ANGST, DEATH AND DYING

It has freguently been discussed how often Vincent dies on-screen so I thought it apropos to do a post on angst, death and dying since it is a common theme in the roles Vincent chooses. As many of us have already expressed there are certain films we cannot bring ourselves to watch and others that reduce us to a sobbing puddle of tears. I must admit I have not watched Full Metal Jacket and probably never will because I don't have the fortitude to watch Vincent being driven to murder/suicide.
There are movies (Desire, TWWW, VOG) that slowly break your heart and you wonder 'if only' maybe things would have ended differently. There are the "bad boys" who you can't help but love and feel compasssion for (Spanish Judges, Naked Tango, The 13th Floor, to name a few). Let's not forget the really "bad boys" that we want to, well not mother that's for sure (Strange Days, Sherlock Holmes and The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3).



Vincent has the ability make the audience even feel sympathy for Carl (The Cell).
He brings a humanity to all his roles and imbues in his characters and a glimmer of hope that perhaps under the right circumstances they could have been saved.
And then there's BOBBY The King of Angst, who breaks your heart with every pout, worried look and anguished glance.

So Vixens what film or L&O:CI episode breaks your heart or do they all?

19 comments:

  1. I certainly havn't seen that many yet, but TWWW absolutely breaks my heart, especially towards the end, where you really notice how desperate REH was. And his death, ever more powerful because it's not even shown on screen. Still I love this movie and watch it now and then.

    FMJ is not my cup of tea in general, but even if it were, that whole story of Pyle going crazy I can't bear to watch. It's simply too gruesome.

    As far as LOCI goes, Endgame and Frame are hard to watch, because I angst with Bobby. (Although I don't even like that personal stuff). And while I havn't seen too much of the Wicked Witch yet, Anti-Thesis chilled me, and I think some of the other Nicole eps will, too.

    I could go on an on, but I'll leave some room for others to write something, too...

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  2. All of the acting of VDO is great;I really cryed at Endgame and Frame,and really worried when the blonde witch Nicole appeard!!Movies..well The Cell was chilling;I got so sad and angry that Maj.Hattawy died..

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  3. Breaking my heart?

    Oh dear, I have to confess, Salt on our skin. I know it's Greta inside and I don't like her much, but the love what was describe into that film was really deep and last all these years.

    Guy, the whole movie was so other than everything I saw before and the end is heartbreaking but also the nearly rape and the pursuit after.

    Strange day was very hard while Ralph Fines was in the head of the murderer and rapist. And I hated Steckler so much and was happy as Angela Basset shot him. That's Vincent. He can be the devil and in the next film you love him again.

    On CI:
    Seeing Bobby in Amends in the whole searching of Alex and then he must open the trunk.

    Seeing Alex's pain in Purgatory standing before the cells.

    Endgame...Bobby alone in blue.

    In a good way: all the missing of Alex and she is my perfect partner in season 3.

    Bobby's meaning about abortion in The Third Horseman...

    ...and so much more.

    Thanks so much for the slide show. With every new picture I murmured to myself, right, there he died, too.

    That was a really long post, sorry!

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  4. Anonymous4:38 PM

    I'm still a novice VDOite so there will probably be many more that break my heart as I make my way through them.

    Top of the list is of course is TWWW. I, myself fell in love with the REH he portrayed on screen. His 'before his time' existence, ideas, and irreverent behavior made him come alive for me well after the movie as I went on to read Howard's works (every time with VDOs voice in my head as I read).

    Please don't hate me for mentioning this yet again but as I asked VDO to autograph my book I let him know that he was the one that brought me to this amazing writer and that both of them had provided me with such literary and screen enjoyment that I had to be there that day to say thanks. His response autograph of "Glad I could turn you on to Robert...." really summed all of it up in more ways than I hope he could sense. I was very happy that it seemed to make him happy and surprised to be asked to sign a book.

    Gavin's story was touching and I hated George for not wanting to be with him on a more permanent basis. It was her loss but I cannot forgive the angst she put him through being so very selfish.

    Sam I cried for and yet again could not believe that she wouldn't choose him. Love Artist's avi because all through that movie Sam is wistful looking in so many scenes and you just want to take him away from all that and stay on that boat with him forever.

    Bobby, so many episodes the same look as Sam yet you know he can be so happy and playful that you just want to take him back to that place and try to keep it going for him.

    I too will leave something for someone else....





    I

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  5. For me it's Bob and Abbie :(

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  6. Artist, great clips!

    Oh, yeah, Jazzy, so much angst in "Abbie". He loses so much of his life and his relationships for the sake of his beliefs and really is put through the ringer by the government, police, etc. Abbie was my first VDO love, so he is the one that always sticks with me.

    As for "Guy" and "Naked TAngo" they are the only two films I haven't seen because I haven't been able to find copies of them. That's my goal, though!

    He was never sexier (in my mind) than he was in Pelham...that tight black shirt and that big...um...gun. And something about having a big man like him in that tight, confined space for so long...reminded me of a panther on the prowl...very hot.

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  7. I love FMJ because his character make me laugh to death!!!
    But i'm and i'll always be faithful to Det. Goren he is so... everything!! He make me laugh, dream and cry!! For me the best moment of ever is the beginning of "the war at home" when he is with his mom and receive the call... his eyes are full of love... But i think everytime it comes to Bobby's family this guy is wonderful about express Bobby's feeling!! I've love the last epi and the next one just make me beg that the weeks end soon!!

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  8. Wow, what great responses. I think everyone knows by now (from my previous comments)the movies that bring me to tears. Pretty much the movies and episodes mentioned reduce me to a puddle, but the three biggies for me are TWWW, Naked Tango & Desire. As far as episodes go I just can't bear to watch "Untethered" again, it's too heart wrenching. Thanks for the thoguhtful responses and thanks to Jazzy for posting it for me.

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  9. artist,
    that's what I get paid for.

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  10. Jazzy you crack me up, and I thought you were doing all this for more face time with Vincent.

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  11. This may sound strange, but Carl has the ability to upset me...and it feels strange to me too, but there is just something so pathetic about him. Pyle does it very time too...I hate the way he's treated and I guess the compassion I feel for him makes his suicide even more heartbreaking.

    A couple of the more obvious ones are Bob Howard ( when his dad is talking about his death I can't see the screen for tears) and Valentino ( because you see him go from being that wonderful vital man to not being much more thana shell)

    LOCI episodes are harder...but I think the end shot of 'The War At Home' and the end shot of 'Untethered' ar the ones that stand out most becuase he's so alone in those

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  12. Anonymous7:59 PM

    I can't bear watching him die in anything. Even when I KNOW what's coming, I STILL cry - which is a measure of the power of Vincent's talent I guess. I once sobbed - and I do mean SOBBED! - from the moment he went to open the car door for Novalyn, until the end credits, AND beyond, I'm usually an exhausted blubbing heap on the carpet at the end of 'VOG'...hey, I once even wept through the last 20 minutes of 'Happy Accidents'!!!

    LOCI is more difficult, but I get upset when Bobby seems so totally alone - which is often, although when Mom Goren started hitting him, if she hadn't died, I'd've happily killed her myself ;0)

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  13. I find The Subway incredibly hard. Filmwise there are so many I couldn't narrow it down. LO:CI episodes, well, when he is on his phone to his mother in The War At Home, Endgame, Untethered, Frame. ANd of course the end of See Me is very sad, too.

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  14. Bob Howard and John Lange both rip my heart out. I always think that if Novalyn wasn't such an egoist, that the two of them could have made it. But, we all know that it would have have the same outcome for REH....just a little later in life.

    As for John Lange.....talk about pure ANGUISH!!

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  15. For me the saddest and most tragic deaths are of the characters I actually liked/admired. So my top three most heart-breaking deaths would have to be Valentino (VOG), Howard, (TWWW), and Gavin (Salt). As far my most heart-breaking angst, it would have to be for Bobby (LOCI), just because of seasons 6 & 7 (multiple hours of angst and anguish!).

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  16. TWWW and Salt on Our Skin.

    When I watched TWWW, I didn't know anything about Robert Howard's life - and it was the first time I watched a movie with Vincent in it - so I didn't know what happens to him in most of his movies! So you can imagine how shocked and stunned I was when Novalyn was trying to write that letter! I had to stop the movie and cry, cry, cry. I wasn't able to finish the movie for another 20 minutes! I've been unable to watch the movie again.

    Salt on Our Skin made me so sad because Gavin was so sexy, so wonderful, so gorgeous - I couldn't bear to lose him! (George had to be the stupidest woman ever) I am able to watch this movie over and over - might have something to do with the sex scenes!

    As far as Bobby goes, the episode that affected me the most was when Bobby was suffering so much and being tortured in "Untethered." That's the only episode of LOCI that I don't want to watch again.

    Happy Accidents and Good Luck are so easy to watch, though - Vincent actually lives!

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  17. The episode (sorry, i don't know them by name) where his mom dies and he's sitting in the room and the nurse comes in to tell him visiting hours are over, brings me to tears every time. *sniff* dammit.

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  18. Hi Bunny!
    the episode you mean is endgame S6/E21 and yes, it's a tearjerker.
    glad to meet you btw!

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