Tomorrow (1972)

Two lonely people . . .

This is a movie for fans of a) William Faulkner, b) Horton Foote, c) Robert Duvall, and d) stage plays. Viewers unused to the pace of drama as written for the stage will find this adaptation of Foote's play slow and wordy. Confined mostly to the four walls of a shack, the action will seem claustrophobic at times. But the performances are wonderful, and Foote's always gentle vision of everyday people struggling for love and against loneliness makes the relationship between the story's two central characters poignant and touching.

Meanwhile, Duvall's performance is compelling. The only thing distracting about it is not his fault but Billy Bob Thornton's, who obviously stole from it years later for the unforgettable role he plays in "Slingblade." The early performances of so many actors show them still learning their craft, but the risks Duvall takes with his character shows him already an uncanny master of his art. Finally, Faulkner's world is given eloquent expression in this small black-and-white gem of a film, set in a kind of timeless place that his Mississippi represents. The DVD includes an interview with Duvall and Foote, made in 2003, and provides a number of interesting perspectives on the making of the film. Foote, for example, expresses reservations about the undue influence of the film's editor in the shaping of its final form, and Duvall describes a scene so crucial in his estimation that he would not see the film when the scene was cut. February 22, 2008

I can't believe I spent this much money on this.

I should have paid more attention to K. Williams' review. We disagree on one point, though. Williams thinks the movie is too long. I think that any length would be too long.

Yes, the acting is excellent, but in order to create a good movie you absolutely must start with a good script. This one just drags on and on. I stayed with the movie all the way to the end, thinking that, with all the 5-star reviews, there must eventually be something to this boring story. Wrong!

I rarely give a bad review (see my others), mostly because I don't usually error when I buy something. This DVD was a mistake.

Do not buy this DVD until you have rented it first.
February 13, 2008

TOMORROW

RATING-PG for thematic elements. There is one intense scene of pain during childbirth but nothing explicit. A murder happens on-screen but nothing graphic or closeup.

STARRING-Robert Duvall. Screenplay by Horton Foote.

THEME-Unconditional love and compassion.

STORY-Based on a short story by William Faulkner, the film opens with the brief flashback of a night scene where a young man and woman are apparently trying to elope without her parent's knowledge. The family is aroused and the young man is shot and killed by the father. The camera then moves to the courtroom of a small Mississippi town where a murder trial is in its final argument stage. As the defense wraps up its final argument, the camera pans the jury zooming in on Jackson Fentry (Duvall). When he casts the lone vote against acquitting the father resulting in a hung jury, the defense attorney wonders why would this man vote against 11 of his peers, in this his first trial as a lawyer. The rest of the movie tells us why by taking us back 20 years in the life of Fentry. Duvall is at his best in his role of Jackson Fentry, an introverted cotton farmer who leaves his father's farm to be the watchman at a rural sawmill about 30 miles from home. We see a tragic and touching love story between Duvall and a young, pregnant woman who has been deserted by her husband. In Duvall you see man's capacity for love and to do good. In the end we also experience man's capacity for evil and to do harm to his fellow man. This is not a fast-paced action film with lots of special effects but the acting is outstanding and well worth watching. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews 9/15/2007. www.lusreviews.blogspot.com

September 15, 2007

Tomorrow

"Tomorrow" is simply the best film adaptation of a Faulkner work ever made.
When the adaptation first appeared on television, Faulkner declined to accept a royalty because he was so impressed with Horton Foote's adaptation. Robert Duval and Olga Belline give superb performances in this film adaptation based on the T.V. adaptation of Faulkner's short stiry originally published in "The Saturday Evening Post." Shot on location in Mississippi in black and white. September 14, 2007

Love can be found where you least expect it

This excellent movie's screenplay is by Horton Foote, who adapted it from William Faulkner's short story by the same name from the collection "Knight's Gambit." Robert Duvall plays Jackson Fentry and Olga Bellin plays Sarah Eubanks. While sharecropping on a cotton farm, Fentry takes in a stranger, Sarah, who is homeless and pregnant. Fentry shows Sarah great kindness and concern until she delivers her baby. Much later, Fentry hangs a jury that is hearing the case of one Buck Thorpe, who stands accused of murder. Exactly why Fentry, who is an uneducated, dirt-poor farmer, is the only member of the jury who votes for Buck's acquittal, is what the movie is about. "Tomorrow" is not only a great movie, but also the screenplay is one of the finest adaptations around. A must-see movie. March 8, 2007

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