I can’t believe this film was made in 1940 - given that it was such an amazing precursor of the events in European politicks. This film had an amazing take on events in WW2 - really amazing!
Black & White film made in 1940 - precursor of the Nazi takeover of Europe.
The Roth family lead a quiet life in a small village in the German Alps during the early 1930’s. When the Nazi’s come to power, the family is divided and Martin Brietner, a family friend is caught up in the turmoil.
I sure can. My grandparents’ farm was just south of Dyersville, where they filmed Field of Dreams. The farm has been out of the family for quite some time now, but it was the site of many happy childhood summers. The highway scene at the end where the cars are lined up for miles along the highway, showed the highway that led to the family farm.
So it has nothing to do with the movie, really, and everything to do with my personal memories, but the (really quite sappy) line “It’s not heaven, it’s Iowa”. just gets the tears of happy, but long lost, memories flowing every time.
I suppose I’m stretching the terms of the post a bit, but for me, it’s the saddest movie of all.
Another vote for Grave of the Fireflies, which is an absolute kick to the guts. Writer/director Isao Takahata’s recently-released final film, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, is also a three-hankie film.
Since Grave of the Fireflies has already been well established as the saddest movie of all time…
Wit from 2008. The movie opens with the line, “You have stage IV metastatic ovarian cancer,” and is all downhill from there. It’s a movie about a woman who formed very few connections in life, facing a solitary death armed with nothing but her love of poetry and her, well, wit. There’s a point near the end where the woman, Vivian, has a rare visiter, and…Jesus, I can’t even think of it without tearing up. It breaks me. Emma Thompson is my goddess.
Mentioned on page one, but I watched Midnight Cowboy a couple weeks ago (as a previous thread of mine stated), and I didn’t cry at the end, because I knew what was going to happen. But later, it struck me just how dehumanized those characters were, how they’d grown so used to being abused and outcast that they even saw themselves as objects and vermin, and (to some extent) chose to live their lives that way because they didn’t think of themselves as people until they met each other. The dark psychology of that film, particularly dumb, smiling Joe, who’s dream is to relive his sexual abuse again and again, is still unsettling me two weeks later.
No mention in twelve years of The Fox and the Hound? Disney has never been that upsetting in all its 80 years. Just thinking of the song that the old widow sings to herself as she leaves her beloved pet fox out in the forest makes me want to climb under the blankets and sob. And the ending! “Copper, you’re my very best friend.” “And you’re mine too, Todd.” cries That movie is just to harshly realistic for kids, damnit!
Pretty much anything by Pixar is going to be worth a tear or two.
The Germans annexed the Sudetenland in 1938, invaded Poland in 1939, Czechoslovakia ditto, and points West not long after: by 1940 they were installed in France, Holland and Belgium, and the British were beating feet at Dunkirk. Anyone unsure of German intentions by then really wasn’t paying attention.
I think music has a lot to do with it. While Serpico has its sad parts, it’s not a weepie. But the violin theme does drive home his isolation.
There’s also an Australian movie, The Highest Honor, which is a low-budget actioner, but has a pretty bleak scene where the condemned commandos sing “Waltzing Matilda” as they resign themselves to their fate.
Several movies have been made about the Carmelite nuns guillotined by Robespierre. As it actually happened, they started singing their initiation vows as they were lined up, which, with a “you can’t write stuff this powerful” quality, one by one the song was reduced to the last voice until everything was silent.
A third for Requiem for a Dream, the acting and cinematography evoke true despair.
There are more ways than one to see that movie. I always am uplifted by the way the characters overcome their individual, but loosely linked, personal hurdles.
There are many others… And some that aren’t necessarily sad films, but have sad scenes that turn me to jelly. (The Incredibles)
But when I think of sad films these are the first to pop into my head.
I’ve seen the following, of those which have been suggested:
Awakenings
Bambi
Dancer in the Dark - I only remember it as a poorly done musical… Das Boot Elephant Man
E. T.
Field of Dreams
Forrest Gump Leaving Las Vegas
My Girl - Been too long since I’ve seen it to say for certain
Of Mice and Men - Might have been ruined for me by having had read the book before I saw it One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Planes Trains and Automobiles
Platoon
Saving Private Ryan Schindler’s List
Up
What Dreams May Come - It’s certainly trying for it, but the movie never quite gels enough to be taken seriously
I’ve bolded the ones that I think are contenders. And I’ll throw in: