Brazil reminded me of 1984. I know it’s based on a book, a book I’ve read a million times before seeing the movie. But seeing John Hurt (as Winston Smith) just sitting there alone in the Chestnut Tree Cafe, playing a crude game of chess while drinking his Victory Gin was pretty depressing. But then it’s kind of a given that the movie version of 1984 would be depressing.
I’ve posted on this subject on other boards before so I might as well here. Does anyone agree with me that the period from about the mid 1960’s to the mid 1970’s was the Golden Age of Downer Cinema? Here are some examples (SPOILERS ABOUND):
-“Easy Rider”-After realizing they “blew it”, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper get blown away by a couple rednecks.
-“Midnight Cowboy”-Urban decay in New York c. 1969 + Ratso (Dustin Hoffman) dies on the bus before he reaches Florida.
-“Taxi Driver”-Urban decay in New York c. 1976 + cabdriver/Vietnam vet Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) goes nuts.
-“The Godfather I and II”-A lot happens in these two movies but it can be summarized as Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) saves his family but loses his soul.
-“Bonnie and Clyde”-In the end, title characters are betrayed and ruthlessly gunned down.
-“They Shoot Horses Don’t They?”-A group of desparate people in the depths of the Depression take part in a marathon dance contest. Things get worse from there.
-“Chinatown”-Evelyn Mulray dies! Noah Cross lives! Evil triumphs!
-“The Parallax View”-An all-powerful organization is murdering the best and brightest leaders in America and not even Warren Beatty can stop it.
-“A Clockwork Orange”-A brutal violent punk terrorizes denizens of a bleak futuristic society only to find out the government is even more brutal and violent than he is.
-“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”-Chief mercy kills McMurphy after he’s lobotomized. Chief’s escape partially prevents the ending from being a total downer.
These are only a few but I’m sure you get the idea. Feel free to name other downer movies made between roughly 1966 to 1977.
Definitely Threads. I don’t see how it could possibly have been more depressing. After viewing it, I felt like watching A Clockwork Orange or 1984 for a few laughs…
SPOILERS
But the beauty of A Clockwork Orange is that Alex gets his revenge, sort of, by publicly humiliating the government and changing him back. He turned out looking good, even though everyone saw him as a monster before.
My vote goes for Dancer in the Dark, another of Von Trier’s films. I’ve only managed to sit through it 2 or 3 times, and only because Björk’s music is gorgeous. That infernal film leaves me quivering with grief and hopelessness. The plot was far-fetched, but that didn’t even register for me until I read some reviews, for I was literally mesmerized by Björk. I think she is my one serious celebrity crush.
But anyway, I bought Breaking the Waves on DVD after being so moved by Dancer, and by the end I was really annoyed at the director. In both films, he takes an appealing heroine, gives her some sort of handicap, and then ruins her life in most odious ways. He appears to revel in his cruelty to these characters. It’s tough for me, because he is clearly a visionary filmmaker. As such, I already have The Kingdom and The Element of Crime, two of his earlier works, waiting patiently for me in my shopping cart at Amazon. I suppose in some ways I cherish my misery.
Carrington
The saddest movie ever is Dancer in the Dark. After I saw it, I just sat there for many, many minutes, then went straight to bed. It is completely unlike every other movie, and I really think everyone should watch it.
Also, Boys Don’t Cry was terribly depressing. Gosh. Another one everybody should see.
“But the beauty of ‘A Clockwork Orange’ is that Alex gets his revenge, sort of, by publicly humiliating the government and changing him back. He turned out looking good, even though everyone saw him as a monster before.”
True Bean Shadow but you’d have to admit the movie wasn’t exactly light-hearted fare.
I can’t believe I forgot to mention The Pledge. No redemption. A soulless piece of sludge.
I will also join the chorus on Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark. Painfully dreary films.
Professional film critics must be a morose bunch.
"Black Robe"
[SPOILER ALERT]
It’s the story of Jesuit missionaries from France who came to convert the Huron Indians of Quebec to Catholicism. The Jesuits end up betraying the Huron for political reasons and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. What’s really heartbreaking is how some of the Hurons trustingly let the white man transform their noble cultural and spiritual world into a pathetic and grotesque version of the white man’s world. They are destroyed by betrayal and disease. Both white man and native are shown with brutal reality in this movie. Unrelenting darkness from beginning to end.
"The Mission" was another in the same vein.
Requiem for a Dream
Bad idea to buy it on DVD.After being bummed for around 2 weeks after seeing it, I´d call it highly unlikely I´ll watch it again anytime soon.
I admit that it was not. 
Pharlap
By far the most depressing movie I have ever seen. A true story about how far people will go when they place fame and fortune ahead of the things that are really important. I saw it around 1993 and haven’t watched it since because it is just too much. Anyone who has a real problem with animals suffering should stay away from this one.
[sub]I can’t find this one on IMDb, so I just hope some of you have seen it[/sub]
Blow. No contest, most depressing movie. The guy just wants to see his kid for God’s sake!
[Spoiler alert]
“Never drive with an angry woman” was the subject of a Chris Rock [?] short I saw at a party called “How not to get yo’ ass beat by the police.” Had some good ideas. It even featured a woman screaming “He got drugs! He got drugs!”
[/Spoiler Alert]
The very end, in the prison, was the worst part of the entire freaking movie.
SPOILERS FOR A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
There were two versions of the novel. The original British release had three sections, each with 7 chapters. The first section dealt with Alex before his gang got caught, the second with his “rehabilitation”, and the third with the consequences once he was released. The final chapter details what happened after the conditioning was removed, which was basically that Alex grew up and became a boring, everyday middle-class dude. For the American publication, chapter 21 was excised, the editors thinking that the ending was more powerful without it, with it’s implication that Alex would be more dangerous than before, changing tone drastically, leading many critics to puzzle over the 7/7/6 structure of the book and speculate about the missing chapter. Kubrick curiously chose to adapt the North American release instead of the original. I’ve heard, but cannot confirm, that subsequent British printings omit the 21st chapter also.
Sorry, but the son was played by Justin Henry, not RS
Some of my favorite extremely depressing films I didn’t see mentioned:
Vertigo
Ashes and Diamonds
Night of the Living Dead
Naked
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Scarlet Street
Rebel Without a Cause
Eraserhead.
Liquid Sky.
Definitive cures for happiness.
b.
I second Legends of the Fall. Every character got shat upon in that movie. Just when you think they have a small smidgen of happiness, BOOM! I swear to god, someone got shot and/or died every five minutes in that movie. Oy.
Hands down, Happiness. I can’t believe it’s only been mentioned once in this post. Severl times during the movie I found myself just saying “nononononono” over and over. Right up there is Harmony Kornine’s “gummo”. One of the oddest movies I’ve seen in the last two years.
woohoo! My second post…lookit me go!
yanceylebeef
Spoilers within.
KneadToKnow, I just finished watching American Beauty again, and you’re right. I guess any movie that leaves you smiling a little at the end can’t be called depressing. I had forgotten how much I liked this movie, as well. I laughed more at parts of this movie than at most “comedies” I’ve seen, There were parts that were very moving, and the end leaves you inexplicably happy for a man that loses his job, has his marriage fall apart, his daughter run away, and is murdered. What a great movie.