In the pantheon of great Orson Welles performances, it is easy for classics such as Citizen Kane or Touch Of Evil to overshadow a somewhat minor work like 1946’s Tomorrow Is Forever from director Irving Pichel (The Most Dangerous Game). This melodrama based upon the 1943 serialized novel of the same name by Gwen Bristow serves as an interesting piece of cinematic history due to its production coming in the waning days of the second World War. While patriotism and support for our efforts abroad had veered towards propaganda on the silver screen, it came as a bit of surprise to see this narrative which so clearly criticized the futility of war. The film is a bit overwrought and obvious in the presentation of its narrative, but the core ideas are engaging enough to make this one worth watching if only to see the talent on screen bring it to life.
The film begins in the midst of the first World War as young Elizabeth MacDonald (Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night) longs to be reunited with her husband, John (Orson Welles), who is away fighting in Germany. Just before the holidays in 1918, Elizabeth receives notice that John has perished in the war which hurts all the more with the news she is pregnant with his child. She is consoled by Lawrence Hamilton (George Brent), a friend and wealthy entrepreneur who expresses his romantic interest in the recent widow. Elizabeth confesses to him that she could never love him as much as she loved her husband, but soon agrees to marry Lawrence if only for the stability of having a partner to help her raise her son. The only wrinkle is that John did not actually perish in the war, he was only maimed and left to die in a German hospital where he gave up on the life he had. It is only twenty years later when a reconstructed John returns to America under the name of Erich Kessler for business reasons that he inadvertently gets involved in the life of his wife once again.
The film mostly sticks to the beats you would expect as it surveys a man’s reaction to happening upon the life that should have been his. There are interesting moral questions that arise from this situation, such as whether or not you have the right to upend the life of a person you love who has moved on from their heartache. There is also the pain that comes with seeing his son Drew (Richard Long) and not being able to say everything he wants to say to him. It is in this dynamic where we get some of the anti-war sentiments; Drew feels compelled to support his country as whispers of a second World War grow louder, but “Erich” gets to impart some fatherly guidance in the guise of a concerned older figure about the downsides of war. The makeup work that “changes” John into Erich over the twenty years can be a bit laughable, but Welles himself does an excellent job of bringing the character to life. Brent is a bit vanilla as the newer love interest, but Colbert lights up the screen as the often painstricken Elizabeth. The feature even has a baby Natalie Wood as a young German girl with a tragic past that John guards over. The film is not always nuanced, but the story restrains the melodrama enough to make the narrative affecting. It is not the pinnacle of anyone’s career, but it is worthy of a viewing.
Video Quality
Tomorrow Is Forever makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to ClassicFlix with a 1080p master from a restoration that is quite wonderful. The lovely black-and-white photography shines in high definition with natural grain intact and next to nothing in terms of density fluctuations outside of a handful of softer shots. Black levels are very deep with no obvious occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track experiences nearly nothing in the way of damage. There is a grand amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. The transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. ClassicFlix has done some excellent work here and any fan should be beyond pleased with the quality.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a fairly decent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie well enough. This track does present some amount of age-related wear and tear, as it sometimes struggles with the higher end of the Max Steiner score. There are also certain instances of dialogue that sound a bit hollow, but typically it sounds natural and clear. Dialogue and background noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements. The music never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Even with some small source issues, ClassicFlix has done their best to provide the most stable track possible for this one.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Score Restorationist Ray Faiola delivers a very informative commentary track in which he details many aspects of the film’s origins and production along with the Max Steiner score and even excerpts from an old radio version of the material. This is a nice addition that puts a lot into context.
- Isolated Music Track: An option to view the film only with the Max Steiner score in Dolby Digital 2.0.
- Image Gallery: A collection of stills, promotional photos, marketing materials and more are provided here.
Final Thoughts
Tomorrow Is Forever is a decently compelling melodrama that is elevated thanks to strong performances from Orson Welles and Claudette Colbert. There are certain moments that are a bit contrived or overwrought, but there is a restraint employed that helps the film in the end. ClassicFlix has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a couple of supplemental features. If you are a fan of any of the talent involved, this one is not a bad addition to your collection. Recommended
Tomorrow Is Forever is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: ClassicFlix has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
