It could easily be argued that Make Way for Tomorrow is melodramatic, emotionally manipulative, and more than a little dated, but for a film made in 1937 (and even compared to some films today), the maturity and realism portrayed in the difficult decisions faced by all supersede those issues that are more a product of the era in which it was made rather than the skill of Leo McCarey and his actors. The universal constant of having parents whom most children we see get old, and how to ensure that their final years are fulfilling and free of physical pain, is one that transcends issues of technical merit and generational mores. The choices Barkley and Lucy's children have to make…

Make Way for Tomorrow was re-watched as my third MISTRESS-movie

When I first viewed this a few years ago it hadn't yet had its Criterion-release and was largely forgotten. I remember there was just 1343 votes for it at IMDB, and no-one I knew had ever even heard about it. I've since seen it as one of my duties to promote this little gem. As far as I've noticed also the National Film Preservation Board have taken it upon themselves also as they included it in the National Film Registry in 2010.

And every time I think about this movie, I think about director Leo McCarey him self standing up to achieve his Academy Award. His film had 6 nominations…

73/100

On the one hand, I'm in awe of how pitiless this is, especially for its time. On the other hand, it feels a bit emotionally jury-rigged, as only Thomas Mitchell (and to a lesser degree his wife) come across as well-meaning and ineffectual rather than actively selfish and cruel. Similarly, the tender third act, in which Ma and Pa revisit the scenes of their courtship and pretend this isn't very likely a final farewell, is at once deeply moving and faintly exasperating—the latter because of course it's much easier to be kind and generous to total strangers who are crossing your path for only a few minutes and to whom you have no real responsibility. (I say "of course"…

Filmmakers, like humanity in general, have long been obsessed with death – and why wouldn’t they be? The construct is simultaneously universal and intensely personal, terrifying and exciting, certain and unknown. These bipolarities make for good theater. But for as frequently as The End is dramatized on the silver-screen, the years leading up to it are almost never depicted. This phenomenon is equally easy to explain — nobody wants to think about growing old, because unlike dying, there’s nothing romantic about it. At best, you are content to be a shell of who you once were. At worst, you are a burden on society, unable to care for yourself, rotting away slowly until your demise.

Leo McCarey’s 1937 masterpiece “Make…

It could easily be argued that Make Way for Tomorrow is melodramatic, emotionally manipulative, and more than a little dated, but for a film made in 1937 (and even compared to some films today), the maturity and realism portrayed in the difficult decisions faced by all supersede those issues that are more a product of the era in which it was made rather than the skill of Leo McCarey and his actors. The universal constant of having parents whom most children we see get old, and how to ensure that their final years are fulfilling and free of physical pain, is one that transcends issues of technical merit and generational mores. The choices Barkley and Lucy's children have to make…

Just like Ozu's magnificent Tokyo Story, as soon as this movie ended the first thing I wanted to do was tell my parents how much I appreciate them and what they've done for me.

A sad but also very touching tale about two elderly parents who are forced to abandon their home and turn to their children who just don't want them around. I can't even imagine how it feels as a parent to know your child isn't interested in you or your company.

What I like about this movie is how it shows both perspectives. As kids we all know how parents can drive us mad even though they mean well and I could somewhat empathise with the kids…