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Make Way for Tomorrow (The Criterion Collection)

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I saw this movie for the first time years ago, back in the days before AMC became a commercial ridden purveyor of (mostly) films of dubious value (MAD MEN not withstanding). I was bowled over by it then: it was a film of such honest SENTIMENT , completely devoid of sentamentality, that I could not believe it was a Leo McCarey film, the filmmaker who esentially was an expert purveyor of SENTIMENTALITY (so effective - yet manipulative - in GOING MY WAY) as well a fine interpreter of the Marx Brothers, W.C.Fields, and Stan Laurel and OLiver Hardy AND arguably one of the godfathers of screwball comedy).
Then the film vanished, although I do recall seeing a lousy VHS pirate from AMC several years later. There is also a French DVD out, uncompatible unless you have a region free DVD, that seems to have come from pretty good source material but has (no surprise) French subtitles) that (surprise) cannot be turned off.
It has remained then for the folks at Criterion to ride to the rescue, and I cannot wait to see what they do for this movie.
I do not believe there is a more heart-rending finale to any American film that deals with intrafamilial relations than this one; a defy anyone to watch the last half-hour of this movie without a lump in their throat. One must flash forward to BICYCLE THIEVES and UMBERTO D. to witness such unsparing - but right - realism.
Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore as the elderly couple are utterly believable as the olpeople caught in a vise of family politics. The supporting cast, lead by Thomas Mitchell, is superb. The absence of any musical score, though jarring at first, underlines McCarey's realism.
Buy this, watch it, re-watch it, show it to your children, grab your neighbors, make them watch it. Its humanism will make anyone who sees it "love his neighbor" better.

Make Way for Tomorrow entered and exited American movie theaters in May, 1937 without much attention at all, and has retained that secretive status to this day. It comes under the class of Movies That No One Has Seen But Me, Or So It Seems. It's hard to love it so much and have it unknown. That is, up until now.

Paramount allowed Leo McCarey to make this motion picture; (he waived his salary to be able to) but they refused to promote it due to its subject matter. Then, released from his contract due to its commercial failure, McCarey went on to score a hit for Columbia and a Best Director Academy award for himself with "The Awful Truth."

There is a wonderful moment from the 1937 Academy Awards Ceremony; preserved on film and found in the twentieth minute of the "Frank Capra Jr. Remembers," accompanying special feature for the dvd, "You Can't Take It With You," where Capra Sr. presents the Oscar to McCarey, shakes his hand, and then reaching back, grabs the statuette by the torso and with a good-natured, smiling expression, attempts to tug-of-war it away from Mr. McCarey. What Mr. Capra seems to jokingly be trying to say is that he thinks he should have won the award for his film, "Lost Horizon." The ten-second clip ends before we see who wins the match, but we know that it is indeed McCarey, as we're certain Mr. Capra would surrender it gracefully. And besides, Mr. McCarey has a hold of Oscar by the base.

Then as he steps up to the podium to speak about his quirky 1937 comedy, Mr. McCarey said to all those in attendance, "Thanks, but you gave this to me for the wrong picture."

McCarey's drama gave his two lead players more armfuls of the sweetest embraces, both physical and literary, than any actor/actress teaming in my long term memory. Victor Moore was splendid as the funny and warm old gentleman who had failed to prepare for his retirement, but it was always Beulah Bondi: surely the most versatile character actress on all levels the movies have known, that tugged at my heart during any number of her very stirring scenes. Her darling Lucy Cooper could be both a warm granny and a meddling, cantankerous old girl; but her performance of this 70-something woman was so real, it was staggering in its depth. All the more so when you realize that she was only in her mid-40's at the time. It wasn't the fine make-up job that made Ma Cooper so real, it was Miss Bondi's superb crafting of this marvelous character.

-Author John Springer wrote in his book, "They Had Faces Then," (Citadel Press, 1974) that, "Academy Awards ceased to have their full value the year she did not get a nomination for Make Way for Tomorrow. That role alone--if she had done none of her others--would make her a screen immortal."
-Jean Renoir famously said that Leo McCarey understood people better than anyone else in Hollywood.
-Orson Welles said that this movie would make a stone cry.

After waiting for decades for this picture to be released on VHS, how wonderful that Criterion has granted MWFT its deserved restoration. Based on the menu of special features and judging by the devoted preservation Criterion has given to other motion picture treasures, I am confidently anticipating a tender and tearful reunion with the Coopers. Though it may not be as grand as other masterpieces such as Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane or Casablanca, it inhabits my heart more dearly than those or most other film ever will.
And for that, I/we have Mr. Leo McCarey and our beloved Miss Beulah Bondi to thank.

*Please note SPOILERS in this review*

I first heard of this film when reading film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's short take on Sarah Polley's AWAY FROM HER; that film was my favorite of 2007, and Rosenbaum saying that it was "within hailing distance" of this Leo McCarey film meant I had to track this down. I'm glad I did; though the 5 Minutes to Live DVD was of fairly low quality, the essential genius of the film shows through: this is, as Rosenbaum and a few other perceptive critics have noted, one of the greatest films ever made about aging and the conflicts between the desires of children leading their own lives, and their responsibilities towards their own parents. Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore are the parents of five grown children, including Thomas Mitchell as the eldest, who have lost their home; the children grudgingly offer to take them in, but none is willing to take both parents.

One of the amazingly simple points that the film makes in a beautifully understated manner is that the kids simply don't understand, or care about the importance of the parents' relationship with each other; they can only focus on the parent-child situation. Of course sex and real intimacy can only be hinted at in a 1937 film, but for the careful viewer this is everywhere apparent in the incredible performances of Moore and Bondi. All the performances actually are fine, but Bondi's especially is one for the ages; the scene where she receives a call from her husband, the mingled sorrow and joy in her voice as time stops around her, disrupting the bridge class that her daughter-in-law is conducting, is heartbreaking. The last 15 minutes or so, the couple reuniting for one last time, could so easily be schmaltzy or maudlin, but McCarey doesn't create heroes or villains, he doesn't offer easy outs or artificial obstacles, he just lets them be old people, disappointed and lost...

It's really quite sad that one of the very greatest of American films is currently only available on foregin DVD or gray-market discs in this country; there have been rumours that Criterion will bring this out soon - let's hope they do! EDIT (11/13) apparent there WILL be a Criterion edition due out in late winter. Hurrah!

I recall seeing this movie probably 30 years ago on TV and even at that time, being a teen-ager this film touched me in a way that no other film has ever effected me. This film stayed with me for years, then I was lucky enough to catch it, I think it was on AMC (prior to it becoming a clone of the other broadcast channels)when there were not commericals or constant station logo annoyingly appearing at the right hand corner of the screen. I recorded it and have watched it countless times over the years and enjoyed it each and everytime (yes...I cried too!)

I trust that Criterion has done an excellent job with the restoration- They usually do a marvelous job, so I have no doubt this film will impress all the film lovers out there!

The cast is wonderful but my favorite is Beulah Bondi as the mother who loves her husband and children unconditionally. The heartbreak you feel for her is so real, it will stay with you long after the film ends.
My grandmother had an old-time saying "one mother can take care of 10 children, but 10 children can not take care of one mother" and this movie proves her old proverb as being the honest truth.

This past year I introduced this film to a friend and classic film lover, but she had never seen it. Her reaction to the film was what I expected...she could not believe that she had never seen it, or even heard of it and how was that possible with such a beautifully well done film! I knew the answer to this, as all the flim buffs know the studios would rather produce DVDs of films dealing with murders, rapes, profanity, nudity and drugs...the assumption being that sex/violence sells- What a sad statement on our society! I would rather have my children see this film than any of the 'Halloween' or 'Friday the 13th' films.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this film...just see it for yourself, but get that box of tissues ready first!!

3/21/10***As a postscript to my review...I have viewed the Criterion DVD and it is marvelous! Beautiful, clear print and wonderful special features. One of the best purchases I have made, a gloriously put together DVD as you would expect from Criterion- As I stated before, take a chance...you won't be sorry!***

In the 1930's, both Leo McCarey and Frank Capra are held to the highest regard.

Legendary American film critic Andrew Sarris wrote of McCarey, "McCarey represents a principle of improvisation in the history of the American film. Noted less for his rigorous direction than for his relaxed digressions, McCarey has distilled a unique blend of farce and sentimentality in his best efforts." (The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968, Andrew Sarris)

For many classic cinema fans, McCarey was known for his directorial efforts in silent films for Hal Roach's Little Rascals, Charley Chase's silent shorts to directing many popular hits for Laurel and Hardy and also the Marx Brothers.

As McCarey is known for classic films such as his Academy Award winning films "The Awful Truth" (1937) and "Going My Way" (1944) in 1937, McCarey received recognition for his film "Make Way for Tomorrow" (1937).

Unfortunately, due to America was still suffering the sting of the Depression, American cinema faced major challenges in attracting people to the box office and despite receiving critical praise, the film was a box office failure. But since its theatrical release in 1937, the film has been considered one of the greatest American films of all time and a film that would inspire screenwriter Kogo Noda in writing the 1953 film "Tokyo Story" directed by Yasujiro Ozu.

McCarey believed that "Make Way for Tomorrow" was his finest film created and in his Academy Award acceptance speech for Best Director for "The Awful Truth", McCarey said, "Thanks, but you gave it to me for the wrong picture.".

VIDEO:

"Make Way for Tomorrow - THE CRITERION COLLECTION #505' is presented in 1:33:1 black and white. For a film released in 1937, the picture quality of this film is very well done. There is a fine layer of grain and scratches are quite light. Blacks and grays show a very good contrast and for the most part, the film looks very good on DVD.

According to the Criterion Collection, the picture has been slightly windowboxed to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors. This new high-definition transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS ssytem and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.

AUDIO:

"Make Way for Tomorrow - THE CRITERION COLLECTION #505' is presented in Dolby Digital monaural. Dialogue is clear but I have to admit that at times, there was certain dialogue spoken by Victor Cooper I couldn't tell what he was saying (more because of the way he was saying the dialogue), I had to rewind and turn on the English subtitles to find out what was said. But that is more about me having difficulty understanding the dialogue clearly.

According to the Criterion Collection, the monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack print. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation.

Subtitles are in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Make Way for Tomorrow - THE CRITERION COLLECTION #505" comes with the following special features:

* Tomorrow, Yesterday and Today - (19:53) A new video interview featuring filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich discussing the career of Leo McCarey and "Make Way for Tomorrow".
* Gary Giddins - (20:09) New video interview with critic Gary Giddins in which he talks about McCarey's artistry and the political and social context of the film

EXTRAS:

"Make Way for Tomorrow - THE CRITERION COLLECTION #505" comes with a 30-page booklet booklet featuring new essays by critic Tag Gallagher and filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier, and an excerpt from film scholar Robin Wood's 1998 piece "Leo McCarey and `Family Values".

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Make Way for Tomorrow" is an excellent Leo McCarey film that will always resonate strongly with me.

From the magnificent and heartbreaking performance by Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi, to the well-planned camera shots showing the emotions of the characters and most of all, the pacing of the film and not showing that one person is to blame but it's a part of life that families need to deal with.

The issue of aging parents have been featured in quite a few films in the past but it was McCarey's that really struck a chord with the audience and because of the film's nature, released during a time of the Great Depression, Americans were just not in the mood to deal with a realistic and heavy issue, no matter how critically acclaimed the film was. It's the type of film that many people just don't want to deal with until that time comes.

And that was in 1937, flashforward 73-years-later to 2010 and its still a major issue today.

But the film tries to make the viewer sympathetic. Granted, you would expect the children to be a little more understanding and helpful after all their parents did for them, raising them and you want to see that same type of respect from the children to their parents but realistically, not many people in America are like that. We look at George's family who has to take care of her mother and immediately, we know that things are not going to work out.

When George's wife Anita tries to teach Bridge to her students who are wearing tuxedos and nice dresses, all Lucy wants is companionship because her husband is not there and no one else in the family is willing to communicate with her. So, she does what is natural. She tries to sit and be quiet and watch them play, but her rocking chair makes too loud of a noise for the students to concentrate and embarrasses Anita. But possibly one of the most interesting and saddest scenes in the film is when Lucy receives a call from her husband and you can feel the sadness in her voice of being away from her husband and really missing him. And just that moment where the students can not play because they are entranced to her conversation with her husband, it was a sad scene of the film.

But what is probably the most difficult scene is to see both Lucy and Victor together, as they visit the city and reminisce of the locations they one shared when they were younger. These scenes are not just fun to watch but it's also very sad that knowing what will become of the two. During 1937, there was so social security, there was no government programs to assist the elderly and their children have their own lives and none of them have the extra room to take in both parents. Some of the children are willing to take one, others are not willing to do anything anymore knowing that having their parent in their house is a big responsibility.

And what is so sad is that parents have to go through so much in order to raise their children when they are young. But when it's reverse and the children have to take care of their parents, too many decide its not worth their stress and none are willing to take on that responsibility. And for both Lucy and Victor, they know that. They know it's an inconvenience and they know that what is going to happen next in their life, they know they may have to take on these challenges alone rather than together.

You can watch "Make Way for Tomorrow", watch the excellent performance by Bondi and Moore and just see the faces on both Lucy and Victor's face as they spend which may be their final day together as husband and wife. It's heartbreaking and it was very noble of director Leo McCarey of going through with this film despite the studio wanting him to change the ending.

I have seen many Leo McCarey films and none have resonated this strongly with me than "Make Way for Tomorrow" and I know people tend to misuse the word "masterpiece" when describing a film but the truth is "Make Way for Tomorrow" is a masterpiece filmed and released during the depression-era. As heartbreaking as Ozu's "Tokyo Story" or De Sica's "Umberto D." was in the '50s and "Bicycle Thieves" was in the late '40s, "Make Way for Tomorrow" was an American film during the Golden Era of Hollywood that really captured a storyline of family and aging parents successfully.

As for the DVD, the picture quality for this DVD release is very good and the two special features and the 30-page booklet were very good. Leo McCarey fans should be happy with this release as well as any Criterion Collection fan. It's definitely a worthy release worth checking out!

Overall, "Make Way for Tomorrow" is a magnificent film that will stand the test of time and will continue to be relevant for many generations to come. Definitely recommended!

NOTE: Masters of Cinema will be releasing a Blu-ray release of this film in late 2010.

In 1937, Leo McCarey made two movies back to back-- THE AWFUL TRUTH and MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW. The first title seems to be looking on darkness, the second on hope. However, THE AWFUL TRUTH is a delirious celebration of optimism in the form of a screwball comedy and MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW, an elegy for a loving old couple separated by the lack of money. Two esential American films.
Can't wait to see this masterpiece on dvd after scratchy old video tape.
James Keller

It isn't every month, or even every year, that you're lucky enough to see something and immediately afterwards have to acknowledge, "well, that's one of the hundred greatest movies I've ever seen in my entire lifetime."

Orson Welles once compared his own cinema aesthetic to other directors who had a certain simplicity of approach to their moviemaking, which didn't overtly draw attention to itself, yet still managed to magnificently evoke the full breadth of human experience; he was discussing Jean Renoir's direction of The Rules of the Game, and said something like, "I wish I could do that, but I can't." I'm guessing he probably felt the same way about Leo McCarey's work on Make Way For Tomorrow, of which Welles said it "could make a stone cry".

(I don't regularly shed tears at movies, but whoa, I'm shredded! Be sure to have the requisite box of Kleenex on standby for this one...)

MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW is one of the most heart-breaking movies that you will ever see.

It is also one of the finest films to come out of Hollywood's Golden Era.

Director Leo McCarey's distressing story, though set during The Great Depression, could just as easily (and does) take place today. Elderly parents, no longer able to care for themselves, can and do become burdens to their offspring who are living their own lives. The way that the younger generation in this picture deals with the situation may be disturbing, but it is not atypical of what happens in real life.

At its core, MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW is a love story between two people who have shared the vicissitudes of life together. Now, economic conditions and the whims of their children have required them to part.

Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi are magnificent as the parents who are forced upon their children, and Thomas Mitchell and Fay Painter are equally fine as the couple who take in Bondi.

There are many unforgettable, touching scenes in this 1937 release, such as the phone call that Bondi gets from her husband, which she must take while her daughter-in-law's "sophisticated" Bridge Club can't help but listen.

Also poignant is the scene in which Bondi anticipates Mitchell's announcement that she can no longer stay with his family. Before he can speak, she makes his task easier by suggesting that she should go to an old age home.

Mitchell is certainly the most sympathetic of the adult children, and his wife (Bainter) is not a villain either. McCarey makes us understand their frustration and pain about the impossible situation in which they find themselves.

The other siblings, however, are selfish, cruel and rather inhuman.

Or, maybe they are "human," and that's the tragedy.

I dare you not to weep during the final moments of this masterpiece.

I saw this film when I was a little boy and I never forgot it. It may be the most heartbreaking movie I have ever seen. And I've seen them all. I could not believe (then) that children (or should I say adult/children) would seperate their mother and father to go off to differate homes.The song that the old couple danced to "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" before they parted has always stayed in my heart. Anybody who has seen this movie and has not been touched by it has no heart. Or they may feel quilty because they put their own poor Mother or Father in a nursing home. But sadly as I grew-up I have seen this happen in realty. Even in my own family. I have always adored the character actors who played the 'old couple' Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore because of the parts they played in this film. Back then they should have gotten Oscar's. Yes it is strange how this magnifcent film has slipped thru the cracks in popularity. I have not seen the film in all these years again, but I am going to order it as soon as I get thru writing this revue and my own memory of this film. Ant I know I will be touched by it again.

This is a simple story, simply told with strength and dignity, exposing a cruel reality that's just as relevant today as it was in the 1920's & 30's. MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW is a classic B&W, Depression Era film, yes...and it's an archival film that is an important artistic (as well as entertaining) document of American social reality.

For starters, it features the great American character actress Beulah Bondi. Every film I've seen in which she played a role--cameo or more substantial--has been of the highest caliber, as was her performance in it. The cast of MAKE WAY is relativly small, all great actors and with Bondi unpretentiously at the center. She is the Grandma everyone remembers with fondness, or the Grandmother you never had--and wish you did. In other words, a lovely, charming, gracious, elderly lady.

The plot: Elderly couple during the Drepression are being forclosed on the home they have lived in all their married life. They raised all their now middle aged children in the house. The problem is that the patriarch kept putting off telling his grown kids about the couple's financial predicament. It's sort of doubtful they would have bailed their parents out in any case. The old man reminds me of character in a Chekhov play; always hoping that something will come along in the nick of time to save the day. It never does.

The wife is very traditionalist in that she defers to her man. You can see this attitude in many very elderly couples today. In many instances it is the husband's health that gives way first and the woman is left caring & catering to him & as well as having to make all the important decisions that were formerly in the husband's sole domain. I doubt if this applies to aging Baby Boomers who are more self-centered & divorce easily.

There is another parallel with the movie's plot & reality today: Some elderly couples actually have to separate or divorce out of economic necessaity. Today it is usually a case of health care restrictions & red tape. In MAKE WAY the couple has to separate because the husband (who is ill) needs the warmer climate of California where a daughter has grudgingly agreed to take him in, but says there's no room for her mother. So Beulah Bondi has to remain alone on the East Coast.

Both parents are passed around separately so as not to be too instrusive on their children (and granchildren's social activities. Near the end of the picture Ma discovers a brochure for a "home for elderly women" that sounds more like a a 19th century workhouse. Ever wanting to make things easier for others, Mom pretends that the "home" is her idea so as not to make her children feel guilty about wanting to dump her.

In the final scene where they are waiting for the train to take Pop to an unknown fate in Sunny California, the husband tells his wife that he will soon get a job & send for her. His wife, ever the support system, reassures him & says "Of course you will." But she knows the truth...

The film ends at EXACTLY the right moment.