A few of my own:

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (Williams) - Just after Indiana Jones steals the horse and races off after the escaping truck, there is a rousing movement in the score that ends in the very first full statement of the Indy theme as our hero rides along the ridge above the road. This moment is one of the reasons I am in Los Angeles making movies twenty years later. It gives me chills just thinking about it.

E.T. (Williams) - The whole last reel. The exciting brass gets me choked up, and the farewell turns me into a blubbering mess.

Field Of Dreams (Horner) - Again, the last cue and reel. Man, it gets me every time... even if I have only walked in three minutes before it starts.

Contact (Silvestri) - The cue called "Small Moves", another child meets their long last parent moment. Just beautiful and profound in so many ways. Also, I can't ever forget hearing "Good To Go" the first time... I was white knuckling my theater seat and coiled like a spring. Holy sh*t, what a great movie.

The Green Mile (Thomas Newman) - "Coffey On The Mile". Period. I have never been so upset and moved watching a movie. I still can't shake that last image of the execution room lights exploding behind Paul Edgecomb and leaving him alone against the darkness.

And one more, just to make things interesting...

The Cure (Dave Grusin) - Total sleeper hit for me. Maybe a little manipulative at the end, but Grusin's delicate and subdued score sure gets me every time.

Shawshank Redemption (Thomas Newman, again)- "So Was Red"... just fills in all the emotional color of Morgan Freeman's revelatory moment in the field outside of Buxton. This carries through to the end of the picture, and I well up every time I hear Red's last speech, ending with "I hope the Pacific Ocean is as beautiful as it has been in my dreams. I hope to meet my friend and shake his hand. I hope."

Each and every one of the films you've mentioned totally break me down.

I'd like to add Frequency to the mix, though.

LEGENDS OF THE FALL: Every combination of Horner's score with the scenes gets me, but in particular I can't escape the scene with Tristan crying at Samuel's grave when Susanna comes to retrieve him. Another scene is the departure of the boys for war and the scene where Tristan's little boy meets Alfred and Susanna in Helena, Montana.

GLORY: Again every combination of scenes...Zwick and Horner, a dynamic duo. Two heartbreaking favorites are when Col. Shaw finds not one of his recruits has left during the night after hearing about the imminent risk they are accepting should they join the army. The other scenes comprise the lead in for the big charge on Fort Wagner at the end. When Matthew Broderick is walking down the line of his soldiers and puts his hand on the shoulder of the soldier who says "We is ready Colonel." Another is the prejudiced white Union soldier yelling out "Give'em hell, 54th!!!" The swell in the music with that shot of the beach and cannons going off. My God!!!

Field of Dreams and Glory...two of the best, have already been mentioned.

The torture scene from Braveheart always gets me...

Some others:
When the Force theme picks up in Return of the Jedi and Vader tosses the Emperor down the shaft.

Coda from Michael Collins

More recently...Adagio and Transformation from Final Fantasy

quote:

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Originally posted by Quill:
The torture scene from Braveheart always gets me...

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Actually, for me it's just AFTER the torture scene, when he sees his dead wife just before meeting his end. Now THAT's moving stuff!!

Dan

EMPIRE OF THE SUN - Imaginary Air Battle, love those swirling high-range strings, they get me every time.

JAWS - Odd choice, but it's the End Title music that is so effective, Brody's character transformed forever by his encounter at sea, and I love the horns when they pick up the theme.

SUPERMAN - All the Smallville scenes, but especially "Death of Jonathan Kent". On film and on disc, this scene never fails to make me shed a tear, it's the sudden loss of a parent that I must connect to. Plus, Williams's music for "The Fortress of Solitude" and Superman's cosmic journey with his true father is an emotional highpoint.

ISLANDS IN THE STREAM - When the boys arrive at the island home...

Forrest Gump (Alan Silvestri) Last 30 minutes of the film. Brilliant direction, score and everything else.

--Brian
Gryffindor Seeker

quote:

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Originally posted by TV's Frank:
SUPERMAN - All the Smallville scenes, but especially "Death of Jonathan Kent". On film and on disc, this scene never fails to make me shed a tear, it's the sudden loss of a parent that I must connect to.

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That's a good one to - I love "Leaving Home" as well...

Dan

Terminator 2, Judgement Day - I don't own the score, and really don't remember much aside from the main theme... But that last scene when Arnold goes down, pretty great stuff. Fiedel's cue (titled "It's Over") is simply mesmerizing... Anybody else know which one I'm talking about?

Yea well I'm off to sh*ty work now.

Philadelphia: When Hanks hooked to his IV swayed to the opera aria
and explained the aria’s message, I was sopping wet by his attempt to
show Denzel his essential humanity.

The Elephant Man: Two scenes melted me. When Hopkins first sees
the disfigured man, the camera just does a close up his face. Tears slowly
well in Hopkins' eyes as he stares in horror and pity. At the end, when
John has finished his church, Barber’s Adagio for Strings underscores
his dignity and tragedy.

The use of Adagio in Platoon when Dafoe reaches for the helicopter is
gut wrenching.

Okay, I admit I cry in Disney. The ending of Old Yeller? Sob.
When Bambi’s mom dies and the cub’s father dies in the Lion King,
I’m sniffling along with the little ones.

NP A Far Off Place

it's heart-warming to notice that I'm not the only one.

When I was at the premiere of DEAD POETS SOCIETY, there was a young woman sitting next to me with her boyfriend. During the most poignant scenes I somehow noticed that the woman didn't "dare" to let the tears show on her face because her boyfriend was snickering at her - but when she noticed my similar tears, she smiled at me - and there we were, crying together our hearts out. After the movie this boyfriend of hers didn't even dare to take a glance at me..! (Unfortunately, I never saw the woman again).

In real life I somehow have lost my ability to cry (even when feeling like it) - so I have to keep my "crying balance" by watching these movies which truly touch my soul, thus making me cry. Here are some of my favorites:

20th Century Fox's ANASTASIA (the animated one; AND DON'T ASK WHY - this movie is definately not children's movie...touches my soul completely). The song and main theme JOURNEY TO THE PAST is perfectly soaring, although the movie has countless little moments (without music) that touch me very deeply.

The ending of Disney's SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS still gets me every time. The music and song variation on LOVE'S FIRST KISS is just heart-breaking; and rest of the FINALE simply uplifting, noble, and magical.

EVER AFTER - the Drew Barrymore Cinderella vehicle - is a gorgeous movie with an incredible amount of warmth and poignancy. The entire score by George Fenton is...again, pure magic!

TITANIC was the outstanding "audience" experience - the second time I went to see it, I cried mainly "happy tears" because EVERYBODY in the theater cried very loudly.

In my opinion the most touching moment in TITANIC is the "Unable to stay, unwilling to leave"-sequence where MY HEART WILL GO ON makes a small but extremely effective instrumental appearance...Pure magic, that little cue and that specific little moment in the movie.

I guess these "TOP FOUR" are enough, although I could make a list of probably hundred pages long...SOUND OF MUSIC...Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME...the 1995 remake of A LITTLE PRINCESS...and dozens of others.

Schindler's List: "I could have done more!", as Liam Neeson goes all wobbly against a car. My God! And the incredibly moving final scene, as they put stones on the graves. Crikey, get my hankie out. The historical background was serious enough that it would have been sobering anyway, but, again, Williams' understated mastery got the old tear ducts going.

And Disney cartoons, Joan. I was five when I saw the re-release of Sleeping Beauty in the cinemas.

ME (sobbing): "Is she only sleeping?"
MY DAD: "No, she's dead."
ME: "WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

In the former, the simple little moment where the young Murron gives the young Wallace a flower at his dad's funeral. Very touching.

In Elephant Man, there's a wonderfully moving moment, unscored by Morris, where Anthony Hopkins introduces John Hurt to his wife, played by the lovely English actress Hannah Gordon. Hannah tries to keep her pity for Hurt in check, but when Hurt shows her the photo of his mother, and wonders aloud if she could be proud of him, Hannah loses it. And so do I. Every time.

Masada
Rudy
Born on the Fourth of July
Gettysburg

Both my husband and I lost it at the end of My Dog Skip.

My biggest cryfest always occurs in Terms of Endearment when
Debra Winger telegraphs that look of absolute love to her mother
right before she dies.

The Williams / Spielberg effect:
Saving Private Ryan - When Mrs. Ryan finds out 3 of her sons have passed away, the scene with the car driving up to the house brings tears to my eyes. Also during the closing credits listening to Hymn to the Fallen.

E.T. - The final sequence still brings tears to my eyes as E.T. says goodbye.

Schindler's List - I agree, Liam Neeson's "I could have done more!" is moving.

Jurassic Park - When Grant sees the Brachiosaurus for the first time and Hammond utters the line: "Welcome to Jurassic Park."

Close Encounters - When the aliens come and grab Neary from the line and escort him into the ship

Hook - When Peter realizes his happy thought.

Just Williams:

Superman- When Jor-El says his goodbye speach just before sending his son to earth, Clark saying goodbye to Ma Kent.

Return of the Jedi - When Luke strikes Vader down. The male chorus in that scene...wow. Yoda's death as well.

A New Hope - Luke's final run down the Death Star trench. Also the Binary Sunset scene with the force theme.

Phantom Menace - Anakin shouts "It's working, It's Working!!!" The music just brings it to anothewr level emotionally. Of course when he says goodbye to his mom it's hard to hold back hearing the force theme.

The Empire Strikes Back - The scene where Leia hears Luke calling her and realizes she has to go back for him at Cloud City, another nice version of the force theme.

Horner Effect:

Star Trek II - Spock's death and funeral. When Amazing Grace kicks in the tears start to flow.

Cocoon - Too many scenes make me cry in this film.

Titanic - I'm fine until the final scene when Rose passes in her sleep and walks in to the ship, there at the top of the stairs is Jack waiting for her, I lose it.

there are so many more but these are the ones off the top of my head.

A.I. - The final scenes with David as he gets to spend one last day with his mom.

Star Trek:TMP - Kirk and Scotty aproaching the Enterprise. I think this has to be everyones favorite cue off of the soundtrack. "The Enterprise" gives this scene the emotion it needs.

Mulan - When she turns as everyone bows to her. Goldsmith nails this one.

Has anyone mentioned the scene from Shawshank Redemption when Brookes is released (Brookes Was Here on the album)...that music so haltingly and tentatively moving, absolute heartbreaking stuff! after being institutionalised for so long Brookes can't handle being free.

E.T. - I agree...the last reel. No need to say more.

Ghost - The last scene, Sam's goodbye. Yes, it's a little manipulative, but it gets me everytime. What can I say...I am a sap.

Michael Collins - both the vocal of Sinead O'Connor's She Moved Through The Fair, and the Funeral/Coda

Karate Kid - Not a huge Conti fan, but the last scene after Daniel wins, I'm gone.

A Summer Place - the To Love and Be Loved and Weapons of the Angels cues

American Beauty - too many to name, honestly.

The Lion King - The Circle of Life & King of Pride Rock

EDIT: How could I forget Rudy?? LOVE that..

Man. Just chills.

Or better yet, how about "Dexter's Tune", the solo piano piece that plays over Leonard dancing with his would-be girlfriend at the end of movie? Just heartbreaking.

Randy Newman is a manipulative bastard, I tell ya.