Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 25, 2015

Leo McCarey's "Make Way for Tomorrow" (1937) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include video interviews with writer Gary Giddins and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich. The release also arrives with a 28-page illustrated booklet featuring Tad Gallagher's essay "Make Wat for Lucy...", acclaimed director Bertrand Tavernier's essay "We Laugh, and Our Hearts Ache", and Robin Wood's essay "With This Ending, I Thee Unwed". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

One final night together

Here’s a film that is as unsettling as it is beautiful to behold. It is about an elderly couple, Barkley (Victor Moore, This Marriage Business) and Lucy (Beulah Bondi, Remember the Night), who have lost their home to an unnamed bank because they could not make their mortgage payments. They are given a couple of days to pack their possessions and leave.

Barkley and Lucy share the bad news with their five children. They are shocked to hear that their parents have lost their home and immediately offer to help. But they don’t have enough room to take in both -- which is why they decide that Barkley will stay with daughter Rhoda (Barbara Read, The Missing Lady) and her husband while Lucy will stay with son George (Thomas Mitchell, Angels Over Broadway) and his wife (Fay Bainter, Woman of the Year).

Barkley and Lucy are then separated and sent in opposite directions -- Barkley heads to New York City while Lucy heads to the countryside. Having lived together for 50 years, however, they miss each other. They talk on the phone and exchange letters, but it is not the same.

Soon after, Barkley falls ill and seriously upsets Rhoda and her husband. Lucy annoys George and his wife because she makes it impossible for them to run their weekly bridge classes. Rhoda and George attempt to pass their parents to their siblings but are very quickly turned down.

Realizing that she does not fit in George’s family, Lucy offers to move into a retirement home. She asks her son to promise that he won’t tell Barkley because he would be terribly disappointed by her decision. Ashamed and at the same time pleased with his mother’s request, George agrees.

In the final third of the film Barkley and Lucy meet again in New York City. Realizing that this may be their last time together, they decide to visit the Vogart Hotel, where 50 years ago they celebrated their honeymoon. The hotel has changed -- the lobby looks different, the drinks people order at the bar are different, the music the band plays is different. Barkley and Lucy slowly head to the bar where they order “two old-fashioneds for two old-fashioned people”. This is their night.

It feels so strange that a film so old could look so modern. Think about it. It is 1937. An elderly couple loses their home to a bank because they could not make their mortgage payments. They don’t have any savings. The American economy is in terrible condition. The couple realizes that they don’t have much time left to live. All they have is each other. Sound familiar? It does to me. There are so many couples in America today whose stories are very, very similar.

Make Way for Tomorrow is an incredibly simple, breathtakingly beautiful film that touches the heart in a special way. What it shows is very real, devoid of melodrama, free of cliches. You could be smart, you could do everything right, and your life could still be a disaster. You could be in love, you could be happy, but you could still suffer. Like Barkley and Lucy.

Make Way for Tomorrow apparently inspired Yasujiro Ozu to film Tokyo Story. I can see why. The film exudes sincerity and grace. Most similarly themed films typically have protagonists which one forgets immediately after the final credits roll. You won’t forget Barkley and Lucy because they will remind you how important it is to respect and honor your parents while they are alive.

Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Leo McCarey's Make Way for Tomorrow arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This high-definition digital 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 and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, and noise management.

The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and lZotope RX 4.

Transfer supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Colorist: Doug Drake Universal Studios, Universal City, CA."

It appears that Criterion have accessed the same master Eureka Entertainment worked with when they prepared their Blu-ray release of Make Way for Tomorrow in 2010. However, additional work has been done and the encoding on this new release is also much better. Generally speaking, detail is good and clarity quite pleasing. It is easy to see, however, that the master has various limitations -- there are small traces of light built-in sharpening, the grain isn't always as well distributed as it should be, and there are minor scratches and dirt specks. The film's overall appearance, however, is healthier and better balanced. Indeed, the grain is better exposed and resolved and the harshness that is visible on the Region-B release is practically eliminated. The blacks, whites, and greys also appear better saturated. As a result, depth and clarity are more convincing. This being said, Make Way for Tomorrow certainly can look better. There is room for different improvements that could give it an even healthier and better balanced appearance. All in all, the Region-A and Region-B releases are both within the 4.25/5.00 mark, but Criterion's release is very clearly superior. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles have been provided for the main feature.

I did some direct comparisons with the lossless track from the Region-B release and can confirm that additional work has been done to remove as much of the background hiss as possible. As a result, the audio is clearer and better balanced. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in this review.

Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Gary Giddins - in this video interview, which was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2009, writer Gary Giddins (Natural Selections, Warning Shadows) discusses the production history of the film, the socio-political climate in America at the time the film was made, its message, etc. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• Tomorrow, Yesterday, and Today - in this video interview, which was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2009, filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich discusses the production history of Make Way For Tomorrow and director Leo McCarey's legacy. In English, not subtitled. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - 28-page illustrated booklet featuring: Tad Gallagher's essay "Make Wat for Lucy..."; acclaimed director Bertrand Tavernier's essay "We Laugh, and Our Hearts Ache"; Robin Wood's essay "With This Ending, I Thee Unwed"; and technical credits.

Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Leo McCarey's Make Way for Tomorrow is an incredibly simple, breathtakingly beautiful film that touches the heart in a special way. It was a major inspiration for Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu's equally moving Tokyo Story. I think that the film transitions to Blu-ray rather late in the U.S., but this is the best looking release that I have seen. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.