Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 21, 2010

Leo McCarey's "Make Way for Tomorrow" (1937) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include a video introduction by writer Gary Giddins and interview with filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich. The disc also arrives with a lengthy illustrated booklet featuring a new essay on the film by writer and Library of America editor Geoffrey O'Brien, and an excerpt from Josephine Lawrence's source novel Years Are So Long. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Do you remember?

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 British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

This is a wonderful high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is good, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels a lot better and more consistent than I expected them to be. The color scheme is also very pleasing -- the variety of blacks are stable while the grays and whites look natural. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern (but there are traces of light built-in sharpening); neither is macroblocking. I also did not see any traces of heavy noise reduction. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. Blown through a digital projector, the film conveys wonderful depth and tightness. Lastly, there are a few minor flecks and scratches that pop up here and there, but they are not overly distracting. All in all, this is a wonderful presentation of a fantastic classic film, which I cannot recommend highly enough. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Make Way for Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is good. Understandably, its dynamic amplitude is rather limited, but the sound has wonderful depth and clarity. Indeed, the dialog is clean, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no balance issues with George Antheil and Victor Young's music score either. This said, there is some extremely mild background hiss that occasionally pops up here and there. I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

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

Gary Giddins on the contexts of the film - in this video introduction to Make Way For Tomorrow, originally recorded 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).

Peter Bogdanovich on McCarey and his films - in this video introduction, originally recorded 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. (20 min, 1080p).

Booklet - a lengthy illustrated booklet featuring a new essay on the film by writer and Library of America editor Geoffrey O'Brien, and an excerpt from Josephine Lawrence's source novel Years Are So Long.

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

I have nothing but praise for Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Leo McCarey's Make Way for Tomorrow. This is such a special film, and the presentation is fantastic. If you don't add Make Way for Tomorrow to your libraries, you would be missing on one of this year's very best UK Blu-ray releases. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.