Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Tomorrow's Children / Child Bride Blu-ray Movie Review

An old-school drama gets an exploitation market release.

Tomorrow's Children is a decent film in the Kino Lorber Forbidden Fruit exploitation line. The film is produced by Bryan Foy (I Was a Communist for the F.B.I., Queen of the Night Clubs). Starring Diane Sinclair, Tomorrow's Children is less outright exploitation and more old-fashioned drama, re-branded for the exploitation market.

Alice Mason (Diane Sinclair) wishes to raise a family someday (with her stoic boyfriend by her side). Yet when a government order indicates that Alice must be sterilized in order to prevent her family genetics from being passed down to future generations of children, Alice must find a way to fight against the clock for her right to have a future as a parent. Surrounded by family that are drunks, disabled, or mentally ill, Alice may hold the one key to a possible future – of tomorrow's children.

Diane Sinclair is surprisingly good in the leading role. The performance is quite good and manages to work well for the storyline. Sinclair delves in to her part and seems determined to bring out the best performance possible.

"Tomorrow's children... watch Blu-ray's 24/7."

The art direction by John DuCasse Schulze (The Count of Monte Cristo, International Lady) is decent and manages to make a solid impression. The production certainly is a notch above most exploitation market fare. The cinematography by William C. Thompson (Girl Gang, Plan 9 from Outer Space) is surprising – for someone involved in Plan 9 from Outer Space, one might assume the visuals aren't worthwhile but the opposite is true.

Directed by Crane Wilbur (Outside the Wall, The Devil on Wheels), Tomorrow's Children is better than expected. The screenplay by Wallace Thurman (High School Girl) seems over-the-top at times but the filmmaking is entertaining nonetheless. Tomorrow's Children is worth a look – and is more ordinary than the exploitation-branding would seem to suggest.

Tomorrow's Children / Child Bride Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Tomorrow's Children is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The video-transfer is impressive overall. There is no significant damage to report. The scan is razor-sharp. Yet there are some thin scratches on the scan. Even so, Tomorrow's Children benefits from the high-definition scanning and there is a good amount of fine detail present. A worthwhile presentation.

Tomorrow's Children / Child Bride Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a lossless uncompressed PCM mono soundtrack. The audio track is nowhere near as good as the video-transfer. Dialogue is often muffled sounding. While still distinguishable, it isn't crisp, clear, or engaging. There is an abundance of hiss and crackle on the audio track. Sadly, it is certainly the opposite of a satisfying audio restoration.

Tomorrow's Children / Child Bride Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary on Tomorrow's Children by Eric Schaefer (Author of Bold! Daring! Shocking! True!: A History of Exploitation Films)

Tomorrow's Children Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:02)

Feature-length Bonus Film: Child Bride (HD, 62:00) focuses on a schoolteacher (Diana Durrell) with a heart of gold who attempts to prevent a child marriage involving a young victim (Shirley Mills). Can the marriage be prevented before it is too late? Child Bride is written and directed by Harry J. Revier, produced by Raymond Friedgen, and features cinematography by Marcel Le Picard.

Child Bride is presented in the original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. The scan is enormously soft and worn looking. There are tons of scratches throughout the print. Black levels are mediocre and appear gray throughout. The audio is not well restored, either. Hiss and crackle can be heard throughout the presentation. Dialogue is still distinguishable but it never sounds crisp.

Audio Commentary on Child Bride by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: Mom and Dad (HD, 1:08), Marihuana (HD, 2:08), Narcotic (HD, 2:32), and Reefer Madness (HD, 2:04).

Tomorrow's Children / Child Bride Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tomorrow's Children is worth a look. The film works as a drama more than it does as exploitation fare. Child Bride isn't so good and I wouldn't recommend it. The Blu-ray release features a decent video presentation (though the audio can be a bit problematic). Rent It.