Teary-Eyed Movie Moments

'Tis the season for emotional manipulation...fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! Okay, I admit. There are moments in movies that make me teary-eyed. For example, when Yoda passes away in Return of the Jedi. There...is...ah-nuth-er...Skyyyyy-wah-ker... aww, little green dude, don't die! So yes, I'm admitting to non-verbal weeping sessions after viewing sensitive, tear-jerking scenes in films. I have in mind two movies that contain scenes which set off the waterworks for me.

Scrooge

The first movie can be considered a musical. It stars one of my favorite actors, Albert Finney, in the title role. It's simply called "Scrooge." Normally, I don't like musicals. In fact, I hate them. When people break out into singing, it doesn't seem natural to me. I'm sure there are classic musicals that have been considered masterpieces, but I find nothing entertaining about musicals---that is to say, until I viewed Scrooge the first few times.

The acting is really superb, especially from the little boy who plays Tiny Tim (actor Richard Beaumont). In a scene where the Ghost of Christmas Present (an absolutely inspiring and memorable performance by the actor who played the role, Kenneth More) takes pajama-clad Scrooge to spy on the financially-struggling Cratchit family, Tiny Tim is encouraged to sing by his mom and sisters. Standing on a chair, he begins to sing in an angelic, choir-like voice:

On a beautiful day that I dream about

In a world I would love to see

Is a beautiful place where the sun comes out

And it shines in the sky for me

On this beautiful winter's morning

If my wish could come true somehow

Then the beautiful day that I dream about

Would be here and now

What makes this song especially sad is during a later scene, when Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future, Bob Cratchit is seen kneeling at Tiny Tim's grave and you can hear the song being sung again lightly in the background. One phrase sums up the experience: purely heart-wrenching. If you're a man with a son or a man who has fatherly instincts and this song or scene does not make you crack a tear, then you're inhuman.

Iphigenia

The second movie is a foreign film (Greek) and simply called "Iphigenia." It was directed by Michael Cacoyannis and is basically his artistic vision of Euripides' play "Iphigenia at Aulis." I first viewed a portion of this film when it was shown in The Concepts of Tragedy course at Penn State University under the tutelage of Dr. Mistichelli. I was perhaps the only one in the class at the time who didn't need to read the subtitles, and believe me, the subtitles didn't do the movie justice as you really need to listen to the actress who played the title role (Tatiana Papamoschou). The last 30 minutes of the film are the most powerful, when Iphigenia must be sacrificed by her father Agamemnon so that her spirit is released in a gust of wind that will help the Greek warrior sail to Troy and return Helen. Irene Papas plays Iphigenia's mother, Clytaemnestra, who pleads they spare her daughter. But the deed must be done. At first, Iphigenia does not want to die and acts like a typically frightened child. Yet, when she thinks about her fate, she changes. She insists she must be sacrificed, to appease the bloodthirsty Greek warriors who want to wage war against Troy. In her one brave moment of accepting her fate, she showed more "manliness" than all the men around her and was more heroic than any of the so-called "heroes" of her father's army. Her speech---spoken in native Greek---was so moving and powerful, I wept like a baby.

I later discovered more info about the film from Dr. Mistichelli and eventually bought a copy on DVD. This is a must-own film. The last thirty minutes are too powerful to be missed. Iphigenia's courage is awe-inspiring.

So go out and rent these movies. Have a good cry. 'Tis the season for it...

~Andrew K.