Honestly, this is the saddest movie scene I have ever seen.
It’s from D.W. Griffith’s 1919 movie Broken Blossoms.
It’s a pretty simple plot: a young English girl, Lucy (Lillian Gish), and a Chinese immigrant, Cheng Huan (Richard Barthelmess) fall in love in the slums of London. Lucy is habitually abused by her father and seeks sanctuary with Cheng. Lucy’s dad, a prizefighter, can’t stand the thought of his daughter with anybody, let alone a “Yellow Man”, and goes to Cheng’s place and forcibly takes her back to his nasty apartment.
The scene I’m referencing takes place after Lucy’s dad Battling Burrows has taken her home. It’s really terrifying. I watched it again tonight and it had me totally freaked out. Lillian Gish is unbelievable as an abused child as she hides in the closet as her dad pounds on the door, trying to get to her. It’s so incredibly real.
That was going to be my vote. It’s so heartwrenching because it pulls your emotions in two competely opposite directions. Pure elation: at long last “Prince Charming” has returned! Abject disappointment: it’s the tramp.
It makes me blubber every time.
(What? The movie is 77 years old. You were expecting a spoiler?)
“City Lights” is a hard one to top if the question is “Most Touching Movie Moments.” But is it the SADDEST? I’m not sure… and of course you’re not supposed to be sure.
For me it’s the final scene of Forbidden Games, with little Paulette in the train station, running after a strange woman and yelling “Mother!”. I couldn’t find a clip, but I didn’t look too hard (no tissues handy).
The son is watching his father being taken away by the Nazis. The father, knowing the son is watching from his hiding place, does a silly walk and acts like it’s all a game so his son doesn’t get upset, though he knows he’s going to his death.
I don’t know if it’s the saddest scene I’ve seen, but it certainly ranks in the top ten.
In “Jean de Florette/Manon of the Springs” (my prefered movie), the scene, towards the end, where the old blind woman reveals the truth to Montand (playing “the Papet”). I didn’t see it coming when I saw the movie for the first time, despite the hints noticeable on second viewing.
I can’t say anything about it, because it would the biggest possible spoiler. Those who have seen the film will know what I’m talking about.
And one thing makes this sad scene peculiar : you feel real bad…for the bad guy.
It’s been a while since I watched “Grave of the Fireflies”, but there would be several scenes in it that would fall into the “saddest” category.
The ending of “Cinema Paradiso” always makes my eyes well up. Not sure if it’s sadness or longing for a lost past that the character feels, and by extension I feel, or a little of one triggering the other. But you know what I mean.
