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 30
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

West Side Story (1961)

#31

The poignant, powerful duet of "Somewhere" between star-crossed lovers: Caucasian Tony (Richard Beymer) and Puerto Rican Maria (Natalie Wood), and the tragic death scene of Tony, with a grieving Maria's anguished ranting at gang members - accusing all of them for being responsible for Tony's senseless death, and lecturing them at how hate breeds more hate: ("...You all killed him!...Not with bullets and guns! With HATE! Well, I can kill too, because now I have hate!") - and then her touching farewell to Tony, as she fell to her knees, weeping, and tenderly kissed the lips of Tony one last time and expressed her love for him in Spanish, with: "Te adoro, Anton", in the musical update of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. The two gangs, confused, stunned, ashamed and sobered by the unnecessary triple killings, finally put aside their enmity. As some of the Jets struggled to bear Tony's body away, a few of the Sharks assisted them. Together, they solemnly carried him down the street, with Maria following.

Whale Rider (2002)

#66

The scene in which young Maori girl Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes) gave her award-winning speech in school about her ancestors, crying profusely as she delivered it because her grandfather and Maori chief Koro (Rawiri Paratene) didn't show up; the mass beaching of whales and the desperate attempts by the Maori to keep them alive, and the mystical scene in which Paikea literally rode the back of the largest whale out to sea, having restored its will to live so it could unbeach itself: ("I wasn't afraid to die"); and Koro's acceptance of Paikea as a new Maori chief as she lay unconscious in a hospital bed; and the final shot of grandfather and granddaughter together at sea on the Maori long canoe, as she led the chant while wearing Koro's whale tooth necklace.

What Dreams May Come (1998)

The tragic early scene in which Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) lost his two children in an off-screen car crash, with his melancholy narration: "It was the last time Annie and I saw the children alive" -- and the shot of his son Ian (Josh Paddock) in his coffin; the scenes in which Chris attempted to force his still-living, suicidal wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra) to acknowledge his existence (making her scrawl "I STIL EXST", and trying to contact her at his gravesite) -- and her violent sobbing reactions, forcing Chris to reluctantly leave her for the afterworld; and the finale that reunited wife Annie with her dead children in the afterlife.

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

The crowd-pleasing, tearjerking finale featuring Sally Albright's (Meg Ryan) moving mixture of frustration, longing, loving, wariness and desperation after Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) had professed his at-long-last love for her at a New Year's Eve party: ("You see. That is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you, and I hate you, Harry. I really hate you. I hate you"), resulting in passionate kisses as they finally conquered their doubts over the budding romance born of an initially platonic friendship years earlier.

White Christmas (1954)

The Irving Berlin tribute songs, in the holiday show, to respected, popular and now-retired Major General Thomas F. Waverly (Dean Jagger) - a Vermont innkeeper, sung by his former soldiers: "What Can You Do With a General?" and "Geee! I Wish I Was Back in the Army".

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Martha's (Elizabeth Taylor) anguished reaction to the "death" of her fictional son ("NOOOOOOoooooooo!") and her plaintive, accusatory words to George (Richard Burton): ("There was no need. There was no need for this!...You didn't have to kill him!"); and the long, monosyllabic exchange between the two after their late-night guests Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis) left their company: (..."It was time." "Was it?" "Yes." "I'm cold." "It's late."...), and Martha's admission when George sang "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?" -- "I am, George...I am", to close out the film.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
#35

Dorothy Gale's bidding of farewell to all of her newfound friends in the Land of Oz: especially her sad goodbyes with the Tin Woodsman (Jack Haley): "Now I know I've got a heart, because it's breaking" and with the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) - highlighted by her final hugs and kisses reserved for him and her whispered sentiment: "I think I'll miss you most of all."

Wuthering Heights (1939)

The Gothic doomed romance between passionate and headstrong Cathy Linton (Merle Oberon) and brooding Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier); the tragically romantic death scene in Cathy's bedroom as Heathcliff was reunited with her and carried her to the window for one last look at the moors in the distance: ("Take me to the window. Let me look at the moors with you once more, my darling. Once more...") before she died in his arms; and the final image of the ghosts of Cathy and Heathcliff walking on Peniston Crag in the moorlands.

The Yearling (1946)

#36

The scene, set in the late 1800s, in which11 year-old Florida farm boy Jody (Claude Jarman, Jr.) realized he must shoot his beloved, but crop-devouring orphaned pet fawn, named Flag, that he had earlier rescued - to put it out of its misery after being mortally wounded by his mother (Jane Wyman); also the scene of Pa Baxter (Gregory Peck) commenting on the boy's growing up after he had run off and returned: ("He ain’t a yearling no more"); and the film's final fantasy scene in which Jody cavorted off with the deer as the music swelled, in director Clarence Brown's family drama and sensitive coming-of-age tale.

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

The stirringly patriotic finale when stove-pipe hatted young lawyer Abraham Lincoln (Henry Fonda), having just won a case to save two homesteader boys from the gallows, walked off toward a hill in a gathering rainstorm after saying: "No, I think I might go on a piece. Maybe to the top of that hill" - and the film's conclusion with a dissolve into a shot of the statue in the Lincoln Memorial with a chorus singing "Battle Hymn of the Republic".

Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

The poignant scene in which teenaged Sherlock Holmes' (Nicholas Rowe) love interest Elizabeth Hardy (Sophie Ward) blocked a bullet intended for him, with her dying exchange with him: (Elizabeth: "Don't be sad" Sherlock: "Someday, we'll be reunited, another world, much better world" Elizabeth: "I'll be waiting. And you'll be late, as always") ; after she passed away, Sherlock nuzzled her close to him as a teardrop ran down the bridge of his nose and he cried out: "Elizabeth, no... No!" -- marking, according to young John Watson (Alan Cox), the last time Holmes ever shed a tear; later, Holmes would declare he was transferring from the Academy: "There are too many memories here" - when Watson protested: "Holmes, you have your entire life ahead of you!", he calmly replied: "Then I'll spend it alone."

Z (1969, Fr.)

The poignant final scene of Costa-Gavras' masterpiece in which widow Helene (Irene Papas) responded to news regarding the assassination of her pacifistic husband - the Deputy (Yves Montand) of the opposition party in Greece; after learning from one of her husband's followers that the assassins (military men and the police chief) had been exposed and arrested, she turned and looked out to sea, without triumph, but only with sadness and despondency.

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 30 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
West Side Story (1961) #31	The poignant, powerful duet of "Somewhere" between star-crossed lovers: Caucasian Tony (Richard Beymer) and Puerto Rican Maria (Natalie Wood), and the tragic death scene of Tony, with a grieving Maria's anguished ranting at gang members - accusing all of them for being responsible for Tony's senseless death, and lecturing them at how hate breeds more hate: ("...You all killed him!...Not with bullets and guns! With HATE! Well, I can kill too, because now I have hate!") - and then her touching farewell to Tony, as she fell to her knees, weeping, and tenderly kissed the lips of Tony one last time and expressed her love for him in Spanish, with: "Te adoro, Anton", in the musical update of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. The two gangs, confused, stunned, ashamed and sobered by the unnecessary triple killings, finally put aside their enmity. As some of the Jets struggled to bear Tony's body away, a few of the Sharks assisted them. Together, they solemnly carried him down the street, with Maria following.
Whale Rider (2002) #66	The scene in which young Maori girl Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes) gave her award-winning speech in school about her ancestors, crying profusely as she delivered it because her grandfather and Maori chief Koro (Rawiri Paratene) didn't show up; the mass beaching of whales and the desperate attempts by the Maori to keep them alive, and the mystical scene in which Paikea literally rode the back of the largest whale out to sea, having restored its will to live so it could unbeach itself: ("I wasn't afraid to die"); and Koro's acceptance of Paikea as a new Maori chief as she lay unconscious in a hospital bed; and the final shot of grandfather and granddaughter together at sea on the Maori long canoe, as she led the chant while wearing Koro's whale tooth necklace.
What Dreams May Come (1998)	The tragic early scene in which Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) lost his two children in an off-screen car crash, with his melancholy narration: "It was the last time Annie and I saw the children alive" -- and the shot of his son Ian (Josh Paddock) in his coffin; the scenes in which Chris attempted to force his still-living, suicidal wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra) to acknowledge his existence (making her scrawl "I STIL EXST", and trying to contact her at his gravesite) -- and her violent sobbing reactions, forcing Chris to reluctantly leave her for the afterworld; and the finale that reunited wife Annie with her dead children in the afterlife.
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)	The crowd-pleasing, tearjerking finale featuring Sally Albright's (Meg Ryan) moving mixture of frustration, longing, loving, wariness and desperation after Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) had professed his at-long-last love for her at a New Year's Eve party: ("You see. That is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you, and I hate you, Harry. I really hate you. I hate you"), resulting in passionate kisses as they finally conquered their doubts over the budding romance born of an initially platonic friendship years earlier.
White Christmas (1954)	The Irving Berlin tribute songs, in the holiday show, to respected, popular and now-retired Major General Thomas F. Waverly (Dean Jagger) - a Vermont innkeeper, sung by his former soldiers: "What Can You Do With a General?" and "Geee! I Wish I Was Back in the Army".
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)	Martha's (Elizabeth Taylor) anguished reaction to the "death" of her fictional son ("NOOOOOOoooooooo!") and her plaintive, accusatory words to George (Richard Burton): ("There was no need. There was no need for this!...You didn't have to kill him!"); and the long, monosyllabic exchange between the two after their late-night guests Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis) left their company: (..."It was time." "Was it?" "Yes." "I'm cold." "It's late."...), and Martha's admission when George sang "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?" -- "I am, George...I am", to close out the film.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) #35	Dorothy Gale's bidding of farewell to all of her newfound friends in the Land of Oz: especially her sad goodbyes with the Tin Woodsman (Jack Haley): "Now I know I've got a heart, because it's breaking" and with the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) - highlighted by her final hugs and kisses reserved for him and her whispered sentiment: "I think I'll miss you most of all."
Wuthering Heights (1939)	The Gothic doomed romance between passionate and headstrong Cathy Linton (Merle Oberon) and brooding Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier); the tragically romantic death scene in Cathy's bedroom as Heathcliff was reunited with her and carried her to the window for one last look at the moors in the distance: ("Take me to the window. Let me look at the moors with you once more, my darling. Once more...") before she died in his arms; and the final image of the ghosts of Cathy and Heathcliff walking on Peniston Crag in the moorlands.
The Yearling (1946) #36	The scene, set in the late 1800s, in which11 year-old Florida farm boy Jody (Claude Jarman, Jr.) realized he must shoot his beloved, but crop-devouring orphaned pet fawn, named Flag, that he had earlier rescued - to put it out of its misery after being mortally wounded by his mother (Jane Wyman); also the scene of Pa Baxter (Gregory Peck) commenting on the boy's growing up after he had run off and returned: ("He ain’t a yearling no more"); and the film's final fantasy scene in which Jody cavorted off with the deer as the music swelled, in director Clarence Brown's family drama and sensitive coming-of-age tale.
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)	The stirringly patriotic finale when stove-pipe hatted young lawyer Abraham Lincoln (Henry Fonda), having just won a case to save two homesteader boys from the gallows, walked off toward a hill in a gathering rainstorm after saying: "No, I think I might go on a piece. Maybe to the top of that hill" - and the film's conclusion with a dissolve into a shot of the statue in the Lincoln Memorial with a chorus singing "Battle Hymn of the Republic".
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)	The poignant scene in which teenaged Sherlock Holmes' (Nicholas Rowe) love interest Elizabeth Hardy (Sophie Ward) blocked a bullet intended for him, with her dying exchange with him: (Elizabeth: "Don't be sad" Sherlock: "Someday, we'll be reunited, another world, much better world" Elizabeth: "I'll be waiting. And you'll be late, as always") ; after she passed away, Sherlock nuzzled her close to him as a teardrop ran down the bridge of his nose and he cried out: "Elizabeth, no... No!" -- marking, according to young John Watson (Alan Cox), the last time Holmes ever shed a tear; later, Holmes would declare he was transferring from the Academy: "There are too many memories here" - when Watson protested: "Holmes, you have your entire life ahead of you!", he calmly replied: "Then I'll spend it alone."
Z (1969, Fr.)	The poignant final scene of Costa-Gavras' masterpiece in which widow Helene (Irene Papas) responded to news regarding the assassination of her pacifistic husband - the Deputy (Yves Montand) of the opposition party in Greece; after learning from one of her husband's followers that the assassins (military men and the police chief) had been exposed and arrested, she turned and looked out to sea, without triumph, but only with sadness and despondency.