even the music brings me to tears. Many years after the fact, the child actors remembered Mr. Peck like a father. Ever notice how much respect he showed them, speaking to them like they were adults? He was Atticus Finch and the best Dad ever.

"You can pet him if you want to Mr. Boo. He wouldn't let you if he was awake though."

[youtube][/youtube]

[Birdy]

All animal scenes and reunion scenes. Any scenes with children crying. Any scene with the Eiffel tower.

You may remember, I say, 'I don't watch animal movies..." but I've seen them all. The kids know their aunt won't let them pick out animal movies if I'm watching with them! When I was a little girl, I would cry at the Lassie tv episodes just watching Lassie run across the field. And I mist up when the poor little squirrel in Disney's The Sword in the Stone finds out that her mate is a boy, and not a squirrel. I know, pathetic.

I can't watch Sounder, but am sucked in by that trailer done by Sissy with the reunion scene and it makes me cry every time. Thanks, TCM

My favorite bawl fest: Angela Lansbury singing "Little Yellow Bird" in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Don't even ask me why, but I do watch that one over. I can't remember too many other movies that have made me cry, because if they're that sad or tragic or graphic, I probably will block them out. Who knows what knowledge lurks in the back of the poor brain I've stuffed full of everything I don't want to remember?

B

[Garbomaniac]

Last night I watched Marie Antoinette for the umpteenth time. Norma was MARVELOUS! The whole time I tried to picture another actress in the part; I couldn’t. Not even my precious Garbo could have done justice to Antoinette like Norma. I just had to come on and sing the praises of Norma Shearer.

When they were dragged off to the prison, my tears began to flow. First, they dragged off Anita Louise, and I know from the book Louis and Antoinette they cut off her head and paraded it around on a pole. When Norma looked out the window in horror, I could see what she saw. Then, when Robert Morley spent his last night with his family before they cut off his head, the tears started to flow. Norma fainted as the crowd cheered their triumph, and again I cried. But, the clincher was when they took her son away from her. As she pleaded in vain, I fell apart. And, then just before she dies, Tyrone comes to comfort her. She looks so old and withered. She says to him she feels “so little.” By the time the end comes and she remembers her glee at the prospect of becoming the queen of France, I was sobbing.

I tell you, there is nothing better than sitting by yourself, watching a great star ripping your emotions from you and completely giving in to their magnificent performance. Of course a couple of Scotches help the process. So, here is to Norma in what I view as her peak as an actress in a role only she could play! Watch it and weep.

[Professional Tourist]

Films that make me cry?

I don't mind admitting that the first motion picture I ever saw, Mary Poppins, has always made me cry, every time, during the scene where Jane Darwell is feeding the birds on the steps of St. Paul's and Julie Andrews is singing the 'tuppence a bag' song. I'm starting to cry now just thinking about it!

[stuart.uk]

Spoiler Alert

I saw a recent film the other day, a true story Prayers For Bobby, starring Sig Weaver. Sig played a devoted Christian woman, who finds out her son is gay and believes God can cure him through prayer. Sadly Bobby commited suicide because of his sexuality.

After the funeral a niece says to her The minister condemmed Bobby and you let him. That was the begining of her revaluing her Christian values, while still staying loyal to her faith. However, it took her a good six months, before she uttered I killed my Son and Now I know why God didn't cure him, because there was nothing wrong with him to begin with. That was a scene I found very moving. Then at the end of the film she's seen hugging a young gay man, who resembled her late son, in another moving scene.

[MichiganJ]

Since I've been known to cry at Eggo commercials (why can't we all just learn to share?), there are a lot of films that make me cry. These are just some:

Blue--The first in Kieslowski's awesome trilogy is about the loss of a husband and a child, so of course it's sad. But when Juliette Binoche walks outside and runs her fist along a wall of sharp rocks, to feel anything other than the pain of her loss, it's heartbreaking.

Autumn Sonata--Plenty of Bergman films are sad and all of them are emotional, but the confrontation scene in Autumn Sonata between Liv Ulmann and Ingrid Bergman is the one, for me, where the tears well up every time I see it.

A Night To Remember--Whether "authentic" or not, when the ensemble strikes up "Nearer My God to Thee"...

Passion of Joan of Arc--The movie needs an entire box of Kleenex...

Breaking the Waves--While the film is one of the meanest I can think of, Emily Watson gives one of the bravest performance I've ever seen.

The Fisher King--when Robin Williams watches Amanda Plummer walking through the busy train station and everyone breaks out in a waltz

Walkabout--The ending still has enormous power, even after multiple viewings.

The Circus--To me, the ending of The Circus rates up there with City Lights. Chaplin's Little Fellow, alone in the empty circus ring as the wagon train pulls away, is devastating.

Before Sunrise--Although the ending is inevitable, it still brings on the tears.

Brian's Song--The first movie (okay, TV movie) that it was okay to admit to my friends that I cried....we all did.

Finding Neverland--watched this on a plane. Fortunately the flight attendant was ready with the tissues (well, those little square napkins that take off your upper lip)

Pride of the Yankees--Lots of reasons for this one. Lou Gehrig is my favorite ball player. It's also the Coop's best performance ("Give it to me straight, Doc. Is it three stikes?") Plus, my mom had ALS.

Cinema Paradiso--Probably the greatest ending in any movie, ever. Didn't see it coming the first time I saw the film, and almost always forget about it when watching the film again. Makes me weep like a baby every time.

[CinemaInternational]

And up from the vaults comes this thread. Anybody willing to own up to which films unleashed your tear ducts?

[HoldenIsHere]

The end of A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS always makes me cry.

[Dargo]

I seldom cry over sad endings. My tears seem to more easily flow while watching a hopeful or uplifting ending. Cases in point:

'The Best Years of Our Lives' (...during this one, there are at least five or six scenes in it that get me misty-eyed...probably why it's been my favorite all-time movie for many years)

'The Apartment' (...that lovely ending "gets me right here" every time I watch it)

'Casablanca' (...I've had a "beautiful frendship" with this film since the very first time I watched it as a teenager...besides the ending, the "Play La Marseillaise" scene is always sure to bring the tears as well...and heck, I'm not even French!)

"Singin' in the Rain' (...I think the reason this one always tears me up by the end of it, is probably because I'm always joyously amazed that there were people who could make such a perfect film that was made for sheer entertainment purposes)

[jamesjazzguitar]

I seldom cry over sad endings. My tears seem to more easily flow while watching a hopeful or uplifting ending. Cases in point:

'The Best Years of Our Lives' (...during this one, there are at least five or six scenes in it that get me misty-eyed...probably why it's been my favorite all-time movie for many years)

'The Apartment' (...that lovely ending "gets me right here" every time I watch it)

'Casablanca' (...I've had a "beautiful frendship" with this film since the very first time I watched it as a teenager...besides the ending, the "Play La Marseillaise" scene is always sure to bring the tears as well...and heck, I'm not even French!)

"Singin' in the Rain' (...I think the reason this one always tears me up by the end of it, is probably because I'm always joyously amazed that there were people who could make such a perfect film that was made for sheer entertainment purposes)

You're leaving at least one film out that I know you cried like a baby due to the ending: Angel Face!

[Dargo]

You're leaving at least one film out that I know you cried like a baby due to the ending: Angel Face!

LOL

Yeah, I guess I must've forgotten about that poor XK120 Jaguar, huh!

[laffite]

About 35 years ago, I made the "mistake" of telling a group of buddies, we were milling about after some meeting or ruther, that Dumbo made me cry. Man, did they get on my case, or what! Some razzing, but it was okay, I was a little defensive but feelings were not all that hurt. Then, some time later, years maybe, some movie critic confessed on the net that he caved when viewing it. Wow, I am not alone. When mama cradles baby Dumbo with her trunk, tears in her eyes, ooh boy. You may recall the mama was within some sort of enclosure and because she was chained she could not see him. I think that was the spot. That sounds a rather schmaltzy situation and I wonder know if I was simply and grossly manipulated. Just so happens I paid $2.99 for a copy at a thrift store* about a year ago and have nor re-watched and worse have noticed a reluctance to do so. Oh no, Laffite, don't tell me you are afraid of your own emotions?!**.

*At that same visit there were a bunch of other Disney Classics on sale, as follows: Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty. and Peter Pan. All are labeled Platinum Editions (excepting Dumbo and Snow White.) Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Peter Pan are still under seal but they may have been re-sealed at some point, possible. I bought them all.

**I have at least one movie (and probably the only one) I doubt will ever watch again. A great movie though. It's just that the emotional thing is personal. Le Chateau de ma Mere. It brought up things about my own mother that that were devastating, at least at the time. I won't go into the emotional repercussions experienced, that would be hard to do. No horrible memories or events, rather positive things (I think) that were just plain sad. This sort of experience is maybe a little off-topic and hope it's okay to relate and also to ask the question, anyone else with something like that?

[txfilmfan]

Re: Dumbo, it's probably the song that's sung over that scene as well - Baby Mine - that triggers the waterworks. No shame in that. I've read several accounts (probably from the same original source) that theatergoers were blubbering watching Snow White... upon its original premiere/release.

Dumbo has made me cry. Can't think of another Disney film that has, though - except Up. Folks with grown-up kids have told me the Toy Story films make them misty - especially the one where the toys are given away because their son is going off to college ( I think that's #3? Can't keep them straight).

Old Yeller still makes my older brother cry, and he's over 70...

Other films:

Terms of Endearment (only on the first viewing). I saw it the night of its wide release, and this being the early 80s, there were no internet spoilers back then. You only had a vague sense of a film if you were one of the first to see it. The last 20-30 minutes got me, as it came as a surprise.

E.T. - at the end. Again I think the score triggers it in part...
Philadelphia Had to wait to see it until it just about left the theaters, due to a family member who had been suffering from AIDS at the time. Couldn't have handled it before then.
Schindler's List
Killers of the Flower Moon (I'm an Osage tribal member)

There have been a few others, but these stand out in my memory. The last three I just had to sit in the theater for a bit to recover. Subsequent viewings haven't been as impactful.

[HoldenIsHere]

**I have at least one movie (and probably the only one) I doubt will ever watch again. A great movie though. It's just that the emotional thing is personal. Le Chateau de ma Mere. It brought up things about my own mother that that were devastating, at least at the time. I won't go into the emotional repercussions experienced, that would be hard to do. No horrible memories or events, rather positive things (I think) that were just plain sad. This sort of experience is maybe a little off-topic and hope it's okay to relate and also to ask the question, anyone else with something like that?

I have a similar feeling about DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES.
It is an excellent movie that accurately depicts the impact of alcohol abuse on people's lives.
But I can't imagine that I will ever watch it again because I've had too many loved ones with substance abuse issues.

[BagelOnAPlate]

About 35 years ago, I made the "mistake" of telling a group of buddies, we were milling about after some meeting or ruther, that Dumbo made me cry. Man, did they get on my case, or what! Some razzing, but it was okay, I was a little defensive but feelings were not all that hurt. Then, some time later, years maybe, some movie critic confessed on the net that he caved when viewing it. Wow, I am not alone. When mama cradles baby Dumbo with her trunk, tears in her eyes, ooh boy. You may recall the mama was within some sort of enclosure and because she was chained she could not see him. I think that was the spot.

No shame in admitting that the scene with Dumbo and his mother made you cry.
I think it's one of the most moving scenes in any movie.