Emotional Movie Experiences

[ulthar]

What experiences have you had where you watched a movie (at theater or at home, doesn't matter) and something about it was a personal experience beyond JUST the movie.

One of mine:

I went to see HAMBURGER HILL at the theater with one of my best friends whose brother was killed in Vietnam only weeks before he was due to return home.  We had to drive to the next town to see the movie, and on the hour-long ride home, he did not say a word.

I was able to later honor both him and his brother...at The Wall in DC, I got a tracing of his brother's name and gave it to him.

Sadly, I've lost touch with that friend.  I have not spoken to him in over 15 years.  

[Trevor]

I'm the son of a soldier so watching the movie To Heal A Nation (Michael Pressman: 1988), about the design, building and dedication of the Vietnam War Memorial was an emotional one for me. The last quarter hour of that movie wipes you out, from the time that one of the stoneworkers (Alley Mills) discovers her little brother's name on the stone she's cleaning and cries bitterly to the moving dedication ceremony, presided over by Jan Scruggs, played by Eric Roberts.  Archive footage of the real dedication is cleverly mixed with the footage shot for the film and there are many scenes showing real Vets: the emotion shown in those scenes is not acting ~ it is painfully real and raw.

Other scenes: two brothers, both of whom served in Vietnam are checking the names, each looking for each others' name when they bump into each other.
During the fundraising, a Green Beret Vet ~ who has long been ashamed of being a Vet ~ puts on his sergeant's uniform and comes to where the fundraiser is being held and says that he is now proud of being a soldier once more.
An elderly lady finds her son's name on the wall and turns to the Vet next to her saying "That's......my son, Sam......". The Vet says "Oh, my goodness....", hands her a flag and hugs her.
A Vet with his head covered in a hood plants a flag at the base of the Wall and prays.
Some Vets stand around and cry bitterly: most of them on the shoulders of their fellow Vets.
Scores of Vets injured in the war are there: I think Ron Kovic could have been there too.
Each name is read by a Chaplain to the accompaniment of soft rain and a haunting score.
A young lady brings a small teddy bear to the Wall and puts it down.
A threatening looking Vet approaches Eric Roberts and says "Are you Scruggs?" Roberts says "Yes" and the Vet says "You did good, buddy, you did good. [hugs ER] And the best thing was the names: God bless you for the names, buddy."
The film ends with a very emotional ER (yes, he can act) hugging his wife and saying "It was the names, wasn't it? Yeah."

I tear up watching this every time and it is hard to type when your eyes mist over. Damn, I'm an emotional ^%$#@&* sometimes.



Emotion aside ~ and believe me, I blub like a baby everytime I see this ~ there is one scene that is very funny: Scruggs' colleague goes to the US National Archives for info and this conversation occurs:

Colleague: "I'm looking for some names: MIA and KIA in Vietnam."
Archivist: "MIA KIA in Vietnam, no problem. Who in particular?"
Colleague: "All of them, in chronological order. Please."
Archivist: " " 

[Flick James]

Wow, what a guy thread so far. And I'll just add another.

I saw Saving Private Ryan less than a month after getting out of boot camp. Anyone who has served in any branch knows how wound up you are that soon after boot.

[bill smith]

I'd have to say seeing enterprise self destructing on st3 was a "Oh my god" moment for me. being a trekker from my earliest days despite my prick of a stepfather's hate for the show.

The fact the klingons died on board was mildly amusing, but still, it was just..unbelievable.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Flags Of Our Fathers, where Ira Hayes is working in the field on his reservation, and a family of tourists stop to have their picture taken with him.

The father goes on in front of his family about what a 'great war hero'  Hayes is, and after the picture is taken, he drops a handful of change into Hayes' hands and they drive off, and Hayes is "just another Indian" afterwards. It really made me mad.


Red Dawn: C. Thomas Howell is trapped by an incoming MI-24 Hind chopper.
Knowing his fate, he slowly unmasks his face, stands tall and proud, and yells "Wolverines"! as he opens fire, only to be cut down by the chopper's machine gun fire.  The crowd went nuts and some of them were screaming "USA!" at the the top of their lungs.

The shooting of Zowie, the kid's pet dog in Pet Sematary 2 by that rotten bastard of a stepfather.  I felt very satisfied ater in the film when Zowe came back from the dead and immediately ripped out the man's throat.

This leads me to the scene in Dances With Wolves with the wolf, "2 Socks". 'Nuff said. 

[dean]

I felt some heart twangs towards the end of Toy Story 3.  I think its been known to make grown men cry, and if you're a fan of the series, and have a heart, I can see why.

[Mr. DS]

I felt some heart twangs towards the end of Toy Story 3.  I think its been known to make grown men cry, and if you're a fan of the series, and have a heart, I can see why.

I not only cried at the end but was choking on my tears.  I am not afraid at all to admit that and not to mention I was crying in front of my 4 year old. 

[Trevor]

The powerful South African film Katrina (1969) has a tremendously sad ending: I screened that to 120 people once in a small Bloemfontein cinema in 2008 ~ 120 people went in dry-eyed and 120 people came out bawling.

I cried unashamedly ~ silently though ~ when Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum see the dinosaurs for the first time in Jurassic Park and the ending also turned on the waterworks. I love me some dinosaurs: always have.

Armageddon also made me cry, and not just because Michael Bay made it.  Trevor Rabin's wonderful score and the acting from the time Bruce Willis says "We win, Gracie!" to the end is, just WOW.

Uwe Boll's Darfur made me cry bitterly at the end: Yowza ~ I was so distressed by that film that I nearly had a car crash en route to the hotel.

The "I love you all, my sons" scene in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made me bawl.

The ending of Cool Runnings made me cry too: THAT is what the Olympics is really all about.

[Doggett]

The following films:

Elephant Man

Platoon

The Abyss

Batman (1989)

Batman Returns

Jurassic Park (you're not alone, Trev')

Dangerous Minds

Peter Pan (2003)

Angel - A

Stardust


Thats more than I thought (And there's loads more I can't think of..). I need to go back to man camp...

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, the 1991 Heisei remake.

The flashback scene on Japanese occupied Lagos island in WW2.

Godzilla is a pre-monster dinosaur. He is critically wounded by offshore American naval fire after killing an entire garrison of American Marines.

As he lay critically wounded, the Japanese garrison surround and salute Godzilla. The commander, (Yoshio Tsuchiya) gives an elegant speech about how Godzilla is their savior, and that of their nation.  They give him full military honors and march off to their fate.

Hearing it in the original Japanese language was very emotional compared to the dubbed version.  It's very powerful.

[RCMerchant]

I was really drunk last week. I woke up and SLING BLADE was on. A freind of mine,Destiny, told me the next day that when the scence came on where Billy Bob is telling about burying his little brother I starting bawling. I don't remember. I was hammered.

I started tearing up about two weeks ago while watching an episode of Steve Wilko. Some thing about a guy and his addict sister...she claimed she was raped by her own father...and he didn't believe her. A lie detecter test proved she was telling the truth.  I'm a big baby. 

[Trekkie313]

Red Dawn: C. Thomas Howell is trapped by an incoming MI-24 Hind chopper.
Knowing his fate, he slowly unmasks his face, stands tall and proud, and yells "Wolverines"! as he opens fire, only to be cut down by the chopper's machine gun fire.  The crowd went nuts and some of them were screaming "USA!" at the the top of their lungs.

Ah, only in America!   

[Mr. DS]

when Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum see the dinosaurs for the first time in Jurassic Park and the ending also turned on the waterworks. I love me some dinosaurs: always have.

I didn't cry at that scene but I will admit it is overly powerfull.  Especially when the old man says, "Welcome to Jurassic Park" and the music swells. 

Everytime I've seen a Star Wars film in the theater and I see the words "A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far Far Away..."  I well up bad.  Then a second later when the scroll hits the tears come out.

[Trekkie313]

I cried at the end Of HEAT...I feel bad for both Deniro and Pacino.

[indianasmith]

I still tear up at the end of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
And when the Benjamin Martin's daughter goes chasing after him in THE PATRIOT, crying
"I'll say anything!  Anything you want, Daddy!"

But the number one emotional punch in the stomach of any movie I have ever seen was THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST.  I cried till I had no more tears, and I still consider it the most powerful, emotional film I have ever seen.

This is a great thread.