Tomorrow

Rating:
Summary: Why Tomorrow?
Review: Funny title, don't you think? Tomorrow could mean anything, but I don't think such a title would ever fit another story as well as this one. I won't ruin it for you and tell you why, since it is the last line of the film that reveals it and it is one of the most appropriate endings I've ever seen.

Faulkner, Foote and Duvall, what a line up! Throw in the lumninous Olga Bellin as the lead actress and you couldn't lose with this one if you tried. That is of course unless you are one of the people whose idea of a great film is today's mind numbing fast food of cinema called special effects. The 'special effects' in this one are those you will carry with you after viewing a story of love and true nobility of character.

How two people with so little in the world and so little knowledge of the world, could be so eloquent and say so much with the simplest of words, quietest of gestures, always amazes me. If what you want is a story of quiet beauty and grace that will make you feel better about life after you've seen it, then get your own copy of Tomorrow, for you'll want to see it more than once.

We are lovers of fine filmmaking and finer writing and if we could only own five films (heaven forbid!) this would be one of them! Might even be number one on the list.

Rating:
Summary: Why Tomorrow?
Review: Funny title, don't you think? Tomorrow could mean anything, but I don't think such a title would ever fit another story as well as this one. I won't ruin it for you and tell you why, since it is the last line of the film that reveals it and it is one of the most appropriate endings I've ever seen.

Faulkner, Foote and Duvall, what a line up! Throw in the lumninous Olga Bellin as the lead actress and you couldn't lose with this one if you tried. That is of course unless you are one of the people whose idea of a great film is today's mind numbing fast food of cinema called special effects. The 'special effects' in this one are those you will carry with you after viewing a story of love and true nobility of character.

How two people with so little in the world and so little knowledge of the world, could be so eloquent and say so much with the simplest of words, quietest of gestures, always amazes me. If what you want is a story of quiet beauty and grace that will make you feel better about life after you've seen it, then get your own copy of Tomorrow, for you'll want to see it more than once.

We are lovers of fine filmmaking and finer writing and if we could only own five films (heaven forbid!) this would be one of them! Might even be number one on the list.

Rating:
Summary: Faulkner and Duvall, how can you go wrong?
Review: I saw this movie years ago, and loved it. Sensative and gentle, it draws you in with two wonderful characters. No action, just GREAT acting and a deeply sorrowful tale of simple people. If you like Duvall, you have to see it. If you don't like him, don't worry, you won't even know it's him. "Marry me Sarah" (That's your preview

Rating:
Summary: Faulkner and Duvall, how can you go wrong?
Review: I saw this movie years ago, and loved it. Sensative and gentle, it draws you in with two wonderful characters. No action, just GREAT acting and a deeply sorrowful tale of simple people. If you like Duvall, you have to see it. If you don't like him, don't worry, you won't even know it's him. "Marry me Sarah" (That's your preview

Rating:
Summary: The Quiet Power of Love
Review: I'm glad I didn't read the reviews of this film before I saw it, as I don't appreciate to have the entire plot of a movie revealed (reviewers, please, no more spoilers!). Fortunately, I obtained a copy of this film from Amazon[.com] before it became unavailable. I love Faulkner, and this adaptation of one of his short stories is both profound and simple at the same time. Stellar performances by all, including the director, in creating such a moving testament to love and loss which defines us as living human beings. A true treasure of filmmaking.

Rating:
Summary: The Quiet Power of Love
Review: I'm glad I didn't read the reviews of this film before I saw it, as I don't appreciate to have the entire plot of a movie revealed (reviewers, please, no more spoilers!). Fortunately, I obtained a copy of this film from Amazon[.com] before it became unavailable. I love Faulkner, and this adaptation of one of his short stories is both profound and simple at the same time. Stellar performances by all, including the director, in creating such a moving testament to love and loss which defines us as living human beings. A true treasure of filmmaking.

Rating:
Summary: Complex and haunting. You will question humanity and love.
Review: Robert Duvall is one of the greatest actors of all time. This movie proves it. His character is a simple, probably illiterate man, who proves he has complex loyalty, emotions and ideas. He is dirt poor and gets a job watching a mill during the off season. Rather than go mad with loneliness, as the previous worker did, Duvall learns to live alone.

When that changes with the arrival of a runaway pregnant woman, Jackson Fentry learns what love and devotion mean. Watching him come to life with a family to care for will open your heart. Alas the plot doesn't allow him to enjoy this happiness for long. The tragedy that could destroy Fentry is hinted at in the film's opening & closing scenes, but will make you cry when they happen.

Duvall's character speaks simply. Most of his dialog is in three or four word sentences. But, Duvall's ability to use accents, tone, nuance and looks convey just how complex this man is and how deeply he cares for his loved ones.

This is a wonderful movie that will have you question what devotion is all about.

Rating:
Summary: Robert Duvall in a compelling Faulkner piece.
Review: Robert Duvall turns in a superb performance as Jackson Fentry, a Faulkner character by way of a Horton Foote screenplay. Fentry is one of Faulkner's lowly, despised, hidden men.Yet when confronted with an urgent human need, he shows unexpected depths of grace and longing.(OK, it's Duvall-it's not completely unexpected.) Duvall explores the classic Faulkner fault-lines of class and sex with unerring sensitivity. An excellent antidote to the toxic manhood on display in "In the Company of Men."

Rating:
Summary: A great actor, this is the pinnacle of Duvall's career.
Review: The story is a tragedy in the purest sense. It is a tale of a humble and good man who loses the two greatest loves of his life-his wife and child. The bleakness of the ending likely kept the film from being more popular. However, it should be seen by every serious movie fan just for the performance of Robert Duvall. This great actor has never given a better performance. It left me awestruck in its simplicity and believability.

Rating:
Summary: This is a small gem of great drama. Don't miss it!
Review: This 1972 film, starring Robert Duvall before he became famous, is a real find. Based on a short story by William Faulkner, the play as well as the screenplay were written by Horton Foote, of "To Kill a Mocking Bird" fame. Naturally, it's set in Mississippi in the days when mules and buggies were used for transportation, and old men still remembered fighting in the Civil War.

Robert Duvall is cast in the role of Jackson Fentry, a simple cotton farmer who takes on a job of caretaker at a sawmill during the winter months. It's a lonely place, and he lives in a shack, but there's a water pump outside and a wood stove to cook on, and he's used to a hard life. He hears a low moan outside one day, and discovers Sarah Eubanks, played by Olga Bellin, who is weak and pregnant and needing care. She's been abandoned by her husband and has no place to go. Both of them are quite shy and their meeting, in which he invites her in to his shack, is a small masterpiece of nuance. She has large expressive eyes and they both talk very slowly, but I never felt bored and easily adjusted to the pace.

During the next few months their life together becomes idyllic but there is always an underlying tragic feel to their happiness. "Marry me Sarah," he says. But alas, she can't; she's already married. As the story moves on, it gets sadder and sadder and, when, twenty years later, he's called to be a juror in a murder trial, we all understand why his vote causes a mistrial. It's a fitting conclusion, although not a happy one.

This is perhaps one of Robert Duvall's greatest roles; one that he has said in interviews is still his favorite. It required excellent acting ability and he certainly demonstrated it. Throughout, we identify completely with the simple farmer with his deep regional southern accent. Olga Bellin is also excellent, but, with the exception of two minor roles on television, this was her only film. The screenplay is perfect also, using language that was natural to the characters. And the simple black and white cinematography sets the mood just perfectly. All together, this is a small gem and not to be missed by those who love good drama. Just be forewarned about the sadness. Recommended.