I set out to name 30 moments of tragedy in Songs, Films, TV Shows and life in general. At first I thought everything I would include would be fictional but as the list below shows sometimes life itself can show us the greatest tragedies.
Save the Last Dance
Christine Lewis
Doctor Who: Pete Tyler
Torchwood Miracle Day
12 Monkeys
The Karen Carpenter Story
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Funeral Blues
Death Becomes Her
The Death of Gandalf the Grey
Star Wars III
My Girl
Toy Story 3
Shawshank Redemption
Romeo and Juliet
Titanic
Mufasa's Death
Sirius Black Dies
The Changeling
The Green Mile
Ash Gets Stoned
Edward Scissorhands
Beaches
One Foot In The Grave
Kelly Rowland :: Stole
Someone Like You
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
Grandad's funeral - Only Fools and Horses
Over The Top Blackadder Goes Forth
The Untimely Death of Richard Whiteley
Save the Last Dance
Tragedy does not always have to be the focus of a Movie for it to be meaningful and for it to drive the Movie. Although tragedy is rarely embraced at the start of a Movie then dealt with later, this Movie in particular is one of the rare examples where tragedy strikes first and the character overcomes it in time.
Sara is a promising dancer, she is gifted and she has a mother who believes in her, supports her and loves her. She auditions for Juilliard, her mother promises to be at the audition but does not make it. With worry and disbelief in herself Sara fails to pass the audition, then afterwords a police officer informs her of the tragic news that her mother was involved in a car accident as she was on her way to the audition.
The rest of the movie focuses on her guilt and her life choices namely her vow never to dance again. It is only when she finds someone who loves her as much as her mother and believes in her talent that she faces her past and follows her dream. The movie culminates with her second audition for Juilliard.
This movie although tragic shows us that it is so often our disbelief that fails us. It is often the lack of self belief that holds us back in life. Often we do not achieve what we could because we don't think we can.
The video I attach is the trailer for the movie:
Sara is a promising dancer, she is gifted and she has a mother who believes in her, supports her and loves her. She auditions for Juilliard, her mother promises to be at the audition but does not make it. With worry and disbelief in herself Sara fails to pass the audition, then afterwords a police officer informs her of the tragic news that her mother was involved in a car accident as she was on her way to the audition.
The rest of the movie focuses on her guilt and her life choices namely her vow never to dance again. It is only when she finds someone who loves her as much as her mother and believes in her talent that she faces her past and follows her dream. The movie culminates with her second audition for Juilliard.
This movie although tragic shows us that it is so often our disbelief that fails us. It is often the lack of self belief that holds us back in life. Often we do not achieve what we could because we don't think we can.
The video I attach is the trailer for the movie:
Christine Lewis
This next post is dedicated to a Movie / TV Mini Series that I love so much. The 10th Kingdom. It has been mentioned before in a number of posts throughout my blog for the happiness and joy and nostalgia of childhood memories that it conjures up, but there are moments of tragedy in this Movie too.
The story follows Virginia Lewis and her father Tony Lewis. Tony is a Janitor and lives on the edge of Central Park in New York City in the apartment block where he works. The two inevitably get mixed up in a sinister plot that sees them move from our world through a magic portal into a world of magic and fairy-tales. It is discovered through the course of the Movie that the world of fairy-tales once recounted by the brothers Grimm was in fact real and they had travelled there long ago. The world has changed and to paraphrase Prince Wendell, Grand-son of Snow White 'Happy ever after didn't last as long as they'd hoped'
By the end of the Movie we learn the truth that Virginia's Mother Christine who had been missing for several years had ran away and become caught up within the same world. Christine was taken by the Evil Stepmother who tried to kill Snow White and she became her protégé and sought to finish her work. Once again the idea of destiny and fate plays heavily as the people of this world of magic have long accepted that what must happen will happen no matter what you do. The ultimate tragedy here is that Virginia, the lost girl who missed her mother for so long and longed to see her one more time, in the end, inescapably fulfils her own destiny and becomes the one to kill Christine. It is only in Christine's dying breaths that she repents and shows remorse for her actions trying to comfort her daughter as she passes away.
I love this movie and it would be no understatement to say that I have watched it hundreds of times. I had it first on VHS and now on DVD and every now and then I spend a day watching the whole thing or a few nights watching bit by bit.
The video I attach below is the trailer for the whole Movie / Series, I hope you enjoy.
Doctor Who: Pete Tyler
Staying once more with the Doctor Who franchise I could not mention Rose Tyler in the previous post without mentioning her father Pete. Pete Tyler died when Rose was very young, too young to remember him. When Rose met the Doctor a Time Lord with the ability to travel through time and space he offered her the chance to go back and meet her father. In Series 1 of the Doctor Who Revival 'The New Series' episode 8 'Father's Day', Rose and the Doctor travel back through time and Rose meets Pete.
Throughout the episode a number of events happen but ultimately it is the effort to avoid his death that is the most important, for in doing so the laws of time are violated. Where certain points in time are fixed, certain events cannot be changed, the death of Pete Tyler is one such point and the consequences for changing this are dire and depicted well. In the end however Pete accepts his fate, much to Rose's dismay. Pete dies being run over by a car just as Rose's mum had told her when she was younger. Just as her Mum had told her a young woman with blonde hair stayed with Pete until the ambulance arrived - at the end of the episode we learn that the young woman was Rose all along. This fact is later retold to Rose's mum in another episode.
The scene of Pete's death is one of tragedy for many reasons but ultimately it is the concept of destiny that is portrayed that holds the greatest point of thought, that despite all we do, if destiny exists then our fates are sealed.
The video below is the closing scenes of that episode. This video won't likely stay up for long though.
Torchwood Miracle Day
The Doctor Who franchise so often seems drenched in tragedy and ill tidings across its story-lines. No wonder then that this trait should be inherited by those series that have spun off from it, Torchwood is no exception.
Torchwood is essentially the life story of Captain Jack Harkness although the establishment of the Torchwood Institute pre-dates the events that would come to see Jack receive the gift of life. Within the story arc of the Doctor Who series, Jack was a man like any other who died at the hands or, the plunger of a formidable enemy the Daleks, but it was Rose Tyler then companion of the Doctor who in a moment of weakness took into herself a power far greater than any she could ever hope to control, and in that moment she could see all of time and space. She brought Jack back to life, but unable to control her power she poured too much life into his soul and he became immortal.
Throughout the fourth series through the actions of an unseen enemy the world would be subjected to Jack's power as the roles were reversed and all of mankind became immortal and Jack became the only mortal on the planet. Throughout the series named 'Miracle Day' a number of events come to pass but ultimately it is the nature of Humanity that is portrayed in this series that I deem tragic. The world is crippled by uncontrollable population growth as people stop dying all manner of measures are implemented to deal with what was first heralded as a miracle and came to be known as a curse. If it is true to say that this 30 days challenge has overwhelmingly focused on death it is true then to say that this post is no different yet it looks at the issue from another angle.
One truly horrible scene throughout this series which I disliked was when the truth was unearthed in the 5th episode 'Categories of Life' that portrays our darkest nature. I said in a previous post in this challenge that there were two entries that would reference the Holocaust. The first was the story of the boy in striped pyjamas and the second is this post, for throughout this series of Torchwood the parallels with Nazi concentration and extermination camps cannot be denied.
I would include the single episode where this revelation is made but in order to feel the true scope and magnitude I think the whole series needs to be included so I attach the trailer below for this series:
Torchwood is essentially the life story of Captain Jack Harkness although the establishment of the Torchwood Institute pre-dates the events that would come to see Jack receive the gift of life. Within the story arc of the Doctor Who series, Jack was a man like any other who died at the hands or, the plunger of a formidable enemy the Daleks, but it was Rose Tyler then companion of the Doctor who in a moment of weakness took into herself a power far greater than any she could ever hope to control, and in that moment she could see all of time and space. She brought Jack back to life, but unable to control her power she poured too much life into his soul and he became immortal.
Throughout the fourth series through the actions of an unseen enemy the world would be subjected to Jack's power as the roles were reversed and all of mankind became immortal and Jack became the only mortal on the planet. Throughout the series named 'Miracle Day' a number of events come to pass but ultimately it is the nature of Humanity that is portrayed in this series that I deem tragic. The world is crippled by uncontrollable population growth as people stop dying all manner of measures are implemented to deal with what was first heralded as a miracle and came to be known as a curse. If it is true to say that this 30 days challenge has overwhelmingly focused on death it is true then to say that this post is no different yet it looks at the issue from another angle.
One truly horrible scene throughout this series which I disliked was when the truth was unearthed in the 5th episode 'Categories of Life' that portrays our darkest nature. I said in a previous post in this challenge that there were two entries that would reference the Holocaust. The first was the story of the boy in striped pyjamas and the second is this post, for throughout this series of Torchwood the parallels with Nazi concentration and extermination camps cannot be denied.
I would include the single episode where this revelation is made but in order to feel the true scope and magnitude I think the whole series needs to be included so I attach the trailer below for this series:
12 Monkeys
Bruce Willis is one of my favourite actors. My four favourite Bruce Willis Movies are Die Hard 2, The Fifth Element, Death Becomes Her which has already been mentioned and the movie this post is dedicated to, 12 Monkeys.
12 Monkeys is one of my favourite movies for a number of reasons, firstly it deals with time travel, as it alternates between timelines, secondly as it deals with questions about fate and whether or not the future is already decided, and finally I like it for its somewhat ambiguous nature, particularly the ending scenes.
The tragedy I find in this movie is that of a recurring dream Bruce Willis character James Cole experiences. All through the Movie he has a recurring dream of a memory of when he was a child where he witnessed the death of a man in an airport. The story of the movie plays out and in the end ultimately the same scene from the dream is played out again only we find out that the man who dies in front of the young James Cole is the much older James Cole that travelled back in time. This moment is quite representative of the mortality of man, where James unknowingly witnesses his own death which will stay with him all his life and only in the end in his dying breaths will he know the truth.
I have not spoiled anything in my synopsis as the dream sequence is repeated several times through the course of the movie and it becomes quite apparent early on if you can put 2 and 2 together as to what is going to happen, nevertheless the scene is still quite tragic - to paraphrase "car crash television" this has the same effect, you know what is coming, you know you might not want to watch but you are still hooked and curious as to whether everything will happen as you know it will.
I link below the trailer to 12 Monkeys and hope you enjoy!
Oh yes, footnote, Brad Pitt is in this movie and once again demonstrates his impressive ability to play crazy, really well.
12 Monkeys is one of my favourite movies for a number of reasons, firstly it deals with time travel, as it alternates between timelines, secondly as it deals with questions about fate and whether or not the future is already decided, and finally I like it for its somewhat ambiguous nature, particularly the ending scenes.
The tragedy I find in this movie is that of a recurring dream Bruce Willis character James Cole experiences. All through the Movie he has a recurring dream of a memory of when he was a child where he witnessed the death of a man in an airport. The story of the movie plays out and in the end ultimately the same scene from the dream is played out again only we find out that the man who dies in front of the young James Cole is the much older James Cole that travelled back in time. This moment is quite representative of the mortality of man, where James unknowingly witnesses his own death which will stay with him all his life and only in the end in his dying breaths will he know the truth.
I have not spoiled anything in my synopsis as the dream sequence is repeated several times through the course of the movie and it becomes quite apparent early on if you can put 2 and 2 together as to what is going to happen, nevertheless the scene is still quite tragic - to paraphrase "car crash television" this has the same effect, you know what is coming, you know you might not want to watch but you are still hooked and curious as to whether everything will happen as you know it will.
I link below the trailer to 12 Monkeys and hope you enjoy!
Oh yes, footnote, Brad Pitt is in this movie and once again demonstrates his impressive ability to play crazy, really well.
The Karen Carpenter Story
Released in 1989 The Karen Carpenter Story is a TV Movie that has aired quite a few times since its production. It was directed by Joseph Sargent with uncredited input from Richard Carpenter. There are a number of factual inaccuracies in the Movie which have been documented and explained by the production team. Although the Movie is a biopic, on the whole it is a fairly accurate depiction of the shared life story of brother and sister Richard and Karen Carpenter, better known by their stage name The Carpenters.
This post has been dedicated not only to this movie but to the life itself of Karen Carpenter, her struggle her angst, her fame, and her voice. I do so love the Carpenters and their music although I must say it can be quite depressing but it is the perfect background when you are in a low mood. I believe what happened to Karen Carpenter was a tragedy and I have no time for anyone who does not care labelling the end result as self-inflicted. I do not want to debate this here and now. I disagree with that judgement entirely but that is all I will say on the matter for now. A blog post may be written in the future to deal with this issue but with all due respect I say, don't hold your breath, I know it is contentious and I am not sure I want to confront the level of hatred and stigma attached to the issue - the internet is a hostile place.
I could not find a trailer for this movie, understandably as it was a TV Movie, so instead I link below one of my favourite Carpenters tracks and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
This post has been dedicated not only to this movie but to the life itself of Karen Carpenter, her struggle her angst, her fame, and her voice. I do so love the Carpenters and their music although I must say it can be quite depressing but it is the perfect background when you are in a low mood. I believe what happened to Karen Carpenter was a tragedy and I have no time for anyone who does not care labelling the end result as self-inflicted. I do not want to debate this here and now. I disagree with that judgement entirely but that is all I will say on the matter for now. A blog post may be written in the future to deal with this issue but with all due respect I say, don't hold your breath, I know it is contentious and I am not sure I want to confront the level of hatred and stigma attached to the issue - the internet is a hostile place.
I could not find a trailer for this movie, understandably as it was a TV Movie, so instead I link below one of my favourite Carpenters tracks and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
As stated in a previous post there are a number of scenes throughout the Harry potter Story arc that I could include in this list. There are two in particular that stand out for me, the first has already been mentioned in a previous post - the death of Sirius Black - the second is the death of Cedric Diggory.
Although J.K. Rowling like many authors writes primarily for children there seems to be a consensus that death isn't beyond the realms of acceptance as a topic that can be included in a children's novel. I am not sure how I feel about that though in all honesty and I will discuss this in more depth in a future post. For now there's something to ponder, there are over 50 characters who died in the Harry Potter series across all 7 books.
The death of Cedric Diggory happens quite quickly, at the close of the Tri-Wizard Tournament in the fourth instalment of the series 'The Goblet Of Fire' it is not the scene of Diggory's death but the return and the realisation when all of Hogwarts and Diggory's father learns of his son's death it is in that moment the emotion is released and the sadness grips his friends and the viewer.
The video I link below once again is not the scene itself but a trailer for the Movie. I could not get the actual scene due to copyright issues.
Although J.K. Rowling like many authors writes primarily for children there seems to be a consensus that death isn't beyond the realms of acceptance as a topic that can be included in a children's novel. I am not sure how I feel about that though in all honesty and I will discuss this in more depth in a future post. For now there's something to ponder, there are over 50 characters who died in the Harry Potter series across all 7 books.
The death of Cedric Diggory happens quite quickly, at the close of the Tri-Wizard Tournament in the fourth instalment of the series 'The Goblet Of Fire' it is not the scene of Diggory's death but the return and the realisation when all of Hogwarts and Diggory's father learns of his son's death it is in that moment the emotion is released and the sadness grips his friends and the viewer.
The video I link below once again is not the scene itself but a trailer for the Movie. I could not get the actual scene due to copyright issues.
Funeral Blues
There are a few Movies that are iconic to the point where almost everyone who loves Movies has will have seen them. Four Weddings and A Funeral is one of these iconic Movies. I think most people have seen it, and while on the whole it is light hearted and quite comedic there are a few moments of sadness and a few of tragedy - beyond Andie MacDowell's acting "talent".
The video I post below is that of Matthew played by John Hannah reading a poem by W.H. Auden called Funeral Blues, read for Gareth in memoriam, played by Simon Callow. Callow and Hannah are two of my favourite actors. There is not a lot I want to say about this video, it is quite solemn and self explanatory and I think the poem speaks for itself so I link the video and include the poem below:
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead
He was my North, my South, my East and West
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one
The video I post below is that of Matthew played by John Hannah reading a poem by W.H. Auden called Funeral Blues, read for Gareth in memoriam, played by Simon Callow. Callow and Hannah are two of my favourite actors. There is not a lot I want to say about this video, it is quite solemn and self explanatory and I think the poem speaks for itself so I link the video and include the poem below:
Funeral Blues :: W.H. Auden
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves
He was my North, my South, my East and West
My working week and my Sunday rest
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods
For nothing now can ever come to any good
Death Becomes Her
As mentioned in a previous post Death is a recurring subject here but this post is somewhat more light-hearted. Tragedy does not always have to be sad and foreboding there can be humour in tragedy and there can be great entertainment, this after all is where TV shows like You've Been Framed and America's Funniest Home Videos come from.
This post is about a Movie called Death Becomes her, a Comedy on the whole it deals with the issue of death by focusing on the attempts of others to escape it. The two main characters Helen and Madeline ultimately become victims of their own selfish desires and in the end they live forever but that doesn't turn out to be all they had expected, while the man they both fought over lives a fulfilling life and dies of natural causes leaving the world behind and leaving Helen and Madeline behind to suffer their inadequacies.
The tragedy here is simply the fulfilment of that old saying, "be careful what you wish for because you just might get it". Here I link the trailer and hope that this post has somewhat lightened the mood and for those sticklers among you who insist that tragedy must mean sorrow I shall not disappoint as there are more posts to come.
This post is about a Movie called Death Becomes her, a Comedy on the whole it deals with the issue of death by focusing on the attempts of others to escape it. The two main characters Helen and Madeline ultimately become victims of their own selfish desires and in the end they live forever but that doesn't turn out to be all they had expected, while the man they both fought over lives a fulfilling life and dies of natural causes leaving the world behind and leaving Helen and Madeline behind to suffer their inadequacies.
The tragedy here is simply the fulfilment of that old saying, "be careful what you wish for because you just might get it". Here I link the trailer and hope that this post has somewhat lightened the mood and for those sticklers among you who insist that tragedy must mean sorrow I shall not disappoint as there are more posts to come.
The Death of Gandalf the Grey
I do realise I have run with Movies a lot on this challenge, that wasn't planned but in a way I think it adds to the nature of the challenge, in that Tragedy is something we would rather witness from a third person point of view rather than experience it ourselves and movies are perhaps the easiest way to do that. We don't outright ask ourselves what we think we would do in certain tragic situations, not without being prompted to ponder them, either by a thought provoking stimulus or by the suggestion that it may indeed happen.
None of this seems relevant however to this post but I will endeavour to connect the two. The first of three instalments in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, 'The Fellowship of the Ring' saw friendships forged, tested and in some cases broken. One great test that was presented was when the fellowship passed through Moria and Gandalf the Grey confronted the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. In this scene Gandalf is believed to fall to his death. The Movie brings the Books to life in a vivid depiction and the use of cinematography that follows portrays the emotion, the loss and perhaps most cruelly the harsh truth that life invariably must go on.
I attach the video below depicting these scenes, enjoy.
None of this seems relevant however to this post but I will endeavour to connect the two. The first of three instalments in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, 'The Fellowship of the Ring' saw friendships forged, tested and in some cases broken. One great test that was presented was when the fellowship passed through Moria and Gandalf the Grey confronted the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. In this scene Gandalf is believed to fall to his death. The Movie brings the Books to life in a vivid depiction and the use of cinematography that follows portrays the emotion, the loss and perhaps most cruelly the harsh truth that life invariably must go on.
I attach the video below depicting these scenes, enjoy.
Star Wars III
There are a number of scenes throughout the 6 main Star Wars movies that could have made this list but there were the most in episode 3. Two key scenes stand out, one is at the end where Padme dies after giving birth to Luke and Leia - the other is the infamous scene where Order 66 is executed and the clone army begins to kill all of the Jedi.
Episode 3 is the most tragic of all 6 movies in my opinion as on the whole it charts the downward spiral of Anakin Skywaler and his ultimate consumption by evil leading to his death as the innocent little boy we first met in episode 1 and rebirth as the villain we know as Darth Vader from the original trilogy episodes 4, 5 and 6.
I thought of including the trailer here but thought it would be better to pick one of the scenes in particular that I listed above, to that end I include the scene depicting the execution of Order 66:
Episode 3 is the most tragic of all 6 movies in my opinion as on the whole it charts the downward spiral of Anakin Skywaler and his ultimate consumption by evil leading to his death as the innocent little boy we first met in episode 1 and rebirth as the villain we know as Darth Vader from the original trilogy episodes 4, 5 and 6.
I thought of including the trailer here but thought it would be better to pick one of the scenes in particular that I listed above, to that end I include the scene depicting the execution of Order 66:
My Girl
I must admit this is the first of my 30 day challenges that I didn't completely plan out beforehand. In the others I had my lists of 30 posts set out before hand and wrote each one about each Song / Movie etc as I went along. This time round I hadn't done that. This challenge was originally meant to run in March but I had a number of things come up that delayed it. Eventually I just committed to doing it despite only having 6 titles. I wasn't sure if I could make 30 but as I have went with the theme more and more movies and songs are coming back to me and popping up some that I haven't seen in years, and this is one of them.
My Girl was released in 1991, when I would have been all of 3 years old, so I doubt I actually saw it then. I can't remember what age exactly but I know it was less than 11 owing to which house I know we lived in at the time. I wasn't at all prepared for the movie and had no idea about what happens in it. I really liked it until the point where little Thomas J played by Macaulay Culkin was attacked by a swarm of bees. Thomas was allergic and the attack was fatal. The movie focuses on the friendship that grows between Vada and Thomas and the scenes in which Vada finds out the truth about what happened and Thomas J's funeral scene where she is overcome with emotion still make me well up.
For a long time I was petrified of bees and wasps and to this day I still quite unnerved by both, thanks in part to this movie affecting me so as a child. I attach below the trailer of the movie. I hope you enjoy
My Girl was released in 1991, when I would have been all of 3 years old, so I doubt I actually saw it then. I can't remember what age exactly but I know it was less than 11 owing to which house I know we lived in at the time. I wasn't at all prepared for the movie and had no idea about what happens in it. I really liked it until the point where little Thomas J played by Macaulay Culkin was attacked by a swarm of bees. Thomas was allergic and the attack was fatal. The movie focuses on the friendship that grows between Vada and Thomas and the scenes in which Vada finds out the truth about what happened and Thomas J's funeral scene where she is overcome with emotion still make me well up.
For a long time I was petrified of bees and wasps and to this day I still quite unnerved by both, thanks in part to this movie affecting me so as a child. I attach below the trailer of the movie. I hope you enjoy
Toy Story 3
This next post isn't particularly tragic in the sense of someone dying, but something is most certainly lost. This post is about Toy Story 3, the scene in particular I choose is the scene at the end where Andy gives up his toys. There is a sense of loss here, as an era comes to an end and his long standing love he has shared with his toys must be broken and he must move on with his life.
Although I have long since lost or broken or indeed given away most of my old toys there are two teddies from my childhood I still have to this day and I think most people choose something, anything to remind them of their yesteryears. I can't imagine giving up these tokens of affection despite how much I have grown and despite the fact that I rarely look at them, but then again maybe that is just my sentimentality and my deeply rooted emotions that I attach to places, people and things.
If you watch this video and shed a tear then my work for today is done. I attach the video below and hope you find it as emotional as I do and share the loss.
Although I have long since lost or broken or indeed given away most of my old toys there are two teddies from my childhood I still have to this day and I think most people choose something, anything to remind them of their yesteryears. I can't imagine giving up these tokens of affection despite how much I have grown and despite the fact that I rarely look at them, but then again maybe that is just my sentimentality and my deeply rooted emotions that I attach to places, people and things.
If you watch this video and shed a tear then my work for today is done. I attach the video below and hope you find it as emotional as I do and share the loss.
Shawshank Redemption
Although I am enjoying this challenge I somewhat wish it would pass quickly as it seems this month is not for being particularly kind to me in my real life. I laugh at the ideas behind the Secret but times like this you can't help but wonder if you really do attract certain things into your life.
Tangents aside, back to the topic at hand. It seems there is a recurring theme that is so often paired with tragedy and that is the long running build-up. Tragedy seems to strike after some time has passed, I am yet to see a Movie or a book that opens with tragedy and then deals with the aftermath, maybe that is just a consequence of the artist's desire to endeavour to create a connection between you the and the subject before the subject is struck down. Here then we continue this trend.
The Shawshank Redemption is regarded by many, myself included to be a work of art. This movie and the book on which it is based tell a story so eloquently and in such a manner that somehow comforts you into a sense of brotherhood with the characters. You share in their lives and their struggle and in time form that same connection I have spoke of so many times. For that reason when one of the key characters Brooks is released from prison a hope for success is shared. Brooks however returns to a normal life he finds it hard to adjust, after all the pressures he experiences he ultimately gives in and chooses to end it all. The scene in which Brooks dies is a tragic portrayal of the trials of life and how for those who are not strong enough their will is broken and their despair outweighs all hope in life.
I thought it may be too much to post the scene itself here so instead I post the trailer to the Shawshank Redemption. Please enjoy.
Tangents aside, back to the topic at hand. It seems there is a recurring theme that is so often paired with tragedy and that is the long running build-up. Tragedy seems to strike after some time has passed, I am yet to see a Movie or a book that opens with tragedy and then deals with the aftermath, maybe that is just a consequence of the artist's desire to endeavour to create a connection between you the and the subject before the subject is struck down. Here then we continue this trend.
The Shawshank Redemption is regarded by many, myself included to be a work of art. This movie and the book on which it is based tell a story so eloquently and in such a manner that somehow comforts you into a sense of brotherhood with the characters. You share in their lives and their struggle and in time form that same connection I have spoke of so many times. For that reason when one of the key characters Brooks is released from prison a hope for success is shared. Brooks however returns to a normal life he finds it hard to adjust, after all the pressures he experiences he ultimately gives in and chooses to end it all. The scene in which Brooks dies is a tragic portrayal of the trials of life and how for those who are not strong enough their will is broken and their despair outweighs all hope in life.
I thought it may be too much to post the scene itself here so instead I post the trailer to the Shawshank Redemption. Please enjoy.
Romeo and Juliet
I could not let this challenge pass without mentioning the bard himself. William Shakespeare loved a tragedy, I would even say his plays involving tragedy were dearer to him than his works of happiness and joy.
The story of Romeo and Juliet is timeless, known by everyone and if unknown to you I would ask where have you been living? Shakespeare's work is timeless and has been made accessible to so many people in so many ways. The Bard's complete collection of work is available for free online through a simple website provided by MIT. Romeo and Juliet is among the works listed for you to read.
Shakespeare's work has inspired so many plays, novels, painting, Movies and even Music that his influence can be seen and still held to be relevant even today. The story of Romeo and Juliet has been retold many times over, some holding true to the original texts others adapting to a modern audience. While I love the original the video I link here is from the modern adaptation staring Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo. The story of Romeo and Juliet is a love story at its centre but a tragedy in its end and I shall leave it at that.
Enjoy:
The story of Romeo and Juliet is timeless, known by everyone and if unknown to you I would ask where have you been living? Shakespeare's work is timeless and has been made accessible to so many people in so many ways. The Bard's complete collection of work is available for free online through a simple website provided by MIT. Romeo and Juliet is among the works listed for you to read.
Shakespeare's work has inspired so many plays, novels, painting, Movies and even Music that his influence can be seen and still held to be relevant even today. The story of Romeo and Juliet has been retold many times over, some holding true to the original texts others adapting to a modern audience. While I love the original the video I link here is from the modern adaptation staring Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo. The story of Romeo and Juliet is a love story at its centre but a tragedy in its end and I shall leave it at that.
Enjoy:
Titanic
Today is Sunday the 15th of April 2012. 100 years ago today the RMS Titanic met her fate, She sank at 02:20 on 15 April, two hours and forty minutes after striking an iceberg. Over 1,500 people died in this disaster and to this day remains one of the most poignant disasters in modern history. The events of the night of the 14th and the early morning of the 15th of April 1912 have been depicted in countless works of art, novels and movies. I believe there is even a television series that is set aboard the Titanic which will air / airs currently in the USA.
I have a love hate relationship with the director James Cameron. As far as I am concerned he sold out a long time ago and has betrayed his craft and has become consumed by profit and greed. His 1997 production of Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet is one of the few movies in his repertoire that I deem worthy of merit and would gladly watch, not least of all for my love of Kate Winslet who first won my heart for her voice acting contribution as Belle in A Christmas Carol and her melodious contribution as the singer to the soundtrack "What If" which accompanied the movie.
The Movie Titanic was massive when it was released and that fame I believe it had earned with respect. The Movie retells that fateful night with elegance and beauty in a manner that combines both the grandeur and warmth that the story of the Titanic deserves. Although the story of the Titanic in itself I feel would qualify enough for it to be included on this list, trying to stay with the theme of tragedy in entertainment I have chosen the Movie itself, in particular one of the final scenes. Near the end of the Movie shortly after the Titanic goes under, our two main characters of Rose and Jack are floating in the icy waters, struggling to stay alive striving for their very existence, the inevitable tragedy strikes when Jack is overcome and passes into the night. This scene of loss is heart-wrenching and still produces tears in my eyes when I watch.
Once again I find myself unable to post the actual clip, partly for copyright reasons and partly for a lack of appropriate content being available. Instead I link the trailer to the Movie as on the whole the Movie is one of the greatest tragedies in my mind.
I have a love hate relationship with the director James Cameron. As far as I am concerned he sold out a long time ago and has betrayed his craft and has become consumed by profit and greed. His 1997 production of Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet is one of the few movies in his repertoire that I deem worthy of merit and would gladly watch, not least of all for my love of Kate Winslet who first won my heart for her voice acting contribution as Belle in A Christmas Carol and her melodious contribution as the singer to the soundtrack "What If" which accompanied the movie.
The Movie Titanic was massive when it was released and that fame I believe it had earned with respect. The Movie retells that fateful night with elegance and beauty in a manner that combines both the grandeur and warmth that the story of the Titanic deserves. Although the story of the Titanic in itself I feel would qualify enough for it to be included on this list, trying to stay with the theme of tragedy in entertainment I have chosen the Movie itself, in particular one of the final scenes. Near the end of the Movie shortly after the Titanic goes under, our two main characters of Rose and Jack are floating in the icy waters, struggling to stay alive striving for their very existence, the inevitable tragedy strikes when Jack is overcome and passes into the night. This scene of loss is heart-wrenching and still produces tears in my eyes when I watch.
Once again I find myself unable to post the actual clip, partly for copyright reasons and partly for a lack of appropriate content being available. Instead I link the trailer to the Movie as on the whole the Movie is one of the greatest tragedies in my mind.
Mufasa's Death
The Lion King is one of my favourite Movies from my childhood, but within it there lies a tragic storyline where Simba gets caught up in the stampede, his father Mufasa tries to rescue him and in the process dies thanks to Scar.
This Movie always made me cry when Simba tries to make Mufasa wake up before he realises what has happened. As I mentioned in another post when I was younger and I actually used to fast forward through the scene, I have always been quite an emotional person and I feel empathy for anyone who has felt a loss.
I also realise that death is becoming a recurring theme in these posts, there are one or two posts coming up that will also focus on death but will attempt to bring things back to a lighter note. For now, I attach a video depicting the scenes I described above.
This Movie always made me cry when Simba tries to make Mufasa wake up before he realises what has happened. As I mentioned in another post when I was younger and I actually used to fast forward through the scene, I have always been quite an emotional person and I feel empathy for anyone who has felt a loss.
I also realise that death is becoming a recurring theme in these posts, there are one or two posts coming up that will also focus on death but will attempt to bring things back to a lighter note. For now, I attach a video depicting the scenes I described above.
Sirius Black Dies
There are a number of moments in the story arc of the Harry potter Movies and Books that epitomise tragedy. Two moments in particular stand out for me both deaths, the first is mentioned here. To understand the loss of Sirius Black you need to understand a little more about the character of Harry. Harry Potter is a wizard born to two parents a witch and wizard names James and Lily. They are both killed when Harry is a baby and as a result Harry is sent off to live with his Aunt and Uncle who despise him and raise him in such negligent and cruel conditions sleeping under the staircase in a cupboard, living on scraps and regularly deprived of food all along with no idea of who or what he really is.
With this being the only family Harry ever knew it is not surprising that this cruelty leaves him with no want or desire for warmth from them. Then, as the story progresses Harry is eventually united with Sirius Black, his Godfather and good friend of his parents. Sirius was the closest thing to a real loving family that Harry experienced, despite the best efforts of his friends, and in particular Mrs Weasley his Best friend's mother. As said in other posts about series and the growing connection with characters through character development, the Harry Potter franchise spans 7 books, [8 Movies] and in both cases it is the 3rd instalment in which Harry meets Sirius and the 5th in which Sirius comes to die at the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange, as depicted by the delightfully dark Helena Bonham Carter
I provide the clip here but for full effect you would really have to watch the Movie, and since it is the 5th you would probably have to watch at least the first and third Movies to feel the full weight of this scene.
With this being the only family Harry ever knew it is not surprising that this cruelty leaves him with no want or desire for warmth from them. Then, as the story progresses Harry is eventually united with Sirius Black, his Godfather and good friend of his parents. Sirius was the closest thing to a real loving family that Harry experienced, despite the best efforts of his friends, and in particular Mrs Weasley his Best friend's mother. As said in other posts about series and the growing connection with characters through character development, the Harry Potter franchise spans 7 books, [8 Movies] and in both cases it is the 3rd instalment in which Harry meets Sirius and the 5th in which Sirius comes to die at the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange, as depicted by the delightfully dark Helena Bonham Carter
I provide the clip here but for full effect you would really have to watch the Movie, and since it is the 5th you would probably have to watch at least the first and third Movies to feel the full weight of this scene.
The Changeling
There are a few Movies that I have watched or partially watched because they were suggested to me by others. One of these was called Wolf Creek and the other was called the Changeling. In both cases, the former I could not finish the movie and the latter I had watched too far before I realised what it was about.
There are a few topics in Movie which I find uncomfortable and there is a theme that both these movies share, the former to a greater extent than the latter. Although I could not bring myself to watch either again I felt in the case of the Changeling I would include it in this challenge for two reasons. Firstly that I love Angelina Jolie and secondly that for the most part the Changeling deals with a number of complicated issues that once plagued the police force in the USA and some would argue persist to this day not just within the USA in many countries as a whole.
In this Movie a Mother find that her son goes missing and she endeavours to find him and to ultimately discover what happened to him. The Police after a while decide that the case has lasted too long and present a different boy as her son and when she objects she is confined to a mental institution where she is mistreated. The Movie as a whole employs tragedy in many areas and is wrought with injustice.
Once again I include the trailer, I would say "enjoy" but in all good conscience I can not, this is not a happy go lucky Movie or one I would ask a family to sit together and watch. I struggle to even brand this Movie as Entertainment but it is nonetheless and emotional, powerful story that evokes a reaction from the viewer and that is what this challenge the 30 days of Tragedy is all about - acknowledging that life is not always a bed of Roses, even the most beautiful Rose has thorns.
There are a few topics in Movie which I find uncomfortable and there is a theme that both these movies share, the former to a greater extent than the latter. Although I could not bring myself to watch either again I felt in the case of the Changeling I would include it in this challenge for two reasons. Firstly that I love Angelina Jolie and secondly that for the most part the Changeling deals with a number of complicated issues that once plagued the police force in the USA and some would argue persist to this day not just within the USA in many countries as a whole.
In this Movie a Mother find that her son goes missing and she endeavours to find him and to ultimately discover what happened to him. The Police after a while decide that the case has lasted too long and present a different boy as her son and when she objects she is confined to a mental institution where she is mistreated. The Movie as a whole employs tragedy in many areas and is wrought with injustice.
Once again I include the trailer, I would say "enjoy" but in all good conscience I can not, this is not a happy go lucky Movie or one I would ask a family to sit together and watch. I struggle to even brand this Movie as Entertainment but it is nonetheless and emotional, powerful story that evokes a reaction from the viewer and that is what this challenge the 30 days of Tragedy is all about - acknowledging that life is not always a bed of Roses, even the most beautiful Rose has thorns.
The Green Mile
A man, wrongfully imprisoned can be released, the years taken from him cannot be given back but his life can. A man, wrongfully executed is lost to the world.
This I believe and this is why I never advocate the death penalty. There are a great many things that make me angry and there are a great many injustices in this world. Man is flawed. Man is not omniscient. Man can never know all there is to know and ultimately the one truth that brings is that Man can be and has been wrong.
The Movie the Green Mile is set on death row where a Guard named Paul met a remarkable prisoner names John. The Movie is emotional and tells John's story and Paul's doubt. In the end Paul follows through and plays executioner ending John's life. This vastly oversimplified summary does not do this Movie justice. There are many things in this Stephen King story that provoke deep thought and questions about the nature of Humanity.
On a solemn note I attach the trailer to this Movie and simply ask that if you have not seen this Movie before that you make every effort to watch it
Ash Gets Stoned
This next post in my 30 Days of Tragedy Challenge borrows from my childhood and demonstrates that tragedy does not have to persist, it can even be undone just as fast as it first happens all that is really essential is that for one moment you feel the emotion and the connection with the characters depicted.
Pokémon was quite a phenomenon when I was growing up and it still holds such fond memories for me, not just through the anime but the games and the movies that went with it to form the complete Pokémon experience. Perhaps it is the series that I followed and the character development spread across it that made me form the attachments I had to the characters. Movies that take a series to the big screen have the advantage that much of the characters are pre-built and much of the expectations of the audience are engrained in the viewer long before they ever see the Movie.
The first Pokémon Movie I ever saw was 'Mewtwo Strikes Back' and my expectations from the series had me completely unaware and completely caught off guard of what would happen in the Movie. In one key scene two powerful Pokémon are battling, Mew and Mewtwo and in their haste to destroy one another and in the haste of the series key protagonist Ash Ketchum and his desire to end the fighting, Ash inevitably becomes a casualty caught up in the cross fire. Although the effect is short lived and soon reversed the Movie still provokes some reaction from me.
Pokémon was quite a phenomenon when I was growing up and it still holds such fond memories for me, not just through the anime but the games and the movies that went with it to form the complete Pokémon experience. Perhaps it is the series that I followed and the character development spread across it that made me form the attachments I had to the characters. Movies that take a series to the big screen have the advantage that much of the characters are pre-built and much of the expectations of the audience are engrained in the viewer long before they ever see the Movie.
The first Pokémon Movie I ever saw was 'Mewtwo Strikes Back' and my expectations from the series had me completely unaware and completely caught off guard of what would happen in the Movie. In one key scene two powerful Pokémon are battling, Mew and Mewtwo and in their haste to destroy one another and in the haste of the series key protagonist Ash Ketchum and his desire to end the fighting, Ash inevitably becomes a casualty caught up in the cross fire. Although the effect is short lived and soon reversed the Movie still provokes some reaction from me.
Edward Scissorhands
This next post is yet another Movie this time the tragedy is not a death but that of an immortal life. The story of Edward Scissorhands is one of what you would call a man, although his humanity is questionable, at the very least he was crafted in man's image and that is close enough here. The story of a man who entered the world to grow alone and isolated, with no interaction, no friendship and no love. All these things he grew without Edward comes to experience through the course of the Movie but the tragedy here is that he loses all these things thanks to the jealousy and resentment of others and in the end he must live alone again in solitude with only the memories of that brief time to sustain him.
That oft quoted saying "it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" comes into play here and the true extent of the tragedy here is debatable by whichever side you take, whether you agree or disagree will decide how much sorrow you attach to Edward's fate.
It has been years since I first watched this Movie and here I link the trailer, once again I hope you enjoy.
That oft quoted saying "it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" comes into play here and the true extent of the tragedy here is debatable by whichever side you take, whether you agree or disagree will decide how much sorrow you attach to Edward's fate.
It has been years since I first watched this Movie and here I link the trailer, once again I hope you enjoy.
Beaches
This next post will come as no surprise to my regular readers not least for the fact that it too has appeared before on my blog and rather aptly appeared in my 30 Day Movie Challenge under the title of 'A Movie That You Watch When You're Sad' and there too it was posted for the tragedy that is depicted within.
The Movie is called Beaches and stars the Divine Miss M. I see no other video more fitting to include here than once again to include the trailer for the Movie. This is one of the few Movies I can not watch without crying and without feeling empathy for the characters within. Please enjoy.
The Movie is called Beaches and stars the Divine Miss M. I see no other video more fitting to include here than once again to include the trailer for the Movie. This is one of the few Movies I can not watch without crying and without feeling empathy for the characters within. Please enjoy.
One Foot In The Grave
Once again I find myself including the ending of yet another British Sitcom. For those outside the UK I do understand that you may not grasp the cultural impact of these shows, they are to us as Dynasty and Dallas etc are to the USA.
One Foot In The Grave as mentioned in my 30 Days of Funny Challenge for its moments of humour also makes the list here for its moments of tragedy. As stated before, the lead character Victor Meldrew who became the epitome of grumpy old men everywhere and his attitude to life is so wry one can't help but laugh at it was loved by so many. For some he could be argued as the looming future for all of us, the foreboding example of what you might become as you grow older. Perhaps then it is this identity and the connection to the character that lead the final episode of the show to become so poignant. At the close the character dies tragically, in a hit and run, one moment he is alive and the next he is gone.
The video included below is taken from the last episode, as the credits roll a montage is displayed showing clips from the show.
One Foot In The Grave as mentioned in my 30 Days of Funny Challenge for its moments of humour also makes the list here for its moments of tragedy. As stated before, the lead character Victor Meldrew who became the epitome of grumpy old men everywhere and his attitude to life is so wry one can't help but laugh at it was loved by so many. For some he could be argued as the looming future for all of us, the foreboding example of what you might become as you grow older. Perhaps then it is this identity and the connection to the character that lead the final episode of the show to become so poignant. At the close the character dies tragically, in a hit and run, one moment he is alive and the next he is gone.
The video included below is taken from the last episode, as the credits roll a montage is displayed showing clips from the show.
Kelly Rowland :: Stole
I find with the more days that pass in this challenge it is becoming ever more difficult to escape reality and stick solely to fictional events. Tragedy is as much a part of Human Life as Happiness. It is often said that you have to reach your lowest point before you can reach the highest, that it is always darkest before dawn etc.
A fair few years ago I reached my lowest point and during that time I entertained some very dark thoughts and considered escaping life entirely. I stopped short of ending it all and thankfully I am still here. I am not going to lie, there have been low times since but none have seen me return to that depth. Having been there once before I pit all that I experience against it and always remember in my mind that I have been through worse. That sometimes scares me though as it makes me worry that one day I may experience something so hard to handle that it pushes me deeper than I have ever gone before and in that moment I might do something that would be the end. These are thoughts that thankfully do not enter my mind these days. As I said before in other posts I have a group of friends who are the greatest support, who form the pillars upon which I stand tall.
I know this whole thing sounds cliché but that's just the way I look at the world. Those tired clichés that we all perceive at one point were dreamt up by writers and thinkers and with those artists I share the mentality and the belief that sometimes just sometimes life can truly become a fairytale. The video I share today is a track by Miss Kelly Rowland called Stole, in which a young man takes his life and shocks the world. I only have one more thing to say to all those who read this and I mean this with all my heart and soul I implore you to listen:
Someone who is truly depressed and truly unhappy and contemplates these thoughts, will not make them known. It is often said that Suicide is a cry for attention this is not the case, if you reach that lowest of lows and you are truly unhappy and you want to end it - you will. There is no attention seeking here, they will be gone, they will be lost and the world will never know what they could have been. We wrap ourselves up in our own lives so much we don't always stop to look at the people around us and see the emotion and the heartache and the tears. A smile does not mean someone is happy, pay attention to how they behave when they think no-one is watching them, then and only then will you see right through to them.
A fair few years ago I reached my lowest point and during that time I entertained some very dark thoughts and considered escaping life entirely. I stopped short of ending it all and thankfully I am still here. I am not going to lie, there have been low times since but none have seen me return to that depth. Having been there once before I pit all that I experience against it and always remember in my mind that I have been through worse. That sometimes scares me though as it makes me worry that one day I may experience something so hard to handle that it pushes me deeper than I have ever gone before and in that moment I might do something that would be the end. These are thoughts that thankfully do not enter my mind these days. As I said before in other posts I have a group of friends who are the greatest support, who form the pillars upon which I stand tall.
I know this whole thing sounds cliché but that's just the way I look at the world. Those tired clichés that we all perceive at one point were dreamt up by writers and thinkers and with those artists I share the mentality and the belief that sometimes just sometimes life can truly become a fairytale. The video I share today is a track by Miss Kelly Rowland called Stole, in which a young man takes his life and shocks the world. I only have one more thing to say to all those who read this and I mean this with all my heart and soul I implore you to listen:
Someone who is truly depressed and truly unhappy and contemplates these thoughts, will not make them known. It is often said that Suicide is a cry for attention this is not the case, if you reach that lowest of lows and you are truly unhappy and you want to end it - you will. There is no attention seeking here, they will be gone, they will be lost and the world will never know what they could have been. We wrap ourselves up in our own lives so much we don't always stop to look at the people around us and see the emotion and the heartache and the tears. A smile does not mean someone is happy, pay attention to how they behave when they think no-one is watching them, then and only then will you see right through to them.
Someone Like You
James Corden in this video pretty much sums up my feelings on Adele. She is an amazing singer and I know that her rapid rise to fame for some came so quickly that they label her as over exposed and to be deemed unworthy of the level of fame she has achieved - to them I simply say I do not care what you think - that is arrogant but I do not care.
I believe Adele is amazing and her music makes me feel so much. The video below is taken from her astonishing performance at the Brit Awards where so many were moved to tears by the emotion she conveyed. The lyrics of the song express something that the majority of us will go through at some point, to lose a love and yearn for them, only to find that they have moved on but you have not. This moment of persistent unrequited love can be one of the hardest things to face in life. You may brush it off as someone overreacting or being a drama queen but the reality is that emotion is intensely personal and no-one can ever know what you feel, they can say the words "I know how you feel" and truly they may have been through the same thing as you in their past but they cannot possibly know how you feel inside.
This song is dear to me for many reasons, not least of all that I have been there, I have longed for someone for whom the chance had passed for us to be together. 2012 has been a year of progress for me, 3 months gone already and now we are into our fourth, so much has moved on not only in my world but in my heart too and I have a few people to thank for that, one in particular [you know who you are hug4 :)]
This song epitomises the tragedy of unrequited love, and this style of Music as a whole. Please enjoy.
I believe Adele is amazing and her music makes me feel so much. The video below is taken from her astonishing performance at the Brit Awards where so many were moved to tears by the emotion she conveyed. The lyrics of the song express something that the majority of us will go through at some point, to lose a love and yearn for them, only to find that they have moved on but you have not. This moment of persistent unrequited love can be one of the hardest things to face in life. You may brush it off as someone overreacting or being a drama queen but the reality is that emotion is intensely personal and no-one can ever know what you feel, they can say the words "I know how you feel" and truly they may have been through the same thing as you in their past but they cannot possibly know how you feel inside.
This song is dear to me for many reasons, not least of all that I have been there, I have longed for someone for whom the chance had passed for us to be together. 2012 has been a year of progress for me, 3 months gone already and now we are into our fourth, so much has moved on not only in my world but in my heart too and I have a few people to thank for that, one in particular [you know who you are hug4 :)]
This song epitomises the tragedy of unrequited love, and this style of Music as a whole. Please enjoy.
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
I could easily fill 30 posts with various Movies that touch on the Holocaust as it was such a real world tragedy but I choose not to. There are 2 Movies that I would like to include however, the first is mentioned here.
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is a Movie adaptation of a Novel by John Boyne which tells the story of a young boy named Bruno, the son of an SS Officer in Nazi Germany. His father is promoted and becomes the commandant of a Nazi Concentration Camp. Bruno never knows what the camp is exactly only that he believes it to be some sort of Prison after he discovers it, much to the efforts of his parents to prevent it. A friendship grows between Bruno and a young boy imprisoned in the camp a Jew named Shmuel. At the climax of the Movie, Bruno enters the camp with Shmuel to try and find Shmuel's lost father, the two get swept away in a rush when prisoners are being moved and together they end up within one of the Gas Chambers. The two perish in the extermination and the truth is discovered by Bruno's parents and the Movie ends fading to black.
I do not at all find these types of Movies entertaining. I would not willingly recommend this movie to others simply because I find electing to watch them as a form of self torture. They deal with deeper issues than we are willing to confront. The reason I saw this movie originally was as I was invited to an advanced screening with a friend before the Movie was officially finished and before it was produced for final viewing. It was not until around 18 months later that the Movie was actually released to the public. At the time I recommended it for what it was, a powerful display of emotional evocation depicting the horror that mankind has committed. Over time we often change our views on many things, and at present I have come to deplore these types of Movies in my mentality of wishing to avoid self torture. I delved into these types of Movies when younger and I may one day return as with the Saw Movies or those of Gore and Horror they are not my taste today.
Below I attach the trailer.
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is a Movie adaptation of a Novel by John Boyne which tells the story of a young boy named Bruno, the son of an SS Officer in Nazi Germany. His father is promoted and becomes the commandant of a Nazi Concentration Camp. Bruno never knows what the camp is exactly only that he believes it to be some sort of Prison after he discovers it, much to the efforts of his parents to prevent it. A friendship grows between Bruno and a young boy imprisoned in the camp a Jew named Shmuel. At the climax of the Movie, Bruno enters the camp with Shmuel to try and find Shmuel's lost father, the two get swept away in a rush when prisoners are being moved and together they end up within one of the Gas Chambers. The two perish in the extermination and the truth is discovered by Bruno's parents and the Movie ends fading to black.
I do not at all find these types of Movies entertaining. I would not willingly recommend this movie to others simply because I find electing to watch them as a form of self torture. They deal with deeper issues than we are willing to confront. The reason I saw this movie originally was as I was invited to an advanced screening with a friend before the Movie was officially finished and before it was produced for final viewing. It was not until around 18 months later that the Movie was actually released to the public. At the time I recommended it for what it was, a powerful display of emotional evocation depicting the horror that mankind has committed. Over time we often change our views on many things, and at present I have come to deplore these types of Movies in my mentality of wishing to avoid self torture. I delved into these types of Movies when younger and I may one day return as with the Saw Movies or those of Gore and Horror they are not my taste today.
Below I attach the trailer.
Grandad's funeral - Only Fools and Horses
Again, as mentioned in my 30 days of Funny challenge, Only Fools and Horses is regarded as Britain's Best Sitcom and gives us our next entry in this 30 Days of Tragedy challenge. Through the course of the series sadly the actor who played one of the key characters 'Grandad' - Lennard Pearce, died of a heart attack. The clip below is of the episode shot shortly after Leonard's death in which the fictional character of Grandad was also killed off. In watching this episode at times you can see the real life sorrow of the actors, knowing that what they portray is not acting but the real emotion and sense of loss for Leonard.
Over The Top Blackadder Goes Forth
As mentioned in my 30 Days of Funny challenge Rowan Atkinson a.k.a. Mr Bean is one of my favourite Comedians. In a somewhat more articulate role he took up the character of Edmund Blackadder whose title changes across the four series. Blackadder is yet another "staple" in British Television history, regarded as one of the golden titles in British Sitcom - sitcom for those who don't know is a term that abridges the words situational and comedy to make sit-com - sitcom.
There have been many sitcoms that we have fallen in love with, a fair few will feature in these posts as it is so often sad to see the series end and the characters depart our lives. Arguably some television series have run for so long in the UK that many people will have watched them from before their children were born or from before and after key parts in their lives, the shows always remaining constant.
As it is so often sad to see a series end, they often end with tragedy and in the case of the final series of Blackadder, 'Blackadder goes forth' the final scene depicts the deaths of the cast as a whole, the scene portrays the emotion and evokes a reaction from the audience.
There have been many sitcoms that we have fallen in love with, a fair few will feature in these posts as it is so often sad to see the series end and the characters depart our lives. Arguably some television series have run for so long in the UK that many people will have watched them from before their children were born or from before and after key parts in their lives, the shows always remaining constant.
As it is so often sad to see a series end, they often end with tragedy and in the case of the final series of Blackadder, 'Blackadder goes forth' the final scene depicts the deaths of the cast as a whole, the scene portrays the emotion and evokes a reaction from the audience.
The Untimely Death of Richard Whiteley
Born John Richard Whiteley on 28 December 1943, died 26 June 2005 (aged 61). Richard Whiteley presented the long running British Game Show Countdown. The show has run for over sixty-five series. It was first broadcast with Richard as host on 2 November 1982. Richard sat as host for over 23 years and died tragically of heart complications due to pneumonia.
With over 5,000 episodes, the show is one of the longest-running game shows in the world, along with the original French version, 'Des chiffres et des lettres', which has been running on French television continuously since 1965.
The video I link here is the emotional tribute co-host Carol Vorderman made following Richard's untimely death. If you are not from the UK or Ireland you will not understand how constant and unchanging Countdown has been and the beacon of British Television and British Game-shows that it was and remains. Some of the contestants of this show are truly remarkable one of the most notable for me would be 11 year old Kai Laddiman who was the youngest 8-time champion of the show.
With over 5,000 episodes, the show is one of the longest-running game shows in the world, along with the original French version, 'Des chiffres et des lettres', which has been running on French television continuously since 1965.
The video I link here is the emotional tribute co-host Carol Vorderman made following Richard's untimely death. If you are not from the UK or Ireland you will not understand how constant and unchanging Countdown has been and the beacon of British Television and British Game-shows that it was and remains. Some of the contestants of this show are truly remarkable one of the most notable for me would be 11 year old Kai Laddiman who was the youngest 8-time champion of the show.
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