Greatest Tearjerkers Films - Scenes and Moments

Greatest Tearjerker Films, Scenes and Movie Moments
of All-Time

Introduction: There are many names for tearjerker films - 'women's pictures', 'weepies' or weepers, melodramas, soap operas (or soapers), and more recently, 'chick flicks'. There are many kinds of touching, emotionally stirring films and dramas that bring a tear to the eye, and cause a swelling in the heart. Pathos-filled tales of doomed or short-lived romance, tragic deaths or losses (loss of life, loss of love, loss of dignity, etc.), recovery (recovery of life, recovery of love, recovery of dignity, etc.), or difficult domestic situations are common plot themes in these kinds of films.
Many sites and film books have attempted to compile listings of the most tearjerking moments, scenes and films throughout cinematic history. See various choices of great tearjerkers in Entertainment Weekly's choices for the Top 50 Greatest Tearjerkers, UK's Channel 4 website of 100 Greatest Tearjerkers (see below), and O Magazine's compilation of 50 Greatest Chick Flicks. The following sources are indicated by icons in this site's compilation:

- UK's Channel 4 website of the 100 Greatest Tearjerkers

- Entertainment Weekly's November 28, 2003 issue of the 50 Greatest Tearjerkers

Note: The films that are marked with a yellow star are the films that "The Greatest Films" site has selected as the 100 Greatest Films.

Greatest Film Tearjerkers, Moments and Scenes
(alphabetical by film title) - Part 26
Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20
Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30

Movie Title
Brief Scene Description Example

The Song of Bernadette (1943)

Bernadette Soubirous/Mary Bernard's (Jennifer Jones) death scene in which she experienced a final visitation from the Virgin Mary (Linda Darnell) who held out her arms, smiled, and said: "I love you!"

Sophie's Choice (1982)
#3
#18

The flashback scene of the excruciating, heart-rending 'choice' that Polish woman Sophie Zawistowska (Meryl Streep) had to make in a concentration camp with a Nazi officer - and her ultimate decision: "Take my little girl!"

Sounder (1972)
#42

The scene in which racist guards wrecked young David Morgan's (Kevin Hooks) cake which he had wanted to bring to his jailed sharecropper father Nathan Lee Morgan (Paul Winfield) under the premise of searching for weapons (white visitors went unchecked); and David's and wife Rebecca's (Cicely Tyson) greeting of Nathan after he was released from prison work camp, and family dog Sounder's death when Nathan died of sickness and exhaustion after his release.

Soylent Green (1973)

Elderly Sol Roth's (Edward G. Robinson, who was dying during filming) poignant, painless and suicidal death in an euthanasia clinic amidst musical and visual montages of a peaceful green world, with his friend Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston, who shed real tears due to the real-life poignancy of the dying Robinson) at his side.

Spartacus (1960)
#81

After the quelling of the slave revolt, the moment when Spartacus was called forth by the Romans and all of the slaves cried out: "I'm Spartacus!"; and the exchange between Antoninus (Tony Curtis) and Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) when they were forced to duel to the death by Crassus (Laurence Olivier): (Antoninus: "I love you like I loved my father" - Spartacus: "I love you like the son I'll never see") - with Spartacus' killing of Antoninus to spare him from crucifixion; and the closing scene in which Varinia (Jean Simmons) held up their newborn son to a crucified Spartacus: "He's free, Spartacus...He'll remember you, Spartacus. Because I'll tell him. I'll tell him who his father was and what he dreamed of!"

Splendor in the Grass (1961)

The emotionally devastating sequences including Wilma Dean's ("Deanie") (Natalie Wood) steam bath (and her strict mother's (Audrey Christie) questioning about her being spoiled), the school scene of her interpretation of the "splendor in the grass" Wordsworth's poem, her rejected-love scene followed by her drowning suicide attempt, and the final sequence of her bittersweet reunion with Bud years later (who has since married an Italian waitress (Zohra Lampert)) while wearing a virginal white dress outfit and hat - and her recollection of the Wordsworth poem (in voice-over) and its meaning after being asked: "Do you think you still love him?"

Stage Door (1937)

The devastating scene of the suicide of depressed aspiring actress Kaye Hamilton (Andrea Leeds) - who had ascended the staircase while hearing imaginary applause before committing the deed; and rich/refined actress friend Terry Randall's (Katharine Hepburn) reaction: ("I've got to get out of here. I'm not going on...Why didn't someone tell me? I would have given up a thousand times rather than have this happen. I'm going to go out there and tell them I'm not going to go on. And I'm going to tell them why"), but then Terry's memorable on-stage tearful rendition of the "calla lilies are in bloom...": ("The calla lilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower, suitable to any occasion. I carried them on my wedding day, and now I place them here in memory of something that has died...Have you gathered here to mourn, or are you here to bring me comfort?...") followed by her curtain call speech: ("...I'm not responsible for what happened on this stage tonight. The person you should be applauding died a few hours ago...")

Stand By Me (1986)
#17

The poignant campfire scene between two twelve year-old schoolboy buddies: Chris Chambers (River Phoenix) and Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton) regarding how Chris was always labeled a 'low-life' due to his family's 'black-sheep' reputation ("That's the way they think of me") in their town of Castle Rock in Oregon, and Chris' teary-eyed, touching story about his abusive father.

A Star Is Born (1954)
#31

The scene of singer Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester (Judy Garland) singing the first chorus of "Lose That Long Face" followed by her breakdown in the dressing room confessional scene with Oliver (Charles Bickford) - forcing her to go back on stage to sing the song again; and the unforgettable poignant ending and closing tribute line to her husband Norman (James Mason) (after he had committed suicide with a sunset swim-walk into the sea to "It's a New World") in front of a large audience as she proudly identified herself: "This is Mrs. Norman Maine".

Created in 1996-2008 © by Tim Dirks. All rights reserved.

Introduction: There are many names for tearjerker films - 'women's pictures', 'weepies' or weepers, melodramas, soap operas (or soapers), and more recently, 'chick flicks'. There are many kinds of touching, emotionally stirring films and dramas that bring a tear to the eye, and cause a swelling in the heart. Pathos-filled tales of doomed or short-lived romance, tragic deaths or losses (loss of life, loss of love, loss of dignity, etc.), recovery (recovery of life, recovery of love, recovery of dignity, etc.), or difficult domestic situations are common plot themes in these kinds of films. Many sites and film books have attempted to compile listings of the most tearjerking moments, scenes and films throughout cinematic history. See various choices of great tearjerkers in Entertainment Weekly's choices for the Top 50 Greatest Tearjerkers, UK's Channel 4 website of 100 Greatest Tearjerkers (see below), and O Magazine's compilation of 50 Greatest Chick Flicks. The following sources are indicated by icons in this site's compilation: - UK's Channel 4 website of the 100 Greatest Tearjerkers - Entertainment Weekly's November 28, 2003 issue of the 50 Greatest Tearjerkers Note: The films that are marked with a yellow star are the films that "The Greatest Films" site has selected as the 100 Greatest Films.
Greatest Film Tearjerkers, Moments and Scenes (alphabetical by film title) - Part 26 Intro \| Part 1 \| Part 2 \| Part 3 \| Part 4 \| Part 5 \| Part 6 \| Part 7 \| Part 8 \| Part 9 \| Part 10 Part 11 \| Part 12 \| Part 13 \| Part 14 \| Part 15 \| Part 16 \| Part 17 \| Part 18 \| Part 19 \| Part 20 Part 21 \| Part 22 \| Part 23 \| Part 24 \| Part 25 \| Part 26 \| Part 27 \| Part 28 \| Part 29 \| Part 30
Movie Title	Brief Scene Description	Example
The Song of Bernadette (1943)	Bernadette Soubirous/Mary Bernard's (Jennifer Jones) death scene in which she experienced a final visitation from the Virgin Mary (Linda Darnell) who held out her arms, smiled, and said: "I love you!"
Sophie's Choice (1982) #3 #18	The flashback scene of the excruciating, heart-rending 'choice' that Polish woman Sophie Zawistowska (Meryl Streep) had to make in a concentration camp with a Nazi officer - and her ultimate decision: "Take my little girl!"
Sounder (1972) #42	The scene in which racist guards wrecked young David Morgan's (Kevin Hooks) cake which he had wanted to bring to his jailed sharecropper father Nathan Lee Morgan (Paul Winfield) under the premise of searching for weapons (white visitors went unchecked); and David's and wife Rebecca's (Cicely Tyson) greeting of Nathan after he was released from prison work camp, and family dog Sounder's death when Nathan died of sickness and exhaustion after his release.
Soylent Green (1973)	Elderly Sol Roth's (Edward G. Robinson, who was dying during filming) poignant, painless and suicidal death in an euthanasia clinic amidst musical and visual montages of a peaceful green world, with his friend Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston, who shed real tears due to the real-life poignancy of the dying Robinson) at his side.
Spartacus (1960) #81	After the quelling of the slave revolt, the moment when Spartacus was called forth by the Romans and all of the slaves cried out: "I'm Spartacus!"; and the exchange between Antoninus (Tony Curtis) and Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) when they were forced to duel to the death by Crassus (Laurence Olivier): (Antoninus: "I love you like I loved my father" - Spartacus: "I love you like the son I'll never see") - with Spartacus' killing of Antoninus to spare him from crucifixion; and the closing scene in which Varinia (Jean Simmons) held up their newborn son to a crucified Spartacus: "He's free, Spartacus...He'll remember you, Spartacus. Because I'll tell him. I'll tell him who his father was and what he dreamed of!"
Splendor in the Grass (1961)	The emotionally devastating sequences including Wilma Dean's ("Deanie") (Natalie Wood) steam bath (and her strict mother's (Audrey Christie) questioning about her being spoiled), the school scene of her interpretation of the "splendor in the grass" Wordsworth's poem, her rejected-love scene followed by her drowning suicide attempt, and the final sequence of her bittersweet reunion with Bud years later (who has since married an Italian waitress (Zohra Lampert)) while wearing a virginal white dress outfit and hat - and her recollection of the Wordsworth poem (in voice-over) and its meaning after being asked: "Do you think you still love him?"
Stage Door (1937)	The devastating scene of the suicide of depressed aspiring actress Kaye Hamilton (Andrea Leeds) - who had ascended the staircase while hearing imaginary applause before committing the deed; and rich/refined actress friend Terry Randall's (Katharine Hepburn) reaction: ("I've got to get out of here. I'm not going on...Why didn't someone tell me? I would have given up a thousand times rather than have this happen. I'm going to go out there and tell them I'm not going to go on. And I'm going to tell them why"), but then Terry's memorable on-stage tearful rendition of the "calla lilies are in bloom...": ("The calla lilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower, suitable to any occasion. I carried them on my wedding day, and now I place them here in memory of something that has died...Have you gathered here to mourn, or are you here to bring me comfort?...") followed by her curtain call speech: ("...I'm not responsible for what happened on this stage tonight. The person you should be applauding died a few hours ago...")
Stand By Me (1986) #17	The poignant campfire scene between two twelve year-old schoolboy buddies: Chris Chambers (River Phoenix) and Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton) regarding how Chris was always labeled a 'low-life' due to his family's 'black-sheep' reputation ("That's the way they think of me") in their town of Castle Rock in Oregon, and Chris' teary-eyed, touching story about his abusive father.
A Star Is Born (1954) #31	The scene of singer Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester (Judy Garland) singing the first chorus of "Lose That Long Face" followed by her breakdown in the dressing room confessional scene with Oliver (Charles Bickford) - forcing her to go back on stage to sing the song again; and the unforgettable poignant ending and closing tribute line to her husband Norman (James Mason) (after he had committed suicide with a sunset swim-walk into the sea to "It's a New World") in front of a large audience as she proudly identified herself: "This is Mrs. Norman Maine".