In a lovely essay on the shared experience of theater audiences, Wesley Morris, critic at large for The New York Times, memorably describes weeping in the dark with fellow audience members as offering “applause with mucus and salt.” This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Applause with Mucus and Salt”
Here’s a lovely passage from New York Times critic at large Wesley Morris. He was writing about crying at the movie theater and about what he called the ancient power of art to make a puddle of us. He said that seeing the movie E.T. led me into a love affair with being made to cry among strangers in the dark. I almost typed being reduced to tears, except where is the reduction?
Crying for art is an honor, an exaltation, a salute. It’s applause with mucus and salt. What I presume we all experienced was a willingness to give ourselves over to the ridiculous beauty of a story about feeling everything. Oh, I love that. And you know what? E.T. has a special place for me.
When I showed it to my son when he was about five and the spaceship leaves E.T. behind, my son was so distraught that he started crying and he ran outside the house to go save E.T. because he was so upset that they left E.T. behind.
Oh, my goodness.
Yeah, his little heart was broken.
How could they leave him behind?
Poor guy.
Yeah, and so yes.
Yeah, that speaks to the power.
Right, it does speak to the power.
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