Tear Jerkers

[justmeincal]

More like 72 hankies!( Hope you mean the Leigh/Taylor version?!)...

Yes, that is version I was talking about. I never even knew it was remade.

 

[justmeincal]

I just remembered 'Charly', the movie based on the story 'Flowers for Algernon'. I haven't seen it in years, but found it devasting.

 

[nudeyorker]

It has been really very interesting to read this thread and what others find emotional. Many of these films I have found touching and emotional yet I did not shed a tear. I think most of my cinematic outbursts have had a great deal to do with my experiences and what I have been going through at the time. I also burst into tears at the end of Garbo Talks.

 

[justmeincal]

It has been really very interesting to read this thread and what others find emotional. Many of these films I have found touching and emotional yet I did not shed a tear. I think most of my cinematic outbursts have had a great deal to do with my experiences and what I have been going through at the time. I also burst into tears at the end of Garbo Talks.

NY, I agree with what you have said. A lot of it has to do with our backgrounds and experiences. I always had a dog as a child, so Old Yeller really got to me. And Brokeback devastated me, as I thought I could just as easily been either of those two characters (and almost was).

 

[Flashy]

If Conrad didn't suspect his mother didn't like him, why would he have told his father he suspects that his mother hates him? Where else would Calvin get such an idea?

As to the hospital visit thing, that may be an editing error. If you look at the trailer on YouTube, during the argument Calvin defends Beth. At 1:14 Calvin says to Conrad, "Your mother DID come to the hospital..." The subtitles, unless my hearing is off (and it may be), say, "I DID come to the hospital...," which makes them wrong. Perhaps the scene was reshot with the line changed? It wouldn't make sense for us to hear Calvin say, "I DID come to the hopsital..." and then have the next shot be on Beth, which it is. She whirls around at hearing Conrad deny that they came to the hospital. We're watching Calvin defends Beth in this instance. If you have the movie, could you check the scene to see if it's the same as in the trailer?

i think it is pretty clear Conrad believes she hates him, when you look at her track record...but even when connie told calvin, he did not believe conrad and said so...it was only then that Calvin started to really examine her behavior towards connie, and try to look at it objectively, as he said when he sees Berger the first time..."i see her not being able to forgive him..." (he also says he is on the fence, between the two of them and he doesn't like it) interestingly, yes, there is each of them pulling him to their side...but Connie is trying to pull *BOTH* of them to his side. he wants to help beth set the table, he wants to talk to her about the pigeon that used to nest above the garage, he wants to take the picture with her, he wants to hug her...she rebuffs every attempt, in the most cold anddecisive of fashions.

(interestingly as an aside, i have always find it interesting that Buck and Beth were the same 1st letter, aand Calvin and Conrad were the same 1st letter...just a little note)

as for the hospital thing, it is true it is in the trailer...but it never made it in to the film...it is not in the book either...she did indeed go to europe and never came inside.

what is interesting about the book is it provides more detail...for example, Calvin's mother abandoned him, and left him in an orphanage and he never knew his dad...

the book is much different obviously, but you mentioned earlier a "feminist perspective"...which i think i agree with on this level: the bokks point of view that carries over to the film is that of two men's perspective on the woman in their life. we always see beth from either Calvin or Connie's POV in the book. the film fleshes her out more obviously because of the medium, but the book is more of a "Pov" style. (IMO)

interestingly, you are right, from the book, as both the older women we see...wind up leaving. both Jeanine's mom (divorced already) and Beth, who leaves, are women who obviously leave a situation, which they are not happy in, to a degree. (the film really does not explore that)

I have not read the book in ages, but it is very different in a number of ways far too numerous and complx to get into here...

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

(Cinema Paradiso being the best movie ever, of course).

Very nice, Rex ... very nice.
Who helped you?

Seriously, I'm going to have to rent Ordinary Peeps. I think it sorta went over, back when I saw it. I saw it as a good film, but you guys, whose opinions I tend to like, see it as an outright great film.
I do remember being very impressed by the individual performances, but the movie as a whole didn't really stick in mind.

Of course, it beat Raging Bull in the Oscar race for Best Picture and Best Director, which I thought then and think now was something of a travesty. But I'm getting a clearer sense that the movie has real virtues that I was only half open to, way back when.

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

I recorded the fist part of this video the day after I met you. Coincidence?

To Stingo! Now where's Whitman?

I don't see the fist part.
Your visit was more exciting than you've admitted.

 

[2322]

Of the films on my list, which have you seen? If you want a list of films I think are great, I'd be happy to provide one. I don't know that Ordinary People is a great film in that everything comes together to make an experience you'll remember. The acting is generally exceptional but as pointed out, it's a bit predictable when you have a psychiatrist providing all the catharsis. Moore's performance is wonderfully nuanced and I've never seen Sutherland better. It's worth the effort to see again and watch carefully.

Very nice, Rex ... very nice.
Who helped you?

Seriously, I'm going to have to rent Ordinary Peeps. I think it sorta went over, back when I saw it. I saw it as a good film, but you guys, whose opinions I tend to like, see it as an outright great film.
I do remember being very impressed by the individual performances, but the movie as a whole didn't really stick in mind.

Of course, it beat Raging Bull in the Oscar race for Best Picture and Best Director, which I thought then and think now was something of a travesty. But I'm getting a clearer sense that the movie has real virtues that I was only half open to, way back when.

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

Of the films on my list, which have you seen? If you want a list of films I think are great, I'd be happy to provide one.

I'll check that out tomorrow, Jason ... when I can give it full attention.
Thanks for the offer.
Very kind.

 

[2322]

I'll check that out tomorrow, Jason ... when I can give it full attention.
Thanks for the offer.
Very kind.

Don't blame you. I'm not exactly Roger Ebert. Have a great night.:smile:

 

[D_Tintagel_Demondong]

The seemingly simple scene where Conrad idly mentions he made a 74 on a trigonometry quiz is an example. She gives him the polite, phlegmatic stare as if she were acknowledging a stranger while daydreaming. She paused as he talked, not caring, but knowing that it was her role, just as an autistic knows to say "thank you." Conrad is confused, but he has so many problems that he doesn't seem to notice her apathy.

If Conrad didn't suspect his mother didn't like him, why would he have told his father he suspects that his mother hates him? Where else would Calvin get such an idea?

I'm sure that he suspected, but if he were certain then he wouldn't have needed to ask his father. I don't think that even Beth realized that she hated Conrad. That's the irony of the movie: one can use adjustment mechanisms (In her case, repression) or one can accept reality and try to cope. The men struggled with the latter, while Beth chose to simply keep up appearances and defy reality despite impossible odds.

Some great symbolism and imagery in the film is when Beth answers the phone after one of her rare talks to Conrad. The camera focuses on her on the phone, leaving Conrad blurred in the background. That's all he really was to her anyway, a blurry mess that she tried to block out.

i think it is pretty clear Conrad believes she hates him, when you look at her track record...but even when connie told calvin, he did not believe conrad and said so...it was only then that Calvin started to really examine her behavior towards connie, and try to look at it objectively, as he said when he sees Berger the first time..."i see her not being able to forgive him..." (he also says he is on the fence, between the two of them and he doesn't like it) interestingly, yes, there is each of them pulling him to their side...but Connie is trying to pull *BOTH* of them to his side. he wants to help beth set the table, he wants to talk to her about the pigeon that used to nest above the garage, he wants to take the picture with her, he wants to hug her...she rebuffs every attempt, in the most cold anddecisive of fashions.

Introspectively, it should have been obvious to both Conrad and Calvin that Beth had contempt for them -- but especially Connie. When I said that this film was frustrating, this is the reason. It seems obvious to an observer that she hasn't dealt with her issues and was displacing her aggression onto Conrad. Beth is so many coping mechanisms in action that she alone could be a study in PSY 101.

(interestingly as an aside, i have always find it interesting that Buck and Beth were the same 1st letter, aand Calvin and Conrad were the same 1st letter...just a little note)

Interesting! As with Willy Loman's kids, names are important!

the book is much different obviously, but you mentioned earlier a "feminist perspective"...which i think i agree with on this level: the bokks point of view that carries over to the film is that of two men's perspective on the woman in their life. we always see beth from either Calvin or Connie's POV in the book. the film fleshes her out more obviously because of the medium, but the book is more of a "Pov" style. (IMO)

I loved the prying docudrama style. The choppy cut scenes, no fades, no scores, no fancy lighting or perspectives. Just characters.

Very nice, Rex ... very nice.
Who helped you?

I have mentioned it more than once on this site. Cinema Paradiso is the best movie ever made. Anyone who objects is a cinematard. When I found out that an extended version came out a few years ago, I almost came in my pants.

Seriously, I'm going to have to rent Ordinary Peeps.

I'll give it to you when next our twains meet.

 

[superbot]

Yes, that is version I was talking about. I never even knew it was remade.

It was made several years earlier with Bette,I believe!

 

[whatireallywant]

I'm surprised that I like some tear jerkers! (OK, one or two didn't surprise me, but I usually don't go for tear jerker movies...ESPECIALLY ones where the main character or the main character's love interest has or gets a terminal illness and dies! That's one of my two pet peeves in movies (the other, which is a pet peeve in everything in life and not JUST movies, is gender stereotyping!)

Fellowship 2 Hankies
Two Towers 3 Hankies
Return of the King 4 Hankies

I love LOTR but I never cried during the movies.

Tess (Nastassia Kinski) 3 hankies
I haven't seen this version, but I did see an A&E version of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles". Depressing, but I couldn't stop watching! (and that's unlike me!) Actually, I would like to read the book and discuss it in a literary club or something - I think it examines a lot of social issues of its day.

Diary of Anne Frank ( Shelley Winters) 3 hankies
I haven't seen this yet! This is a crime that I haven't seen it! Again, I did see another version of this, I think it was a made for TV movie, and yes, I was very much affected.
Love Story ( Ali Mc Graw,Ryan O'Neal) 2 hankies
Sorry, but this one has that pet peeve...
Splendor in the Grass (Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty) (3 hankies)
This one I found depressing and annoying at the same time - sorry...
Ghost (Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze) 3 hankies
Decent enough movie, but I didn't cry.
Sophies Choice (Kevin Klein, Meryl Streep) 3
Have seen part of it, and yes...
The Color Purple (Whoopie Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah WInfrey) 4 hankies
Have seen this, but don't remember crying. I've read the book, too.
Romeo and Juliet ( Olivia Hussey, Leornard Whiting)4hankies
My favorite version of Romeo and Juliet! I keep hoping it ends differently though. :biggrin1:
Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks, Sally Field) 3 hankies
Again, pet peeve... at the end. Up until the end I liked it, but it had to end THAT way! :frown1:
Of Mice and Men 3 hankies
I've seen this one recently! Didn't cry, but it was a great movie.
The Grapes of Wrath ( Henry Fonda) 3 hankies
Haven't seen in a while. I don't remember crying but again, great movie.
The Wizard of Oz ( Judy Garland,Ray Bolger ) 2 hankies
And one I've seen a BUNCH of times! I didn't cry, but, yes, great movie.
To kill a Mocking bird ( Gregory Peck ) 3 hankies
Another great one!
Charly 3 hankies
I haven't seen the movie but I have read the book it's based on, "Flowers for Algernon" and the book made me cry! Unusual for me, too...
Like water for Chocolate 4 hankies
I don't remember crying, but I did think it was a sad movie.
I know why the caged bird sings (Dianne Carroll ) 3 hankies
Another one I haven't seen the movie, but I've read the book!

Hmmmm....
On the Beach 1959: Last few scenes as the radioactive cloud bears down on the nuclear war survivors in Australia and the American submarine heads off to.... 3 hankies.
Wow, another one I haven't seen the movie, but have read the book!
Saving Private Ryan 1998:Tom Hanks character dies. 2 hankies.
Great movie!

I could not even begin to try and annotate that videography! I agree that "Cry Freedom" was also another tear jerker as was "Philadelphia" and "Cold Mountain" .
I need to see "Cry Freedom".
God's and Monsters ( Ian McKellem, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave) 2 hankies
I also need to see this one, but then I'll watch anything with Brendan Fraser in it. :biggrin1:
Ethan Frome ( Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, Joan Allen ) 3 hankies
I read the book a looooooong time ago, don't even remember anything about it other than I'd read it! I'd like to see this movie, too.
Brian's Song ( Billy Dee Williams) 3 hankies
That pet peeve again...sorry...
Conrack (John Voight)3 hankies
Haven't seen this one in a long time either! I don't remember if it made me cry or not.
/QUOTE]

I'm not much of a cryer, and it really takes a lot to make me cry. These are the only movies that have made me shed some tears.

Braveheart - 4 hankies
Gone With The Wind - 2 hankies
The Notebook - 4 hankies
Titantic - 3 hankies
Lassie - 4 hankies
The Lion King - 2 hankies
Message in a Bottle - 3 hankies
Bridge to Terabithia - 1 hankie
Pocahauntas (Disney) - 1 hankie
Dumbo (Disney) - 2 hankies
One of my favorite movies, and my #1 favorite Disney movie!

Beauty & The Beast (Disney) - 1 hankie
I've seen this a while back, but it didn't make me cry.

Bambi (Disney) - 1 hankie
Have also seen this, a long time ago. Yeah, that scene that everyone cries over affected me too. But I was actually more impressed by the quality of its animation. Could be my second favorite Disney movie on that basis.
QUOTE]

I'm susceptible to great scores, I admit it. I'm not sure I would have cried during Edward Scissorhands were it not for Danny Elfman's incomparable music all through the film and particularly the ice dance scene.
My all time favorite movie! This is the one I was not surprised to find that I liked a tearjerker. This was definitely a 4 (or more!) hankie movie for me!
A few of the reasons 1939 is considered the greatest year in film history:
Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939)
I've seen this recently too. Although that one scene bordered on pet peeve, it wound up being a movie I liked.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
And another one I've seen recently (got on a TCM kick for a while, and saw several movies on everybody's tearjerker list, including this one, Goodbye Mr. Chips, and Of Mice and Men.)
Bambi (1942)- Should have been rated R.
I have to kind of laugh about the "Should have been rated R" comment, but yeah, stuff like that can really get to kids... I mentioned earlier about the animation quality in Bambi, which I think is among the best.
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
See above...
Charlotte's Web (1973)
One I saw as a kid myself... soon after it was made. sniff sniff...
Ordinary People (1980)
I remember that I've seen it, but don't really remember much about it.
The Elephant Man (1980)
Another of my favorites - one of a very few exceptions where the main character dies at the end but is NOT a pet peeve movie. Maybe it's because of the subject matter.
The Color Purple (1982)
See above...
Terms of Endearment (1983)
Pet peeve movie...sorry...
The Killing Fields (1984)
This one I've been wanting to see because of the subject matter - very intense, I'm sure.
Ghost (1990) -I hate to admit it.
Haha... Actually I didn't cry during it but it was a decent enough movie.
Edward Scissorhands (1990) -Oh that score and Vincent Price!
Again, my all time favorite movie!!
Schindler's List (1993)
Another one I need to see but haven't for some reason...
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
See above...
The Iron Giant (1999)
Don't remember crying during it, but I liked it.
Cast Away (2000) -"You're the love of my life!"
Another one I don't remember crying during, but liked.
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) -I lose it at the illumination of the Dwarrowdelf. You have to read The Silmarillion to get it. Shore's score here is one of the finest in film. Obviously, he's read The Silmarillion.
The Two Towers (2002) - "Where is the horse and the rider?"
The Return of the King (2003)
I like LOTR a lot. I don't remember crying at all during the movies, but they're really good...

 

[whatireallywant]

A couple of movies nobody has mentioned that made me cry at one time or another, one of them only the first time I saw it (I've seen it several times since), and one I seem to cry during one scene every time!

"My Giant" - (Billy Crystal, Gheorghe Muresan) - One of a very small handful of movies where a main character dies at the end but is NOT a pet peeve movie of mine (Another one is "The Elephant Man"). "My Giant" didn't get good critical reviews, but I liked it a lot - in fact it's one of those "You'll laugh! You'll cry!" movies for me. Although I did only cry the first time I saw it - not at the end where he dies, but when the girl he has loved for years from afar and hasn't seen in years refuses to even meet him or talk to him, and Billy Crystal's character gets his wife to portray the woman who Gheorghe Muresan's character loved.

"The Neverending Story" - Only the first one (I thought the Neverending Story II sucked, and I didn't bother seeing the third one) - The scene that gets me is when the rock man can't keep a grip on his friends to keep the Nothing from engulfing them.

 

[Penis Aficionado]

Possibly my favorite movie is the 1986 British film WITHNAIL & I. The amazing thing about it is that it's one of the most knee-slappingly funny movies I've ever seen, and then in a devastating final ten minutes the epic friendship at the center of the story dissolves, the demise of 1960s idealism is succinctly foreshadowed, and the actor Richard E. Grant recites a soliloquy from Hamlet so powerfully that it becomes the saddest movie I've ever seen. You can probably find the soliloquy on youtube, but don't -- you have to see it at the end of the movie, or it's ruined. I've probably seen this 50 times, and if I watched it again right now it would probably make me cry.

 

[Flashy]

Black Beauty (1994 version)
English Patient (last scene)
Requiem For A Dream
Legends Of The Fall
Bambi
Born Free
Ordinary People
Schindler's List
Life Is Beautiful
A River Runs Through It

 

[nudeyorker]

I watched this last night before I went to bed. Tears fell at the end!
YouTube - The Other Side Of The Mountain (Movie & Real) - Joe Becerra

 

[TexanStar]

From beyond the grave, I call to thee, rise! Rise!

Okay, necromancy done.

So Black Mirror, Season 3, episode 4 (San Junipero). Just got around to watching that... dear lord, pass the Kleenex please. It's not teased much in the trailer, which is fine. Really worth a watch.

 

[ronin001]

Star Trek 2 the wrath of Kahn, where Spock Dies

 

[TexanStar]

Sherlock, Season 4, episode 2 (the lying detective).