History Main / PietaPlagiarism

* The Bodyguard (1992). There could not be a more obvious example.

* The last scene of Dead Ringers.

* Used intentionally in ''ChildrenOfMen'', with a refugee mother holding her dead (or at least severely wounded) son. The commentary reveals this was a reference both to Michelangelo's sculpture and a real-life photograph.

* Parodied in the ''StrangersWithCandy'' movie when Noblet attacks Jerri over the science fair and then collapses backward into the arms of the other students.

* In the Australian film ''AnimalKingdom'', Pope carries Nicole out of the house like this.
* In WeWereSoldiers, an American helicopter returns to base carrying dead and wounded from an intense ongoing battle during the early stages of the VietnamWar. A [[BigScaryBlackMan large black soldier]] picks up a dead white soldier and carries him away while weeping.

* In ''DonJuanDemarco'', the pose is enacted when [[spoiler: John's father is fatally wounded in a sword duel, and dies in the arms of John's mother.]]

* The spectacular shot of Sam cradling Frodo on the slopes of Mount Doom in ''[[LordOfTheRings The Return of the King]]''.

* Parodied in ''MrBean's Holiday'' - Bean attempts to earn some money by dancing to music from a CD stall, then the music switches to an opera piece, prompting Bean to stage his own improvised opera, with himself and his new friend in the roles of Mary and Jesus.

* In ''{{Robocop 3}}'', the titular character carries the dying [[spoiler:Anne Lewis]] into a church in this fashion, and sets her down on the altar.

* In ''Literature/TheTomorrowSeries'' Corrie is seen this way in Kevin's lap [[spoiler: after she has been shot]]. It is even {{lampshaded}} when Ellie says she walks into what looks like Jesus's barn.

* In a SilverAge {{Batman}} comic "Robin Dies at Dawn", the Dark Knight cradles the body of Dick Grayson as {{Robin}} on the cover after the latter is killed distracting a monster. [[spoiler: He's having a [[AllJustADream nightmare]].]]

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': In the first season finale, [[spoiler: Miles is holding Nora in his arms in exactly this way when she died]]. He even went down onto his knees when he realized that she died.

** The cover of ''Uncanny X-Men'' #255 shows Mystique kneeling, holding the body of her leman Destiny in a pietà pose. ** ''X-Men Annual" #1 (2006) shows Mystique sitting on the ground holding her injured daughter Rogue.

* In a SilverAge {{Batman}} comic, the Dark Knight cradles the body of [[spoiler: Dick Grayson as {{Robin}}]] on the cover. [[spoiler: He's having a [[AllJustADream nightmare.]]

* Used on the spoileriffic [[http://www.nanoha.com/archive3/goods/dvd6.html Vol. 6 cover]] of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha [=StrikerS=]''' Japanese DVD, which has Subaru cradling the [[spoiler: seemingly dead body of her sister Ginga]].

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'''s [=PS3=] remake, Battler is holding Beatrice like this on the cover.

* ''VeronicaMars'' began and ended its second season with the Pietà; in the first case, Veronica tends to Logan, and in the second, it's reversed.
* {{Smallville}}

* Used at least once in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', after Drusilla is restored to health and Spike is injured, she holds him in this manner.
** Also used in the episode The Puppet Show, when Buffy cradles [[spoiler: the DemonSlaying puppet]] after his death.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' used this twice in season 3 in paintings of the future. One of [[spoiler: Matt holding a burned Daphne in a possible-future where Sylar goes nuclear]] and [[spoiler:Noah holding an injured Claire, foreshadowing the eclipse during which the powered people lose their abilities.]]
* The last episode of the first season of ''Series/{{Merlin}}'' plays it straight with [[spoiler: Uther holding Arthur. It's ok though, he gets better.]]
** Also in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIbESjbH2wI season four trailer]], [[spoiler: Percival was seen carrying an unconscious Merlin in his arms.]]
* Used in, of all places, the first season of ''Series/TheOC'', with Ryan and Marissa, who had just taken a painkiller overdose washed down with a lot of alcohol in Tijuana.
** And in a deliberate parallel to the above scene, [[spoiler:he carries her the same way in the Season 3 finale, "The Graduates", following a car accident. She's suffered head trauma and he has to carry her away from the burning car. She dies in his arms, and the final shot is him huddled over her body]].
* Spoofed in an episode of ''Upright Citizens Brigade'' in the Camp Kalterman sketch.
* Done a few times in ''HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', usually whenever Iolaus dies. (Yes, it happened more than once.) In a commentary, Michael Hurst got his Michelangelo sculptures mixed up and compared it to ''David''.
* Worf carrying Data during the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Brothers". Data was only deactivated at the time, though.
* In Series/DoctorWho, the Doctor holds [[spoiler: the Master]] in this way in the Series 3 Finale. Somewhat ruined by his odd squatting pose on the floor, although that was only as narmy as the odd position of his legs while dramatically floating.
** He did it again [[spoiler: with Jenny]] in 'The Doctor's Daughter,' complete with that little hug-rocking motion. Once again, a secondary character [[spoiler: shot the closest thing to family he had left out of almost nowhere;]] it was a bit of a callback.
*** Given the way [[spoiler: the Doctor]] tends to feel responsible when people die around him, this almost plays as CradlingYourKill.
** The scene in "Smith & Jones" where the Doctor carries Martha after she passes out from the lack of oxygen could be seen this way, especially since there was no particular reason she couldn't have stayed where she was besides drama.
** Used again in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E01AsylumOfTheDaleks Asylum of the Daleks]]", with the Doctor carrying Amy. This has been all over the promotional advertisements for the season.
* In the ''DarkAngel'' episode "Pollo Loco," Max holds her "brother" Ben in this manner after [[spoiler: he asks her to kill him and she complies.]]
* {{Seinfeld}} - Jerry has a bad dream where he ends up in this pose after getting illegal cable and the Cable Police gun him down. Kramer cradles him crying "What have you done to my little ''CABLE BOY???''"
* ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'': Andros holds the body of [[spoiler: Karone]] after Zordon's HeroicSacrifice to stop the attack on the world. [[spoiler: She is revived by Andros' love for her.]]
* Used in the finale of ''ChinesePaladin'', with [[spoiler: Xiaoyao {{Bridal Carry}}ing Ling'er as she dies.]]
* One episode of ''{{House}}'' had Cuddy holding a young patient who she'd been granted temporary guardianship of this way in a shower to cool her down due to a fever. Then House came in and sniped at Cuddy about her aspirations of motherhood...
* ''Series/TheBible:'' Appropriately enough, when Jesus is brought down from the cross, it's staged like the classic depiction.

** CLAMP have drawn an illustration of Suzaku holding [[spoiler:Lelouch]]. As have the animators for offical art (Warning:MAJOR SPOILERS)http://imgur.com/eZ23juO Also overlaps with CradleYourKill.

* In the fifth case of the original Ace Attorney game, Lana Skye holds her unconscious younger sister Ema in this manner after [[spoiler: Ema is attacked by a serial killer.]]

** CLAMP have drawn an illustration of Suzaku holding [[spoiler:Lelouch]]. As have the animators for offical art (Warning:MAJOR SPOILERS)http://imgur.com/eZ23juO

** CLAMP have drawn an illustration of Suzaku holding [[spoiler:Lelouch]].

** ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Several times in the manga and in the anime series Kouji held Sayaka -or vice versa- in that position, usually when one of them lay unconscious on the ground. Actually the cover of one of the volumes features a grim-looking Kouji holding a fainted Sayaka.

* Used at the end of ''[[Film/Skyfall]]'' [[spoiler: when M dies]].

* Used at the end of ''Film/Skyfall'' [[spoiler: when M dies]].

* Used at the end of ''{{Skyfall}}'' [[spoiler: when M dies]].

* In ''GundamSEEDDestiny'', after [[spoiler: Meer Campbell]] dies in the arms of [[spoiler: Lacus Clyne]], her friend and unrequited crush [[spoiler: Athrun]] briefly carried around her dead body as well.
** And some time before that, [[spoiler: Shinn Asuka]] carried [[spoiler: Stellar Louissier]]'s body after she perished in his arms.

* ''SaintSeiya'': When Seiya saves Saori from crows and then [[http://www.deathms5.altervista.org/athena1/ath138.jpg catches her before landing]]

* There is official art of Heero from ''GundamWing'' holding Relena this way.
** Link please? And anyway, she returns the favor in ''Endless Waltz'', when Heero collapses out of exhaustation when it's all said and done and Relena catches him mid-fall, then cradles him gently to her.
* The second opening of Manga/SoulEater shows Soul holding Maka in this fashion, [[http://i55.tinypic.com/aoq0iu.png like this]]. Never happens in the series, though.

* In GGundam, this is done with Gundams ''twice''. The first is when the old Shuffle Alliance [[http://i41.tinypic.com/nec8qb.jpg heal their successors]] [[spoiler: through a HeroicSacrifice]]. The second is after [[spoiler: the Shining Gundam is destroyed, seen [[http://i39.tinypic.com/bi87kg.jpg here]].]]
* In {{Naruto}}, while [[spoiler: Neji]] dies in the arms of the title character, a short while later [[spoiler: his friend Lee]] is seen cradling [[spoiler: his]] corpse while crying for [[spoiler: his]] death.

* ''RanmaOneHalf'' several times, but at least twice in a definite parallel: first, a chapter-cover illustration with Ryoga thus cradling an unconscious Akane during an [[MartialArtsAndCrafts ice-skating battle]]; second, at the end of the series when [[spoiler:Ranma thinks Akane has died]].

* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Several times in the manga and in the anime series Kouji held Sayaka -or vice versa- in that position, usually when one of them lay unconscious on the ground. Actually the cover of one of the volumes features a grim-looking Kouji holding a fainted Sayaka.

* The cover art for the latest release of the remastered Platinum Collection of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' features [[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B001GTFP1I/ref=dp_image_z_0?ie=UTF8&n=130&s=dvd Shinji holding Rei in this fashion]]. Of course, [[FauxSymbolism given everything else in the series]]...
** IIRC, there's art of the original series with Misato holding Shinji similarly.