There's No Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

There's No Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 22, 2023

Max Ophüls' "There's No Tomorrow" a.k.a. "Sans Lendemain" (1939) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Adrian Martin and restored vintage French trailer for the film. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It has all gone wrong, but why exactly? When Evelyn (Edwige Feuillere) was just a girl, she would occasionally hear stories about young women who ended up doing what she is doing now so that they could survive, but it never crossed her mind that she would reach the gutter, too. Why would it? She was beautiful, willing to work hard, and optimistic about the future. She thought that bad things happened only to women who give up on life, not the ones who embrace it and dream big. So, how did it get this bad?

Evelyn was too naïve. Her husband was the first man she fell in love with, and when he asked her to marry him, she instantly said yes. Later, he said all the right things too, and Evelyn believed him -- every single word he uttered, plus everything he thought of but did not mention to her. It is why Evelyn followed him and did everything he wanted her to do -- until she realized that he was a seasoned criminal. It is when everything started to fall apart and Evelyn desperately tried to get away from him. Canada was so big that for a while Evelyn thought that it could provide her with the cover she needed to move on with her life, but her husband easily found her. Then, against her wish, he brought her back to Paris and everything started to fall apart.

While hiding in Canada, Evelyn met Georges (George Rigaud). He was kind and patient with her, the warmest man she had ever known. They quickly fell in love and for a while it felt magical to dream that he was the special man Evelyn could grow old with. But Evelyn never told Georges that she was married and on the run. How could she? Had Evelyn told George that her husband was a seasoned criminal and she had run away from him, she would have hurt him so bad it would have taken him the rest of his life to recover. Evelyn could tell that Georges truly loved her. It is why when her husband unexpectedly appeared and threatened to expose her as a shameless liar if she did not follow him back to Paris, Evelyn abruptly abandoned Georges.

The rest happened very quickly. When her husband was killed, all Evelyn was left with was a bag of clothes and their little boy. How does a broke, single mother make ends meet in Paris? Who would hire her? And especially since she was married to a seasoned criminal whose name appeared on the front page of all major newspapers on the day he died? The biggest striptease club in Paris. This place always welcomed young and beautiful women willing to take their clothes off for money, so Evelyn went there and quickly got hired. She did not have another good option to consider. It was the striptease club or selling dates in another famous area of Paris. Voilà. This is how Evelyn reached the gutter.

But now, more than a decade later, having become one of the most successful doctors in Montreal, Georges has arrived in Paris with his assistant (Daniel Lecourtois) and fate has arranged for them to meet again. What does Evelyn do? She cannot run away again, but she cannot allow Georges to discover what has become of her either. Evelyn would have to be a liar again and convince Georges that she is a good woman who has simply moved on with her life. But how does Evelyn do it? If Georges visits the tiny apartment she rents, he will instantly figure out that she has been lying to him. Perhaps Evelyn could borrow money from a local loan shark and rent a decent apartment for a few days where she could welcome Georges and make him believe the rosy story of her life that never was. But what happens after that? Once Georges leaves, Evelyn must pay back the borrowed money with the interest on it, and with her earnings from the striptease club it might take years to do it. A loan shark like the one she has in mind will not wait such a long time to get his money back.

There’s No Tomorrow is yet another minor masterpiece of poetic realism from the great Max Ophuls. It is told as a fairy tale for adults, but at the same time, the timeless truths that emerge from it are presented with surprising contemporary sincerity.

The leads are spectacular. However, Feuillere oozes old-fashioned class and elegance that are especially attractive.

There's No Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, There's No Tomorrow arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduces a recent, very good 2K restorations of There's No Tomorrow that was prepared on behalf of Gaumont in France. The overall quality of the 2K makeover ranges from good to excellent. I think that the gamma levels could have been managed a bit better because large parts of the films feature a lot of restricted lighting/natural shadows, but delineation, clarity, and depth remain pleasing. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, the presentation reveals some light macroblocking patterns. You can see an example on the right side of screencapture #2. Luckily, the areas where these anomalies are present are always very dark, so even trained eyes are likely to miss them. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks very healthy as well. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

There's No Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and all exchanges are easy to follow. However, quite often the sound can become a bit thin -- not too much, but enough to realize that the recording equipment that was used during the filming of There's No Tomorrow in 1939 had plenty of limitations. Dynamic intensity is predictably modest as well. The English translation is excellent. Also, I liked the size of the subtitles a lot.

There's No Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a restored vintage French trailer for There's No Tomorrow. In French, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Adrian Martin. The bulk of the information that is shared in the commentary addresses the career of Max Ophuls and his association with poetic realism, some trends in French cinema at the time when There's No Tomorrow, the original material that inspired the film, etc.

There's No Tomorrow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some of the greatest love stories are some of the simplest and most tragic ones. One such story is told in Max Ophuls' There's No Tomorrow, which is yet another timeless masterpiece from the legendary director. A few years ago, There's No Tomorrow was fully restored in 2K by Gaumont in France, so it looks good on Blu-ray. If you decide to pick up this release for your library, I suggest that you bundle it with Love Affair. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.