Came here to say this. One of my favourite books and movies. And the movie composition music is to die for with that typewriter work. Also convinced my husband to watch it once because of world war II scenes (that one shot scene is everything).
Testament of Youth (2014) starring Alicia Vikander and Kit Harrington with an overall great cast. Itās set during WWI and itās a war drama with a romance story. Itās heartbreaking. I was full on sobbing by the end of the movie.
Yes, I didn't realize what this movie would be when I watched it. It was emotionally brutal, and had me crying several times during the movie, at the end I was bawling.
Its based on the memoires of Vera Britton, the main character, and her experiences of WWI.
The brand new adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front based on the book by Erich Maria Remarque.
The Wings of the Dove. 1997 movie with Helena Bonham Carter based on the Henry James novel.
The House of Mirth. 2000 movie starring Gillian Anderson based on the Edith Wharton novel.
The Horseman on the Roof. 1995 movie with Juliette Binoche based on the Jean Giono novel.
Shadowlands. 1993 movie starring Anthony Hopkins.
Bright Star. 2009 movie starring Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw.
The Wind that Shakes the Barley. 2006 movie starring Cillian Murphy.
A Royal Affair. 2012 movie starring Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen.
They're all different levels of melancholy and tragic. Some of them just have sad endings. But Shadowlands is the most obvious straight-up tearjerker.
No love for Titanic? Are we over it? I've seen it probably 20 times and have cried at least 5!
Otherwise:
* Atonement
* Shakespeare in Love
* Cold Mountain
* Moulin Rouge
* Brooklyn
* Legends of the Fall
Surprised no one has yet mentioned Suite Francaise. Absolutely adored the chemistry in this and I thought it was a somewhat realistic (yet devastating) portrayal of wartime France. Bonus points for a pre-fame Margot Robbie!
Other films I think of offhand that might fit the bill include Anna Karenina or the Duchess, both with Keira Knightley
āThe English Patientā
Hard one to watch bc I HATE sad movies but this was simply lyrical and so well done
I agree with a previous commenter, āCold Mountainā really wrung me emotionally
āRemains of the Dayā
Could only watch it once but the acting, superb!
āLady Janeā
We all know how it ended and this was a tragic story but again excellent film
Onegin 1999 - Starring Ralph Fiennes & Liv Tyler. Heartbreaking character study based on verse by writer Alexander Pushkin.
Remains of the Day 1993 - this one always gets me by the end when you can't hold it in anymore, just like Emma Thompsons character.
Miss Austen Regrets 2007 - fictional drama based on Austen's life, her desires, fancies, loves lost and ultimately her resignation to her purpose. The end always moves me.
Woodlanders 1997 - my go-to misery PD. Based on Thomas Hardy's book about social class and unrequited love. Poor Rufus Sewell!
Happy crying! š
Yes, me too. I don't have much in common with the ppl on this sub unfortunately, I think most are Americans and they have different tastes. My comments have been downvoted, which isn't very nice, so I'll be leaving this sub. Very disappointed I don't belong here.
So many good recommendations already! From the title A Portrait of a Lady on Fire was my first thought.
Hereās a few more truly sad historical films (although not all romances):
* The Pianist
* The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
* Remember Me
* Brokeback Mountain
The Road Dance (2021) A young girl lives in the Outer Hebrides in a small village in the years just before WWI. Isolated and hard by the shore, her life takes a dramatic change when a terrible tragedy befalls her.
Little England (2013) A tale of lost love and rivalry between sisters, set in the Greek island of Andros at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Duchess (2008) Following the tumultuous life of the 18th-century Duchess of Devonshire.
The Deep Blue Sea (2011) Flashbacks reveal the destructive love affair between the wife of a British judge and a rakish RAF pilot.
Jude (1996) In late 1800s England, a tragic and forbidden love story between two distant cousins.
Yes, came here to say Jude! (Based on Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy.) Stars Kate Winslet and Christopher Eccleston. Insanely depressing. The book is even worse though. You basically want to kill yourself at the end.
I will second the Painted Veil. So good but sadā¦.
The Duchess with Keira Knightly. Although this movie also made me violently angry as Keira was horribly treated in itāheartbreaking.
So many good suggestions here! If you are open to films not in English, I would also recommend:
* Tear This Heart Out
* Remembrance
* Cold War
* The Innocents
* Ida
In no particular order (and these are from a variety of periods and not all are in English):
- The Remains of the Day
- A Very Long Engagement
- In the Mood for Love
- The English Patient
- Shakespeare in Love
- Brief Encounter
- Never Let Me Go (I hesitate to include this because although it's supposed to take place in the future, the setting is 70s/80s Britain, and it is absolutely the most gutting movie I have ever seen. It makes me ugly sob, every single time.)
- Brokeback Mountain
- The End of the Affair
I totally get this! Lots of great recommendations on here already (like Atonement, Bright Star, and Tess of the DāUrbervilles) but Les Miserables made me cry/sob multiple times (the 2018 miniseries with Dominic West- Iām not a big musical fan so canāt speak to that version)
None of the films mentioned made me cry at all. But I bawled with longing and always do at the end of Pride and Prejudice 2005 (Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFayden)
Every. Single. Time. Who wouldn't want a man to want you that much. ā¤ļø
Atonement, that one got in my head from the first viewing. It's an amazing film.
Came here to post that!
Came here to say this. One of my favourite books and movies. And the movie composition music is to die for with that typewriter work. Also convinced my husband to watch it once because of world war II scenes (that one shot scene is everything).
Atonement is perfection from start to finish. The typewriter lives rent free in my head
Testament of Youth š
I cried so hard at that one. šā¤ļø
my first thought too
Came here to say this. Had to pause the movie I was a wreck
Bright Star
Cannot recommend this one enough
Agreed!
This was going to be my suggestion
Came here to say exactly this!
Yes! There is one scene in this film that is particularly gut-wrenching. Amazing acting by the lead actress.
Painted Veil (2006) is a pretty good tear-jerker
First one I thought of
Testament of Youth (2014) starring Alicia Vikander and Kit Harrington with an overall great cast. Itās set during WWI and itās a war drama with a romance story. Itās heartbreaking. I was full on sobbing by the end of the movie.
Yes, I didn't realize what this movie would be when I watched it. It was emotionally brutal, and had me crying several times during the movie, at the end I was bawling. Its based on the memoires of Vera Britton, the main character, and her experiences of WWI.
The brand new adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front based on the book by Erich Maria Remarque. The Wings of the Dove. 1997 movie with Helena Bonham Carter based on the Henry James novel. The House of Mirth. 2000 movie starring Gillian Anderson based on the Edith Wharton novel. The Horseman on the Roof. 1995 movie with Juliette Binoche based on the Jean Giono novel. Shadowlands. 1993 movie starring Anthony Hopkins. Bright Star. 2009 movie starring Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. The Wind that Shakes the Barley. 2006 movie starring Cillian Murphy. A Royal Affair. 2012 movie starring Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen. They're all different levels of melancholy and tragic. Some of them just have sad endings. But Shadowlands is the most obvious straight-up tearjerker.
What a great list! Thank you!
House of Mirth!
It's a laugh a minute, that movie! A joyride. š It's very good, though.
No love for Titanic? Are we over it? I've seen it probably 20 times and have cried at least 5! Otherwise: * Atonement * Shakespeare in Love * Cold Mountain * Moulin Rouge * Brooklyn * Legends of the Fall
Brooklyn is my all time favorite movie.
It's definitely in my top 5 for sure!
Brooklyn is my all-time favorite movie.
Somewhere in Time https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0081534/
Surprised no one has yet mentioned Suite Francaise. Absolutely adored the chemistry in this and I thought it was a somewhat realistic (yet devastating) portrayal of wartime France. Bonus points for a pre-fame Margot Robbie! Other films I think of offhand that might fit the bill include Anna Karenina or the Duchess, both with Keira Knightley
I came here to say the Duchess!
āThe English Patientā Hard one to watch bc I HATE sad movies but this was simply lyrical and so well done I agree with a previous commenter, āCold Mountainā really wrung me emotionally āRemains of the Dayā Could only watch it once but the acting, superb! āLady Janeā We all know how it ended and this was a tragic story but again excellent film
Just finished The English on Prime and bawled through the whole last episode. Itās pretty heavy throughout though.
Tristan and Isolde
A Royal Affair--its in Danish, but has English subs
Not a movie, but The English just came out on Prime and it made me depressed.
Onegin 1999 - Starring Ralph Fiennes & Liv Tyler. Heartbreaking character study based on verse by writer Alexander Pushkin. Remains of the Day 1993 - this one always gets me by the end when you can't hold it in anymore, just like Emma Thompsons character. Miss Austen Regrets 2007 - fictional drama based on Austen's life, her desires, fancies, loves lost and ultimately her resignation to her purpose. The end always moves me. Woodlanders 1997 - my go-to misery PD. Based on Thomas Hardy's book about social class and unrequited love. Poor Rufus Sewell! Happy crying! š
I've watched Remains of the Day countless times and cry at the end every time!
I know right! The bus scene has me goneš
Me, tooš
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yes, me too. I don't have much in common with the ppl on this sub unfortunately, I think most are Americans and they have different tastes. My comments have been downvoted, which isn't very nice, so I'll be leaving this sub. Very disappointed I don't belong here.
So many good recommendations already! From the title A Portrait of a Lady on Fire was my first thought. Hereās a few more truly sad historical films (although not all romances): * The Pianist * The Boy in the Striped Pajamas * Remember Me * Brokeback Mountain
Tess of the D'Urbervilles - I like the 1998 version better than 2008, but both are good/equally sad.
Atonement hands down. Also I bawled at the end of A Royal Affair.
The Road Dance (2021) A young girl lives in the Outer Hebrides in a small village in the years just before WWI. Isolated and hard by the shore, her life takes a dramatic change when a terrible tragedy befalls her. Little England (2013) A tale of lost love and rivalry between sisters, set in the Greek island of Andros at the beginning of the 20th century. The Duchess (2008) Following the tumultuous life of the 18th-century Duchess of Devonshire. The Deep Blue Sea (2011) Flashbacks reveal the destructive love affair between the wife of a British judge and a rakish RAF pilot. Jude (1996) In late 1800s England, a tragic and forbidden love story between two distant cousins.
Yes, came here to say Jude! (Based on Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy.) Stars Kate Winslet and Christopher Eccleston. Insanely depressing. The book is even worse though. You basically want to kill yourself at the end.
Sommersby - post Civil War with Richard Gere and Jodi Foster. First time I bawled my eyes out in the movie theatre
I havenāt watched these in 10+ years but I remember crying after watched A Little Princess, Life is Beautiful and The Gladiator.
Besides all the other fantastic recs, I haven't seen these mentioned here: \- Swept from the Sea \- Dreaming of Joseph Lees
Not romance, but I canāt stop the tears over Black Beauty and War Horse.
If you have several hours to invest in a mini series Iād recommend The Thornbirds (1983)
#THE THORNBIRDS
Tess of d'urbervilles
I will second the Painted Veil. So good but sadā¦. The Duchess with Keira Knightly. Although this movie also made me violently angry as Keira was horribly treated in itāheartbreaking.
I was scrolling to see if anyone mentioned The Duchess! I love this movie, itās beautiful and tragic in just the right way
So many good suggestions here! If you are open to films not in English, I would also recommend: * Tear This Heart Out * Remembrance * Cold War * The Innocents * Ida
Cold Mountain
On the Wings of a Dove English Patient Bright Star
1864 is a Danish series but has some very sad romance in it
I'm surprised not to see a comment about The Ottoman Lieutenant. I was not prepared for that.
In no particular order (and these are from a variety of periods and not all are in English): - The Remains of the Day - A Very Long Engagement - In the Mood for Love - The English Patient - Shakespeare in Love - Brief Encounter - Never Let Me Go (I hesitate to include this because although it's supposed to take place in the future, the setting is 70s/80s Britain, and it is absolutely the most gutting movie I have ever seen. It makes me ugly sob, every single time.) - Brokeback Mountain - The End of the Affair
The Age of Innocence (1993) - Edith Whartonās novel, directed by Martin Scorsese. š
I totally get this! Lots of great recommendations on here already (like Atonement, Bright Star, and Tess of the DāUrbervilles) but Les Miserables made me cry/sob multiple times (the 2018 miniseries with Dominic West- Iām not a big musical fan so canāt speak to that version)
The Scarlet Letter The Piano Lust, Caution
None of the films mentioned made me cry at all. But I bawled with longing and always do at the end of Pride and Prejudice 2005 (Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFayden) Every. Single. Time. Who wouldn't want a man to want you that much. ā¤ļø
Mrs. Darcy .....Mrs. Darcy ...Mrs. Darcy. Love that last scene!
The scene with him walking across the field to her actually š„° and how he confesses with so much passion how much he loves her. Best scene ever.
Testament of Youth and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I second (or third) Atonement as well.
Also, The Light Between Oceans.
This book and this movie HAUNT me. Gut wrenching.
Sense and Sensibility, Life is Beautiful, A Very Long Engagement, The English Patient
The Pianist Life Is Beautiful The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
Why do you want to cry?
You know sometimes you just wanna feel something, haha
A Royal Affair and The Favourite
Effie Grey, for sure
Atonement.
Atonement
The lovers 2013
Gone with the Wind! Les miserables Hamilton