Listening to one that, every single time it pops up, overwhelms me with its longing sadness... a musical rendition of the ultimate goodbye.

That's Michael Nyman's "The Arrival", from 'Gattaca'. Simply one of the most emotive, weep-inducing pieces of music I've ever FELT.

Another reasonable contender is Randy Edelman's "To the Stars" theme, from 'Dragonheart'; as much as people (myself included) will by and large agree of Edelman's lesser talents, I still find this piece of music haunting and evocative.

Williams' "Hymn to the Fallen" from 'Saving Private Ryan' also hurts to listen to...

'Black Hawk Down''s "Gortoz A Ran" paralyzes me the second its heavenly ambience permeates. All I seem to be capable of thinking of during its presence is a sort of empathetic view on the nature of suffering.

Tan Dun''s reoccurring theme in 'Crouching Tiger' shares many of these sentiments... a romantic elegy to those gone (in life or past).

Lastly, Faltermeyer's "Top Gun Anthem"... just kidding.

I think the thing I find these pieces have in common is a universal motif of love, loss, memory... But in a sense that seems to transcend the inclination for music (especially film) to project its emotions onto just a character or situation. With all of these, I can think of so many different things within my own reality -- all in some way related to the ideas of memory;reflection;etc, mentioned -- and the power seeps through them all... As if the music were composed for that widespread emotional state and its infinite possible associations, opposed to a more limiting context that a film usually (rightfully) demands.

Also worth noting that among those piece, you wouldn't even find my favorite composers... No Goldsmith, Horner, Newton-Howard, Morricone, etc. Though surely my memory is leaving me blank for a few...

Star Trek again: Jerry Goldsmith's beautifully epic and emotional themes for "The Mountain" and "A Busy Man" from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Those just blow my mind.

Hans Zimmer's got his fair share, too, with "Leave No Man Behind" from Black Hawk Down and of course, "Journey To The Line" from The Thin Red Line.

The Ben Kenobi/Force theme from the Star Wars films, my favourite theme of all time, is quite emotive: The most striking renditions for me are in "Binary Sunset" from Star Wars and "Yoda And The Force" from The Empire Strikes Back. The piece where Vader and Luke duel at the end of Return Of The Jedi is also incredibly striking.

Basil Poledouris's score to Les Miserables as a whole is a tremendous love-loss musical experience, as is his opening to "Orphans Of Doom" from Conan The Barbarian.

Ryan

Any Shore cue that ends a David Cronenberg film; from Videodrome's "Long Live the New Flesh" to Dead Ringers' "Finale" and Naked Lunch's "Welcome to Annexia".

"A Different Drum" and "It is Accomplished" from Peter Gabriel's The Last Temptation of Christ.

And, more recently, the comboination cues of "Valerie" and "Evey Reborn" from Dario Marianelli's V for Vendetta.

I also would include many of the others listed; great choices all around.

And who can forget the "Saying Goodbye" music in William's E.T.?

"Death of Captain" - John Barry, from "The Last Valley" (Though, John Barry is notorious for his weepy farewell music...)

"Beauty Killed the Beast" - (epic five-part suite) James Newton Howard, form "King Kong"

"The Gray Havens", coupled with "Into the West", Howard Shore, from "Return of the King"

"The Ludlows" from Legends Of the Fall

"That Next Place" from Meet Joe Black

"Radio" from 'T3' for sure, Camillu.
Delerue's particular piece played throughout 'Platoon' goes without saying (look at its context in that film and it's absurd repetition; it bears much feeling)

Always been a fan of the "Sacrifice" cue but it's too abrasive and dark for me to consider... overwhelming in a different way.

Stargate, Horner's "Execution" from 'Braveheart'.... absolutely. And, by and large, I'm not a HUGE fan of the score. But that piece does it indeed regarding this sentiment.

Lancelot, "Killing of an Old Friend" is a good, uncommon (!) choice. I'd agree, at least a little.

For whatever reason, Nuts, Goldenthal's adagios don't do that for me... I adore them, but they're too dissonant (if not in melody, than orchestration) to truly resonate with my simplest Human reflexes. I'm just not sure Goldenthal has ever made me.... cry. Always a prevailing thought over heart with him; even when there's blood flowing, it seems dabbed in intellect.

Ryan it's been a while since I've heard 'The Family Man' promo/boot I had sometime ago, but certainly those choral moments later in the score are absolutely heavenly and reflect such emotions.

Interestingly, though I consider Zimmer's "Journey to the Line" from 'TTRL' to be one of my all-time favorite pieces of music, it still doesn't quite get me in the same areas all of these other pieces have. Again, I like it more than perhaps every other bit listed here, but it just doesn't conjure up those particular bare bone, sentimental feelings in me. Sure I could rationalize my way out of this one.

Good pickin's.

Horrendous as the "Highlander" franchise has treated the plausible continuities among its incarnations and iterations, you put two good-guy icons up against each other and have them face that one mission statement for the whole series: "There can be only one."

That's a pretty surprising moment right there, and if you let your too-firm grasp on logic go for an hour or two, you can have a legitimate emotional scene.