Customer Reviews

Tomorrow [VHS]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This 1972 film, starring Robert Duvall before he became famous, is a real find. Based on a short story by William Faulkner, the play as well as the screenplay were written by Horton Foote, of "To Kill a Mocking Bird" fame. Naturally, it's set in Mississippi in the days when mules and buggies were used for transportation, and old men still remembered fighting in the Civil War.

Robert Duvall is cast in the role of Jackson Fentry, a simple cotton farmer who takes on a job of caretaker at a sawmill during the winter months. It's a lonely place, and he lives in a shack, but there's a water pump outside and a wood stove to cook on, and he's used to a hard life. He hears a low moan outside one day, and discovers Sarah Eubanks, played by Olga Bellin, who is weak and pregnant and needing care. She's been abandoned by her husband and has no place to go. Both of them are quite shy and their meeting, in which he invites her in to his shack, is a small masterpiece of nuance. She has large expressive eyes and they both talk very slowly, but I never felt bored and easily adjusted to the pace.

During the next few months their life together becomes idyllic but there is always an underlying tragic feel to their happiness. "Marry me Sarah," he says. But alas, she can't; she's already married. As the story moves on, it gets sadder and sadder and, when, twenty years later, he's called to be a juror in a murder trial, we all understand why his vote causes a mistrial. It's a fitting conclusion, although not a happy one.

This is perhaps one of Robert Duvall's greatest roles; one that he has said in interviews is still his favorite. It required excellent acting ability and he certainly demonstrated it. Throughout, we identify completely with the simple farmer with his deep regional southern accent. Olga Bellin is also excellent, but, with the exception of two minor roles on television, this was her only film. The screenplay is perfect also, using language that was natural to the characters. And the simple black and white cinematography sets the mood just perfectly. All together, this is a small gem and not to be missed by those who love good drama. Just be forewarned about the sadness. Recommended.

Funny title, don't you think? Tomorrow could mean anything, but I don't think such a title would ever fit another story as well as this one. I won't ruin it for you and tell you why, since it is the last line of the film that reveals it and it is one of the most appropriate endings I've ever seen.

Faulkner, Foote and Duvall, what a line up! Throw in the lumninous Olga Bellin as the lead actress and you couldn't lose with this one if you tried. That is of course unless you are one of the people whose idea of a great film is today's mind numbing fast food of cinema called special effects. The 'special effects' in this one are those you will carry with you after viewing a story of love and true nobility of character.

How two people with so little in the world and so little knowledge of the world, could be so eloquent and say so much with the simplest of words, quietest of gestures, always amazes me. If what you want is a story of quiet beauty and grace that will make you feel better about life after you've seen it, then get your own copy of Tomorrow, for you'll want to see it more than once.

We are lovers of fine filmmaking and finer writing and if we could only own five films (heaven forbid!) this would be one of them! Might even be number one on the list.

This film is difficult and great. Impatient friends and family members will all drop out..one by one... distilling the viewers to the few quiet ones. Once the pace is set, like a slow slow walk it moves into you like a deep breath. I saw it first in 1984 on accident. A matinee revival in some town. My friend fell asleep.I have since not seen something so slow and powerful.My friend doesn't even know it exists. Regardless he plods through his sad life unaware that men have been there before. Countless times... If you like heaviness and are moved by the struggle to care about love you should see this film.

I'm glad I didn't read the reviews of this film before I saw it, as I don't appreciate to have the entire plot of a movie revealed (reviewers, please, no more spoilers!). Fortunately, I obtained a copy of this film from Amazon[.com] before it became unavailable. I love Faulkner, and this adaptation of one of his short stories is both profound and simple at the same time. Stellar performances by all, including the director, in creating such a moving testament to love and loss which defines us as living human beings. A true treasure of filmmaking.

Robert Duvall is one of the greatest actors of all time. This movie proves it. His character is a simple, probably illiterate man, who proves he has complex loyalty, emotions and ideas. He is dirt poor and gets a job watching a mill during the off season. Rather than go mad with loneliness, as the previous worker did, Duvall learns to live alone.

When that changes with the arrival of a runaway pregnant woman, Jackson Fentry learns what love and devotion mean. Watching him come to life with a family to care for will open your heart. Alas the plot doesn't allow him to enjoy this happiness for long. The tragedy that could destroy Fentry is hinted at in the film's opening & closing scenes, but will make you cry when they happen.

Duvall's character speaks simply. Most of his dialog is in three or four word sentences. But, Duvall's ability to use accents, tone, nuance and looks convey just how complex this man is and how deeply he cares for his loved ones.

This is a wonderful movie that will have you question what devotion is all about.

This is an extremely strange and sensitive film, one whose unusual tone and texture stay with you long after you've seen it. It is very simple yet weirdly profound and thought-provoking, depicting humanity at its rawest and barest. There is very little dialogue throughout, yet it manages to convey a really elegant story and an emotionally disquieting experience. It manages to capture SO FAITHFULLY Faulkner's strangely primitive and perverse tones. If you want flashiness, action, popular themes, and high-budget effects, this is not the film to see--it is intellectually and emotionally too absorbing, but you have to work at it to get full value from the viewing experience. It's probably so weird and troubling because it requires the viewer to put himself (his own imagination) into the movie, so that ultimately what you come away with is, in part, your own shadow.

This film introduced the world to one of America's greatest actors. Duvall's performance is simple but cuts right through. You'll never be the same after this one.

Wonderful acting of very emotional, sad story. Beautifully done in black and white. This story will stay with me forever, the people seem so real. Duvall is one of the great actors of our time and should be remembered for this performance.

This is an extremely strange and sensitive film, one whose unusual tone and texture stay with you long after you've seen it. It is very simple yet weirdly profound and thought-provoking, depicting humanity at its rawest and barest. There is very little dialogue throughout, yet it manages to convey a really elegant story and an emotionally disquieting experience. It manages to capture SO FAITHFULLY Faulkner's strangely primitive and perverse tones. If you want flashiness, action, popular themes, and high-budget effects, this is not the film to see--it is intellectually and emotionally too absorbing, but you have to work at it to get full value from the viewing experience. It's probably so weird and troubling precisely because it requires you to put yourself (your own imagination) into the movie, so that ultimately what you come away with is, in part, a picture of your own shadow.

This is a movie for fans of a) William Faulkner, b) Horton Foote, c) Robert Duvall, and d) stage plays. Viewers unused to the pace of drama as written for the stage will find this adaptation of Foote's play slow and wordy. Confined mostly to the four walls of a shack, the action will seem claustrophobic at times. But the performances are wonderful, and Foote's always gentle vision of everyday people struggling for love and against loneliness makes the relationship between the story's two central characters poignant and touching.

Meanwhile, Duvall's performance is compelling. The only thing distracting about it is not his fault but Billy Bob Thornton's, who obviously stole from it years later for the unforgettable role he plays in "Slingblade." The early performances of so many actors show them still learning their craft, but the risks Duvall takes with his character shows him already an uncanny master of his art. Finally, Faulkner's world is given eloquent expression in this small black-and-white gem of a film, set in a kind of timeless place that his Mississippi represents. The DVD includes an interview with Duvall and Foote, made in 2003, and provides a number of interesting perspectives on the making of the film. Foote, for example, expresses reservations about the undue influence of the film's editor in the shaping of its final form, and Duvall describes a scene so crucial in his estimation that he would not see the film when the scene was cut.