The Herald
March 25, 2000 | Cameron Simpson
RELATIONSHIPS can cause you to cry a river. But one doomed love affair has led to an ocean of tears.
On the eve of the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood, the 1997 Oscar-winning film Titanic was yesterday given another award: the top tearjerker in silver screen history.
The emotional story of love stars water babies Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet and spans the decks of the doomed liner on its maiden voyage, beating classic cry babies such as ET and the divorce drama Kramer vs Kramer.
According to Kleenex research, modern men are likelier than women to be sentimental souls and weep over an epic romance like Titanic.
The old man may have been reacting to the fact that he had to pay for the night out in the pictures, while the modern man recognizes that crying is good for you.
As Mr Bumble, of Oliver Twist fame, said: “It opens the lungs, washes the countenance, exercises the eyes, and softens the temper. So cry away.”
Despite the teardrops for Titanic, films that pulled the heartstrings more than 50 years ago still make film fans cry today.
The top 10 weepies include three movies from the 1940s: Bambi, Brief Encounter, and the James Stewart classic It’s a Wonderful Life.
Kleenex asked some 1000 adults to name their top tearjerking films to coincide with the Oscars ceremony.
Titanic, made in 1997 at a mega-million price, was voted the top weepie by 38% of those questioned, nearly double its nearest rival.
Second was the 1942 Disney cartoon classic Bambi, which was voted for by 22%. As the oldest film in the top 10, it proves that Disney’s favorites are still a big draw.
Third in the weepie charts was Kramer vs Kramer, made in 1979 with Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep.
Surprisingly, it was voted above the Steven Speilberg 1982 classic ET, which was named by 17%.
Number five on the list was the 1945 film Brief Encounter, starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson, winning 11% of votes. In sixth place was Bette Midler‘s 1988 crybaby Beaches, followed by The Champ, remade in 1979 by Jon Voight and Faye Dunaway.
The 1996 film The English Patient, starring Ralph Fiennes, took eighth place. 7% of those questioned voted It’s a Wonderful Life, released in 1946, their favorite weepie.
Ken Loach‘s 1969 Kes, the story of a working-class boy’s relationship with a kestrel, got 4%.
Titanic topped the male weepie greats list, followed by Bambi, ET, and the father-bonding theme in The Champ.
Titanic was the biggest weepie among women, followed by Beaches and Brief Encounter.
Despite complaints from older generations that young people are cynical and lack emotion, the under 24s are most prone to tears. The most dry-eyed group were older, married women.
Kleenex plans to release a weepie movie guide, giving each tearjerker a tissue rating.
A spokesman said: “It’s interesting that the classic movies and themes will pull at the heartstrings.
“The phenomenal success of Titanic is testament to the fact that the British public like nothing better than a good weep – so perhaps the traditional British reserve doesn’t apply when it comes to movies.”
If all this leaves you needing a good laugh, then try Only Fools and Horses, which a poll for Smile, the Internet bank, voted the best sitcom of all time.
Star quality Page 15 Top 10 weepies:
1 Titanic (1997)
2 Bambi (1942)
3 Kramer vs Kramer (1979)
4 ET (1982)
5 Brief Encounter (1945)
6 Beaches (1988)
7 The Champ (1979)
8 The English Patient (1996)
9 It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
10 Kes (1969)
