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Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

Good topic.  When I first saw the subject I was thinking specifically of movies that brought physical tears to my eyes, but after making it broader with any scene that "tears at your heart" it may be more difficult for me to make a list.  I think I'll still try to start with moments that actually did elicit real tears, and look around for other criteria if I run out of options.

1.  12 Angry Men - the scene where the final juror, Juror #3 played by Lee J. Cobb, finally breaks down and votes "not-guilty".  I put this movie in to play once when I was working at a video store.  Maybe a bad idea.  I was supposed to be acting professional but was almost breaking down when that part came on, even though I wasn't even really watching it.  I just remembered it and could hear it enough for it to affect me.  When he rips up the picture of his son, and realizes what he's doing.  Oh MY!  I'm actually crying right now!

2.  Rashomon - Near the end in the overarching scene in the rain at the temple gates (or whatever they are), when they find the baby and the Woodcutter decides to take him home.  Wow, that's tearjerking!

3.  The Seventh Seal - almost every other scene really.

4.  Diary of a Country Priest - The very end of the movie when he dies and realizes that the one small encounter with that woman may have validated all of his efforts.

5.   Withnail & I - sometimes before you can really cry with a character you need to really laugh with a character.  Laugh with, laugh at, be frightened with, and all the other emotions too.  The final scene with the Shakespeare recitation in the rain always gets me.

Some sentimental tearjerkers.  I know you mentioned to avoid those that were overly sentimental.  Maybe you won't even think these apply.  But here are a few that I consider manipulative, but have enough quality and truth to them to make up for it.

 - It's a Wonderful Life - LOTS of scenes, but especially at the end when everyone shows up to pitch in some money.

 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - At the end when Senator Paine breaks down and admits the truth!

 - The Shawshank Redemption - Again, the final scene of the movie, on the beach.  I think some scenes in The Green Mile may apply as well.

And for movies that cause me to weep due to pure beauty of construction, the final scene in the cemetery in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.  As my favorite movie I think I have to name it in as many categories as possible.

So what makes a scene a good tearjerker?  Being at the end of a movie, being in B&W, having rain, a character having some kind of breakdown or epiphany, or some combination of these elements.  THANK YOU!

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

In no particular order:

 1) Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys - End of the movie (we may be on to something with the "end of film" stuff here) at Kieran Culkin's funeral mass, when Emile Hirsch reads from "The Tygre."

2) Crash - You'll all laugh at me for this, but it's the scene where the middle eastern guy tries to shoot the lock repair man and his daughter jumps in front of the gun.  It's not the music or the idea of the scene that gets me.  It's the repairman's face as he screams.

3) Requiem for a Dream - Jared Leto uses his phone call from jail to call Jennifer Conelly.  She asks if he's alright and he says that he's coming home soon.  Coming home real soon.

4) Pleasantville - Almost the whole movie.  When Jeff Daniels wipes the black and white makeup from Joan Allen's face.  When Joan Allen discovers the orgasm and the tree bursts into flames outside.  Never before (and it had been done before) had B&W/color been mixed to such a beautiful point as in Pleasantville.

5) Fargo - Again with the "last scene" bit.  Det. Marge Gunderson lays in bed with her husband Norm, who is disgruntled that his competition got his duck painting on the 32-cent stamp and he only made the 2-cent stamp.  Marge tells him that people use those two-cent stamps all the time, every time postage goes up.  It's the fact that you just watched 88 minutes of horrible grotesquity and violence, people getting shot, pubescent youths losing family members and going through unbelievable traumas, a man being disposed of via a wood chipper - all over gobs of money...  Juxtaposed against human grumpiness about two cents.

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

Difficult for me because I tend to remember movies as a whole rather than particular scenes, but . . .

1. Blood Diamond, the action flick, where the protagonist (Leonardo Di Caprio) is sitting on a hill top in Africa, wounded, and the mercenaries are closing in to kill him, and he phones Jennifer Connelly, interrupting her from a fancy Washington DC lunch meeting. The love combined with social concern are palpable.

2. Throughout Bee Season people have turned against the father (Richard Gere). His wife has withdrawn as if it is somehow his fault; his teenage son rebels as his dad shifts more attention to the little sister who shows an almost spiritual power to access the spelling of words. At the end of the movie, in a public forum, she too turns against her father. I felt for the guy. He wasn't perfect by any means but he suffered the consequences disproportionately.

3. In Shopgirl, the mild-mannered shop girl (Claire Danes) is sitting on the bed with her rich lover (Steve Martin) and asks, "Why don't you love me?" You can see from his reaction that he doesn't know.

4. In The White Countess, a White Russian refugee in Shanghai supports her entire extended family by being a taxi dancer (and occasional prostitue). She lowers herself to ask her boss and friend for a large sum of money so that she and her family can escape the on-rushing Japanese army and have a better life in Hong Kong. Her family takes the money and leaves without her.

5. And, finally, to take the emphasis away from the end of movies, The Human Stain, directed by Robert Benton, is sad after the fact. The ending scene is actually atypically threatening or menacing. But when I thought back on Coleman Silk's (Anthony Hopkins) life, it was full of heartache integral with his success, and when I thought back on his young lover's (NIcole Kidman) tragic and screwed up life, I thought the word "stain" in the title was heavy with meaning.

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

GradysGhost:

5) Fargo - Again with the "last scene" bit.  Det. Marge Gunderson lays in bed with her husband Norm, who is disgruntled that his competition got his duck painting on the 32-cent stamp and he only made the 2-cent stamp.  Marge tells him that people use those two-cent stamps all the time, every time postage goes up.  It's the fact that you just watched 88 minutes of horrible grotesquity and violence, people getting shot, pubescent youths losing family members and going through unbelievable traumas, a man being disposed of via a wood chipper - all over gobs of money...  Juxtaposed against human grumpiness about two cents.

Oh yeah, that's a good one.  But for me, even more so, I would say the scene that is just one or two before that.  When Marge is taking Gaear Grimsrud away in her squad car.  I found a script.  It goes something like this.

So that was Mrs. Lundegaard in there?  I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper.  And those three people in Brainerd.  And for what?  For a little bit of money.  There's more to life than money, you know.  Don't you know that?  And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day.  Well, I just don't understand it.

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

Here are my five:

Big Fish: Scenes  between Billy Crudup and Albert Finney. My father had recently passed away from cancer and I knew the feeling of being an adult son sitting with  hisdying father.

 Dead Poets Society: when Ethan Hawke struggles and eventually stands up on his desk as Robin Williams is leaving. It gets me every single time.

The Natural: When Roy Hobbs belts it and the lights shatter into a shower of sparks, the music, the slow motion -- it's just absolute magic.

Yeobgijeogin Geunyeo: the entire  end of the movie.Yes, it is very sentimental, but also so innocent and romantic, and pure.

Lawrence of Arabia: looking at O'Toole's face when one of his men charges alone to his death. His hatred and fury and fear, all pent up, and then screaming out "No prisoners!" 

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

enaretea:

Dead Poets Society: when Ethan Hawke struggles and eventually stands up on his desk as Robin Williams is leaving. It gets me every single time.

Ooooh, I don't know how I forgot this one!  Yeah this is a staple in the tearjerker category for me.  The part when the kid who played Puck kills himself.  Whooooo man.

enaretea:

Yeobgijeogin Geunyeo: the entire  end of the movie.Yes, it is very sentimental, but also so innocent and romantic, and pure.

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes

enaretea:

I am not sure of the availability of Yeobgijeogin Geunyeo (English title: My Sassy Girl) outside east Asia. Does Netflix have it?

No, they don't.  I didn't reailze you lived there at first.  But I'll keep an eye out, just in case one day...