Lovely post Wendy. I love your diary entries! The Railway Children destroys me every time. Daddy, oh my daddy! Partly filmed in Oakworth, Keighley, where I grew up x
Alan Rickman was also very kind. My friend knew him somehow, I think through theatre work. Her son drowned as a kid in a terrible fluke accident. Alan called my friend and said to use his credit card for whatever her family needed.
Thanks for commenting, Adah. Wonderful to hear how kind he was. I’ve read some of his diaries and he was such an interesting man – as well as a great actor.
Eh? You haven't seen Truly Madly Deeply?! I clearly haven't brought you up properly!
Oh goodness yes, For Sama is the most moving documentary ever. I think of it often. And yes, I also was also very moved by ROMA. And ET. I mean, how could anyone not cry during ET?!
I've never seen this! Adding to my list stat! Thank you for the recommendation, and this lovely piece. Love the Alan Rickman story - what a hoot. I once stayed at a hotel where he was also staying, and, I must say, I saw the Snape stare several times directed at various folks over the course of that week! :)
While I am not sure I would necessarily call this "the best" (I feel like such an amateur when it comes to figuring out what makes a movie work or not), it is probably true to say that the most *emotional* I ever got while seeing a movie was Tully, starring Charlize Theron. I watched it as sort of a throwaway pick one night while my kids were young enough to still be home but old enough not to need me constantly. Maybe they were asleep in bed, maybe they were awake in their bedrooms with friends, I'm not sure. My then-husband was gone. I watched Tully (spoiler alert: post partum depression / psychosis) and was absolutely transported into not only her experience but my own, as well. I don't think I moved throughout the entire film. It felt like I didn't breathe. I absolutely should not have been alone while watching it, had I known. It took me days if not weeks to recover - and obviously I'm not over it yet, since I'm sweating just typing this. ha! xx
Truly, Madly, Deeply was a wonderful film and I remember snivelling all the way through (and thinking that the weedy chap she ended up with wasn't a patch on AR). Another film of similar vintage that devastated me was Salaam Bombay, directed by Mira Nair, 1988. I think I saw that at Manchester Cornerhouse.
TMD was such a good film. I've only seen it once but I have a memory of Juliet Stevenson crying while sitting at a piano, and it was absolutely harrowing to watch. I may be wrong about the details but I'll never forget that feeling.
2016 was a rough year for losing beloved public figures. 😔
2016 was a brutal year for culture, yes, Jules! Losing Bowie and Alan Rickman within the first few days just seemed to set the tone. I'm just reminding myself now. Victoria Wood, Leonard Cohen, Prince, George Michael… it was relentless.
I have never seen such believably snotty outpouring of grief as Juliet Stevenson in Truly Madly Deeply. She was amazing.
I love all of this Wendy because as you know it’s my wheelhouse - a trifecta of film, romance (deep emotion) and random real life Hollywood lore and facts. You’ve nailed it. “Never Let Me Go” is such an unsettling emotional film and one that just sticks with these years on.
Your insights about hugging your family and being so appreciative of your partner and kids is hitting real close to home right now. The other day my husband turned to me, out of the blue, and said, “isn’t it crazy that if your partner died and someone said they could bring them back for 24 hours but you had to get rid of all your money, you’d do it in a heartbeat?” To which I said, “Wait. You’re talking about doing that for 24 hours with me if I died? You’d get rid of ALL your money?” He said, “oh absolutely.” And then I cried.
I’ve been thinking of that scenario so much, about how we would do anything for just 24 more hours with someone we lost. And how right now we feel we have so much time with everyone in our lives!! We, in this moment, are so lucky!!!
I will have to watch this movie, but I fear it may wreck me too much atm if that one comment from my husband made me cry 😭
Thanks so much, Paige, and for sharing that profound conversation with your husband and your response to it. A reminder to appreciate what we have, definitely.
I feel sure you would love Truly, Madly, Deeply, but yep, you would need tissues handy!
When David and I were first dating we went to see Juliet Stevenson in (Beckett's) Happy Days. Just as the lights went down and she began her opening monologue I somehow managed to press play on my iPod, blaring out banging house music! I was mortified. I got a chance to apologise years later when she was recording a dementia piece for David. 'I remember that!' she said. She was/is, I'm happy to say, a brilliant person. The saddest film for me is always Terms of Endearment. The scene where the mum is saying goodbye to her kids still makes me cry just thinking about it! x
Argh, the house music, Steven! And you even got the chance to apologise later. That’s brilliant. She always comes across as rather wonderful in interviews.
Now I’m wondering whether I’ve actually seen Terms of Endearment. I think not. Will have to put that right now you’ve recommended it.
Lovely Wendy. I met Alan Rickman once back in 2007 when he was working with Mike Figgis in Manchester for a festival. I was doing the press and had set up an interview for them. He had a manner that was very Alan Rickman. He was very civilised though.
I don’t think I’ve ever got over Bambi or Watership Down. X
Thanks, Margaret. I need to read more of his diaries. Started them a while ago and really interesting.
Two of the grandchildren were watching Bambi over Christmas. Not the first time they've seen it and they requested it again, so despite being sad, they loved it. I remember seeing it at the cinema for the first time as a child. Devastating! And yes, ditto Watership Down!
I never got over Sophie's Choice. And Schindler's List seems to be hanging over us here in the US. Feines as the commandant was unbelievably good. I still sit on the edge of my seat watching a repeat of Apollo 13. More recently I thought 'Weapons' moved me in every emotional direction. Right from the start, with George Harrison's 'Beware of Darkness' playing.
I think anyone you've enjoyed seeing on stage will have a strong effect when you see them in a film. And even more so if you've actually known the actor, as I have in a couple of cases. I knew the Indian lead in 'Free Willy'. A family friend. I loved the film, though it was something I wouldn't normally watch. Thanks, cheers.
Good luck with running the gauntlet of being 69, CG! Both Bowie and Alan Rickman seemed relative youngsters back then in 2016, so it makes you think.
I loved Apollo 13. So gripping. Haven’t seen Weapons yet, will look that up. Agree that Sophie's Choice and Schindler's List were both really powerful films. Ages since I saw them. Time for a re-watch.
Thanks for the well wishes. Now you've turned on my film memory stream. More for anyone interested. I studied Italian film in my architecture program, early 80's. It made quite an impact. Pasolini will always be my favorite director. Fellini's La Dolce Vita left a permanent mark. Bertolluci, Antonioni's Blow-up.
To confess I don't think I've seen TMD. I would have remembered it I'm sure. Because my favorite romance, or tragic romance really, is The English Patient. Not a popular opinion but sorry, not sorry. I had the good fortune to see Willem Dafoe on stage up close in NY. He is really an underrated genius. And he is great in English Patient. The whole cast. And that is Minghella. I also love The Talented Mr Ripley, directed by him as well. What a terrible loss he died so young.
Dangerous Liaisons was unforgettable and also underrated. Had a huge impact. I also saw Malkovitch on stage with the same company, playing with Dafoe. Seeing them on film you only get the tip of the iceberg idea as to their abilities.
Vertigo is another well of emotion. Hitchcock is a master of course. As I have written an ebook on The Zodiac Killer I would have to put Zodiac on my list. His Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an emotional roller coaster. No Country for Old Men would be apropos to mention. Fargo. The New World.
For those who like streaming, see White Lotus, esp parts 2 and 3. Ozark is my ATF.
Sorry, my edit button fell off. Thanks again for the wakeup. Enjoyed your article so much!
Many many great films mentioned here, thanks, CG. I rewatched The English Patient recently and found it far more affecting than I did first time. Some films hit very differently as we age and I appreciate that one far more now.
It was a real loss that Anthony Minghella died so young. Complications after throat cancer surgery. It was devastating for all who knew him.
Agree with you about Willem Dafoe. Always so watchable.
If you get round to watching Truly, Madly, Deeply, do let me know how you get on.
the Alan Rickman story!!! 😮🤩 my recent most emotional film was The Ballad of Wallis Island (recommend if you haven't seen), but I don't think I've ever cried at any film as much as I cried at JoJo Rabbit
I enjoyed The Ballad of Wallis Island, Ruby. Had a hankie at the ready as I'd heard it was touching (as well as funny), but managed to keep tears in check.
JoJo Rabbit didn't grab me as much as it did the rest of my family. Maybe I was just not in the right mood for it? It's a really unusual film.
I loved that movie too. I watched it years ago but do remember sobbing. Also The Green Mile is so sad. I try not to watch sad movies these days, I can’t handle it. I’m also obsessed with Harriet from the Traitors !!!!! I’m a bit behind though.
When I worked at the Odeon in Leicester square they held the premier for Cold mountain there, and we got so many tubs of Minghella family ice cream. It was SO delicious.
Lovely post Wendy. I love your diary entries! The Railway Children destroys me every time. Daddy, oh my daddy! Partly filmed in Oakworth, Keighley, where I grew up x
Alan Rickman was also very kind. My friend knew him somehow, I think through theatre work. Her son drowned as a kid in a terrible fluke accident. Alan called my friend and said to use his credit card for whatever her family needed.
Thanks for commenting, Adah. Wonderful to hear how kind he was. I’ve read some of his diaries and he was such an interesting man – as well as a great actor.
Thanks, Fi.
Ooh yes, The Railway Children is so affecting, especially that moment.
still haven't seen Truly Madly Deeply, should do something about that sometime…
most emotional film: For Sama. And ROMA by Alfonso Cuarón. Also find that E.T. is emotionally *destroying* when rewatched in adulthood.
Eh? You haven't seen Truly Madly Deeply?! I clearly haven't brought you up properly!
Oh goodness yes, For Sama is the most moving documentary ever. I think of it often. And yes, I also was also very moved by ROMA. And ET. I mean, how could anyone not cry during ET?!
I've never seen this! Adding to my list stat! Thank you for the recommendation, and this lovely piece. Love the Alan Rickman story - what a hoot. I once stayed at a hotel where he was also staying, and, I must say, I saw the Snape stare several times directed at various folks over the course of that week! :)
While I am not sure I would necessarily call this "the best" (I feel like such an amateur when it comes to figuring out what makes a movie work or not), it is probably true to say that the most *emotional* I ever got while seeing a movie was Tully, starring Charlize Theron. I watched it as sort of a throwaway pick one night while my kids were young enough to still be home but old enough not to need me constantly. Maybe they were asleep in bed, maybe they were awake in their bedrooms with friends, I'm not sure. My then-husband was gone. I watched Tully (spoiler alert: post partum depression / psychosis) and was absolutely transported into not only her experience but my own, as well. I don't think I moved throughout the entire film. It felt like I didn't breathe. I absolutely should not have been alone while watching it, had I known. It took me days if not weeks to recover - and obviously I'm not over it yet, since I'm sweating just typing this. ha! xx
Oh, I've been meaning to watch Tully, Francesca. Thought it sounded interesting. Thanks for the nudge, I'll make sure it's on my list.
Yep, I think Alan Rickman was very well-practised with his withering stares! He was terrifying!
Truly, Madly, Deeply was a wonderful film and I remember snivelling all the way through (and thinking that the weedy chap she ended up with wasn't a patch on AR). Another film of similar vintage that devastated me was Salaam Bombay, directed by Mira Nair, 1988. I think I saw that at Manchester Cornerhouse.
I agree, Anna. I felt quite miffed on Jamie's behalf when Nina was attracted to Mark, Michael Maloney's character!
I haven't seen Salaam Bombay. I'll add it to my watch list, thanks for the recommendation.
TMD was such a good film. I've only seen it once but I have a memory of Juliet Stevenson crying while sitting at a piano, and it was absolutely harrowing to watch. I may be wrong about the details but I'll never forget that feeling.
2016 was a rough year for losing beloved public figures. 😔
2016 was a brutal year for culture, yes, Jules! Losing Bowie and Alan Rickman within the first few days just seemed to set the tone. I'm just reminding myself now. Victoria Wood, Leonard Cohen, Prince, George Michael… it was relentless.
I have never seen such believably snotty outpouring of grief as Juliet Stevenson in Truly Madly Deeply. She was amazing.
There was also the architect Zaha Hadid. Another huge a loss. Incredible that it's a whole decade ago.
Yes I remembered the snot. She must have dredged up every ounce of misery she had ever experienced for that scene. What a pro!
I love all of this Wendy because as you know it’s my wheelhouse - a trifecta of film, romance (deep emotion) and random real life Hollywood lore and facts. You’ve nailed it. “Never Let Me Go” is such an unsettling emotional film and one that just sticks with these years on.
Thanks, Beth.
I’ve still not seen Never Let Me go, so I’ll add that to my list. Thanks for the recommendation.
Your diary entries from the past are the BEST.
Your insights about hugging your family and being so appreciative of your partner and kids is hitting real close to home right now. The other day my husband turned to me, out of the blue, and said, “isn’t it crazy that if your partner died and someone said they could bring them back for 24 hours but you had to get rid of all your money, you’d do it in a heartbeat?” To which I said, “Wait. You’re talking about doing that for 24 hours with me if I died? You’d get rid of ALL your money?” He said, “oh absolutely.” And then I cried.
I’ve been thinking of that scenario so much, about how we would do anything for just 24 more hours with someone we lost. And how right now we feel we have so much time with everyone in our lives!! We, in this moment, are so lucky!!!
I will have to watch this movie, but I fear it may wreck me too much atm if that one comment from my husband made me cry 😭
Thanks so much, Paige, and for sharing that profound conversation with your husband and your response to it. A reminder to appreciate what we have, definitely.
I feel sure you would love Truly, Madly, Deeply, but yep, you would need tissues handy!
When David and I were first dating we went to see Juliet Stevenson in (Beckett's) Happy Days. Just as the lights went down and she began her opening monologue I somehow managed to press play on my iPod, blaring out banging house music! I was mortified. I got a chance to apologise years later when she was recording a dementia piece for David. 'I remember that!' she said. She was/is, I'm happy to say, a brilliant person. The saddest film for me is always Terms of Endearment. The scene where the mum is saying goodbye to her kids still makes me cry just thinking about it! x
Argh, the house music, Steven! And you even got the chance to apologise later. That’s brilliant. She always comes across as rather wonderful in interviews.
Now I’m wondering whether I’ve actually seen Terms of Endearment. I think not. Will have to put that right now you’ve recommended it.
Lovely Wendy. I met Alan Rickman once back in 2007 when he was working with Mike Figgis in Manchester for a festival. I was doing the press and had set up an interview for them. He had a manner that was very Alan Rickman. He was very civilised though.
I don’t think I’ve ever got over Bambi or Watership Down. X
Thanks, Margaret. I need to read more of his diaries. Started them a while ago and really interesting.
Two of the grandchildren were watching Bambi over Christmas. Not the first time they've seen it and they requested it again, so despite being sad, they loved it. I remember seeing it at the cinema for the first time as a child. Devastating! And yes, ditto Watership Down!
I'm about to turn 69 in April. Gosh 😩.
I never got over Sophie's Choice. And Schindler's List seems to be hanging over us here in the US. Feines as the commandant was unbelievably good. I still sit on the edge of my seat watching a repeat of Apollo 13. More recently I thought 'Weapons' moved me in every emotional direction. Right from the start, with George Harrison's 'Beware of Darkness' playing.
I think anyone you've enjoyed seeing on stage will have a strong effect when you see them in a film. And even more so if you've actually known the actor, as I have in a couple of cases. I knew the Indian lead in 'Free Willy'. A family friend. I loved the film, though it was something I wouldn't normally watch. Thanks, cheers.
Good luck with running the gauntlet of being 69, CG! Both Bowie and Alan Rickman seemed relative youngsters back then in 2016, so it makes you think.
I loved Apollo 13. So gripping. Haven’t seen Weapons yet, will look that up. Agree that Sophie's Choice and Schindler's List were both really powerful films. Ages since I saw them. Time for a re-watch.
Thanks for the well wishes. Now you've turned on my film memory stream. More for anyone interested. I studied Italian film in my architecture program, early 80's. It made quite an impact. Pasolini will always be my favorite director. Fellini's La Dolce Vita left a permanent mark. Bertolluci, Antonioni's Blow-up.
To confess I don't think I've seen TMD. I would have remembered it I'm sure. Because my favorite romance, or tragic romance really, is The English Patient. Not a popular opinion but sorry, not sorry. I had the good fortune to see Willem Dafoe on stage up close in NY. He is really an underrated genius. And he is great in English Patient. The whole cast. And that is Minghella. I also love The Talented Mr Ripley, directed by him as well. What a terrible loss he died so young.
Dangerous Liaisons was unforgettable and also underrated. Had a huge impact. I also saw Malkovitch on stage with the same company, playing with Dafoe. Seeing them on film you only get the tip of the iceberg idea as to their abilities.
Vertigo is another well of emotion. Hitchcock is a master of course. As I have written an ebook on The Zodiac Killer I would have to put Zodiac on my list. His Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an emotional roller coaster. No Country for Old Men would be apropos to mention. Fargo. The New World.
For those who like streaming, see White Lotus, esp parts 2 and 3. Ozark is my ATF.
Sorry, my edit button fell off. Thanks again for the wakeup. Enjoyed your article so much!
Many many great films mentioned here, thanks, CG. I rewatched The English Patient recently and found it far more affecting than I did first time. Some films hit very differently as we age and I appreciate that one far more now.
It was a real loss that Anthony Minghella died so young. Complications after throat cancer surgery. It was devastating for all who knew him.
Agree with you about Willem Dafoe. Always so watchable.
If you get round to watching Truly, Madly, Deeply, do let me know how you get on.
the Alan Rickman story!!! 😮🤩 my recent most emotional film was The Ballad of Wallis Island (recommend if you haven't seen), but I don't think I've ever cried at any film as much as I cried at JoJo Rabbit
I enjoyed The Ballad of Wallis Island, Ruby. Had a hankie at the ready as I'd heard it was touching (as well as funny), but managed to keep tears in check.
JoJo Rabbit didn't grab me as much as it did the rest of my family. Maybe I was just not in the right mood for it? It's a really unusual film.
I loved that movie too. I watched it years ago but do remember sobbing. Also The Green Mile is so sad. I try not to watch sad movies these days, I can’t handle it. I’m also obsessed with Harriet from the Traitors !!!!! I’m a bit behind though.
I caught up with The Traitors just now, Francis. Watching during the day feels really decadent. Didn't want to be caught out by spoilers.
Glad you're a Truly Madly Deeply fan. And I must re-watch The Green Mile. You're the second person to mention it.
When I worked at the Odeon in Leicester square they held the premier for Cold mountain there, and we got so many tubs of Minghella family ice cream. It was SO delicious.
Really good ice cream! The ghost of Anthony Minghella would have seen the funny side, I think.
I loved this movie when it was released and haven’t seen it since. Some regrets are not fixable. This I can fix.
I hope it’s seasoned well, Rona. Think I’ve seen it four times over the years and it’s hit differently each time, but kept its power.
Thank you Wendy for stirring such wonderful memories. Truly a great film. I cannot believe it is 10 years since they both died. Two true greats 😘
Thanks, Jo. Glad you’re a fan of the film. Yes, it was such a strange start to 2016.
I loved Truly Madly Deeply. Have you seen Hamnet yet??
Not yet, but I will, Fiona!