Leo
McCarey’s familial melodrama, Make Way
for Tomorrow, is deceptively simplistic in story and screenplay. The
narrative, however, contains much more than plot; we are exposed to every
expression, every reaction shot, with a precision in filmmaking that McCarey
carried over from his years of experience in early comedic cinema. Famous for
having made the reaction shot a commonplace element in the slapstick of Our
Gang and Laurel & Hardy shorts, McCarey achieves just as much success with
pathos in the close-ups and deliberate framing of his drama. McCarey
understands that body language and subtle expressions are universally helpful
in the language of cinema, affecting the audience’s emotional response with
both laughter and tears. Make Way for
Tomorrow has both, but neither feels contrived; the audience is brought
into the story by the demand to participate in the reading of facial
expressions, so that the emotional investment is our own. This is the sincerest
form of filmmaking, as McCarey trusts his audiences enough to allow them their
own personal involvement in the unfolding of the narrative.
Especially by
today’s standards, there is something very familiar about Make Way for Tomorrow. McCarey’s simple narrative about an aging
couple forced to move in with separate children after losing their home was the
inspiration for Yasujirô Ozu’s Tokyo
Story in the 1950s, not to mention the obvious parallels in last year’s
critical darling, Love is Strange.
But Make Way for Tomorrow is much
more than its collection of parts, all of which are individually excellent, but
come together in McCarey’s vision with precision and sincerity found in few
films at the time or since.
With an approach
that is often simultaneously filled with humor and heartache, the plot of Make Way for Tomorrow follows the
misfortunes endured by elderly couple Barkley and Lucy Cooper (Victor Moore and
Beulah Bondi) attempting to enjoy the twilight of their life together in a
pre-Social Security America. Having been unemployed for years, this couple is
given the unfortunate news that the bank will be repossessing their longtime
home. After gathering their four nearby children in the home which they were
raised to give this news and humbly ask for help, it quickly becomes clear that
the inconvenience of the situation will lead to an insensitive handling by
nearly all of the offspring. Even those that offer up help do so unwillingly,
and with stipulations. The most devastating of these is the insistence that
Lucy and Bark are split up, to lessen the burden for each child opening their
home.
Lucy moves in
with her son, George (Thomas Mitchell), and his somewhat understanding wife,
Anita (Fay Bainter), but her presence alone proves to be something of a burden
and a nuisance. Even though she is polite and passive, Lucy manages to do all
of the wrong things, from intruding on Anita’s bridge lessons with a noisy
rocking chair or unwanted commentary to causing the family members to feel
guilt by her mere presence. Bark has it even worse living with his daughter,
Cora (Elizabeth Risdon), whose resentment of the situation first leads to an
alternative solution. When Bark is suddenly taken ill, Cora makes the decision
to send him to California
The final act of
the film is the gently paced final day that Lucy and Bark are permitted to
spend together before forced to part ways, and this is where McCarey’s precise
filmmaking begins to creep under the viewer’s skin. There is little indulgent
about the melodrama of this final sequence, but the simple kindness that
stranger pay this elderly couple on their final date is a stark contrast to the
selfish behavior of their own blood relatives. Lucy and Bark go out on the town
like we imagine they have not done since they were young and in love. The youth
may be gone, but the love is clearer than one can imagine it ever was. Even in
the final goodbye between these tender souls, McCarey never squeezes the
audience for a tearful reaction; he allows the scene to play out
unsentimentally to an effect far greater than all of the melodrama Hollywood
The Blu-ray
release offers this classic a long-overdue high-definition digital restoration,
with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. The special features are primarily taken
from the 2009 DVD release, including an interview with filmmaker Peter
Bogdanovich about the significance of McCarey’s career, as well as a
conversation with critic Gary Giddins about the social and political context of
the film. Also included is a thick booklet insert with essays from critic Tag
Gallagher and filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier, as well as an excerpt from Robin
Wood’s 1998 essay, “Leo McCarey and ‘Family Values’.”
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 10/10
Historical
Significance: 10/10
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