User reviews

In the deep American South of the early 1900's, living wasn't easy. Food and work were scarce, and so were the means to find them. Jackson Fentry had it harder than most. A simple man with a kind heart, Fentry walks thirty miles in the depths of Winter to take up a job as a sawmill operator. There, he lives a quiet, lonely life and seems destined to stay that way forever. Soon however, happenstance brings an abandoned, sickly pregnant woman to the sawmill, who Fentry cares for, nursing her back to health. Eventually the two form a bond and she gives birth to a healthy child- but whether or not Fentry will be able to sustain their newfound, non-traditional family unit in a cruel, cold world remains to be seen.

Directed by Joseph Anthony and Written by Horton Foote- based on an episode he wrote for Playhouse 90, which was in turn inspired by a William Faulkner short story- this drama is quietly powerful on all fronts. Foote was a writer of much subtlety, whose work in a wide range of mediums- from theatre to television- continues to impress with its' emotional depth. His screenplay for 'Tomorrow' ranks alongside his adaptation of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' as one of his finest works. It's never melodramatic, despite having moments of high-drama, with Foote painting a portrait of Southern life at the turn of the last century that is both realistic and profound.

Foote's dialogue sounds genuine to the period and to the characters, with his writing for Fentry being particularly believable and strong. Some critics suggest that he has over-written some of Faulkner's lines, added too many Southernisms perhaps. However, if one reads the Faulkner story that 'Tomorrow' is based on, they'll see that this isn't the case. In fact, the seeming over-use of Southern sayings and eccentricities of speech in the film are as present in Faulkner's original work as they are in Foote's adaptation. Not to mention the fact- and this is a cheap line, but a pertinent point- that is how many people talked back then.

Under Anthony's direction, Allan Green captures the coldness, despair and drama inherent to the story masterfully with his black and white cinematography. He moves his camera relatively little, and this stillness adds unquestionable power and dramatic tension to scenes as well as reinforcing the overall tone of the film. The muted score from composer Irwin Stahl also contributes to the atmosphere, as does Reva Schlesinger's fine, unobtrusive editing.

Robert Duvall is a master of understatement, and his performance as Fentry is a testament to that fact. His Fentry is a sad, introverted man of surprising emotional intelligence and depth. Stuck in a cold life without resources, or the abilities- mental or otherwise- to acquire them, he has the audience's sympathies from the get-go. Duvall consistently underplays the role, despite having many lines to deliver steeped in Southern slang (which a lesser actor would surely overemphasise). Faulknerian characters are never easy to bring to life, but Duvall makes it seem like a breeze; delivering a complex, affecting performance that will be fondly remembered forever by those who see it.

Olga Bellin leads the supporting cast as Sarah, the pregnant woman who fate transports to Fentry's door. Her's is an intriguing character whose background is never fully explained or explored in the film, though Bellin does a remarkable job making her appear sympathetic and well-rounded. She is a more expressive presence on screen than Duvall, and their contrasting acting styles makes for interesting viewing. Though she doesn't have all that much screen time, Bellin certainty leaves an impression, and delivers a fine performance all the same.

'Tomorrow' is a quiet, sad, slow-burn that is an emotionally powerful journey back to the deep South of the 1900's. It is a fantastic adaptation of William Faulkner's story, a writer whose work is often butchered or made overly melodramatic on screen. Robert Duvall delivers a masterful lead performance that will enrapture any viewer with its depth and power. It may not be for everyone, but for those who appreciate character-based human dramas; 'Tomorrow' is a must watch.

This is a very fine William Faulkner adaptation set in circa 1910 rural Mississippi. Duvall fans, like me, should be thrilled to see and hear his masterful piece of humble and unpretentious acting. I must say there is a level of disappointment in reading the few negative or cursory reviews. I think one of the most overlooked elements in this film is the outstanding acting by Olga Bellin (Sarah). Frequent commentary of being cast too old is unfounded. Women in rural environments of this depicted era were a little worn around the edges. Sarah is actually quite beautiful in close ups, and she dispels any age related bias in the subtleties of her great acting. Where Duvall is masterful in delivering rural and colloquial dialog, Bellin equals the performance with outstanding facial expressions and body language. It is like having a window to her heart and mind. Together, they compelled me to care about them. In some ways, a nice motif on opposites attract. As for the purported, slow pace of this movie, I might just say life in the woods of Mississippi for 103 minutes did not seem too deliberate for me. This film is a very good and focused character study on love and loyalty. The monochromatic cinematography is appropriate and adequate. The on location, props and screen captures are great. Cinophiles should appreciate it. Despite some critics perceived B-movie imagery at times, this film has 4-star acting and a meaningful story.

This is an incredible film. Not only is it a near perfect visualization of something quite complex, the Faulkner literary style, but it shows Robert Duvall to be the genius that he is. His style is so understated that you might not realize that he is one of the two or three greatest actors alive, but this film will nail that reality home for you. "Tomorrow" is a heartbreaking story set in the deep south a generation after the Civil War, and the tiny sad tale of a man and a woman and their child. It is a tale of profound love felt by people who cannot eloquently express themselves in words due to their social circumstances, but speak volumes with their actions. And so does the film. Shot in a very modernist style, there are long pauses, long glances, uncomfortable silences, all just like real life. And the effect, in this case, is brilliant. I am proud to say that I have, in my life, known a few people like the people in this film, and I can tell you that the portrayals are precisely right. The costumes are flawless in their detail. (Duvall's shirt is held shut with a safety pin, a tiny detail that my grandmother noticed immediately as the way men used to do it when the button fell off - she saw it hundreds of times as a girl in the 20's.) I could go on and on, but if you have any interest in Faulkner, or the South, or post Civil War culture, or the human condition in its most effecting moments, you really owe it to yourself to see this little gem of a movie. You absolutely will not be sorry.

In my opinion, Robert Duvall's performance made this story into a believable movie, and turned his character into a man of understated strength, and an admirable person. He managed to capture the mannerisms, accent, and speech syntax of his character and the region to the extent that the other actors' otherwise good portrayals appeared out of place. I'm not sure that I would have seen the movie, had I read the story first; however, having seen the movie, I want to read the book.

Based on a William Faulkner story to be found in the collection Knight's Gambit, possibly his best work written after WWII, Tomorrow is the story of a dull Southern man who falls in love with a pregnant woman whose husband has run away and then raises the child. The script, written by Horton Foote (who won an Oscar for his screenplay for To Kill a Mockingbird) is decent, but it straightens out Faulkner's labyrinthine plot (told only in about 14 pages) in such a way that it erases a lot of the emotional complexity. It's so straightforward that it becomes sort of dull after a while. The framing story seems like it is retained in the film because it wouldn't make much sense without it, but it isn't retained very well at all. The film also does not have much of a Faulknerian mood, either. Faulkner's world is a sad place, but it's not cold. The sparse black and white photography in the film is wrong for the mood. It seems very inspired by Carl Th. Dreyer - I'm almost positive of it. Several shots especially reminded me of Day of Wrath and Ordet. However, it all may have worked if not for the performances. Usually when you hear of Tomorrow, you hear how amazing Robert Duvall is in the lead. But for my money, this is easily his worst performance. One of them, anyhow. He displays his emotions well enough through his movements and facial expressions, but, for some unknown reason, he comes up with this way of speaking that is simply grating. It's cartoonish. And you've heard this voice if you've ever seen Billy Bob Thornton's 1996 film Sling Blade - Thornton stole the voice straight from Duvall. It was kind of annoying in Sling Blade, but at least that character was mentally handicapped. Duvall's isn't, but you might think he is. It's an execrable performance. It's also a very stage-bound performance (the adaptation is tertiary, and was a play before it was a film). Olga Bellin, who plays the pregnant woman, is not nearly as bad, but her performance also seems false. She talks endlessly (the character never really appears in the short story), and is very annoying with her affected accent. In fact, even counting the supporting players, I've never seen a film with such affected performances as Tomorrow. The only natural performance in the film is from the young boy, Johnny Mask. Tomorrow is worth a look, especially for Faulkner aficionados, but it is a failure. 6/10.

This movie predates some of Duvall's more critically acclaimed and popularly received turns, but in truth, this may be the finest acting job of his career. Duvall is this film, and he has made this kind of intense, honest character study his own (Tender Mercies, The Apostle, The Great Santini). The black and white cinematography is perfectly suited to the story and the acting. It works as a far more honest story-telling device than Spielberg's "Schindler's List." This is a must-see for Duvall fans and for fans of small, independent films as well.

"Tomorrow" is a film based on a short story by William Faulkner, which he published back in 1940. The film is quite unusual, as it's filmed in black & white (HIGHLY unusual for 1972) and features almost no incidental music. Because of this and the VERY subdued acting, the film is stark and certainly NOT for all tastes.

The story, like a typical Faulker story, is set in the rural south. Jackson (Robert Duvall) is a lonely guy who lives on his own. However, one Christmas Eve, he finds a pregnant woman near his cabin and he takes her in and cares for her. He repeatedly asks her to marry him after she recovers for exposure...but she refuses, saying she's already married...though her husband had abandoned her when he learned she was pregnant. Eventually, after the baby arrives, she agrees to marry him...mostly because she's ill and assumes she won't live much longer...and she wants Jackson to raise the child. What's next? Well...it's tragic...and you'll just have to see it for yourself....provided it's the type film you'd watch in the first place.

It's obvious this film was a labor of love, as it doesn't seem the least bit marketable or cinematic. But if you are patient and don't mind the slow pace and style, the film is worth seeing. A highly unusual change of pace for Duvall, that's for sure.

Maybe I was over-hyped the first time, but this grew considerably in emotional power on 2nd viewing.

Robert Duvall is remarkable in this sweet, simple adaptation of a William Faulkner story by play write Horton Foote. Granted the the female lead (in what's essentially a film of a 2 character play) isn't quite as strong. But the story of a dirt poor depression farmer taking in a pregnant woman is so devoid of Hollywood sentimentality that it's familiarity is overwhelmed by it's nuanced humanity. Very well shot in black and white on an tiny budget, it's certainly an intelligent, worthwhile movie, with many very touching moments.

This film only has one redeeming quality, just one: Robert Duvall's acting --- absolutely one of the best acting performances I have witnessed. Aside from that, this High School-ish "made-for-Art-Class" film is not watchable.

Here's my breakdown:

STORY: There's essentially no story here (obviously there is). It's just so thin it just doesn't matter (yes, that's harsh).

I will foreshadow the film's tenor here without giving away key events ... it's a very depressing story. Cold.

ACTING: This whole film is a lesson to other American actors on "How to Become a Character." Duvall's immersion in the manner and speech of his character, context, background, etc. Is simply an archetype of "Method Acting."

TEMPO: Ungodly slow.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: About as boring as a one-room shack / boiler room.

DIRECTING / WRITING: The director's experience is "Made-for-TV" ... but this is worse.

NOTES: I didn't know that Duvall's career had been 99% "made-for-TV" up until about this time. He's a rare gem as nearly all TV actors fail on the "big screen." Duvall, while not the most versatile actor normally, gives a performance that rivals the greats, e.g. "Olivier, Streep, Bale ..."

Is it a very good film? No, it's horrible.

Should you watch this once? No, not unless you're training to become an actor.

Rating: 7.0 --- But Duvall gets all the credit.

Right off, there's a couple of real serious flaws about this film. First of all, Joseph Anthony's direction is very stage-bound, hard and harsh. Second, the acting is ridiculously over-the-top. Robert Duvall, who I've liked in just about everything I've seen him, gives such an affected performance that it's hard to read his character. The accents go all over the place. Olga Bellin and Duvall sometimes seem to be from the south, and sometimes somewhere else altogether. The dialogue throughout is too polite, too in turn, as if everyone waits to speak their lines. The storyline itself is ordinary, with neither enough character development or dramatic drive to make it at all compelling.

There are good points. Allan Green does some very nice work with the cinematography. The harsh, stark wintertime images really settle you in the story. The atmosphere is believable and well-developed. If it wasn't how the performances so completely failed to convince, "Tomorrow" could have almost been a good film. I really wanted to like it, but there's just not enough here to like.

What a formula for a great movie, based on a Faulkner short story, screenplay by Horton Foote and Robert Duvall in the lead! I don't think any of the three has ever done better. If you want to know what is essential in this life and what you can do without I'd highly recommend this film. The last line of the film explains the title so beautifully, it is a film that has haunted me for years, always gives me courage to go on. Don't watch it if you are not a sensitive person, you'd waste your time and only sensitive hearts and minds should be blessed by watching this film.

There are a few times when you discover an actor who just gets the characters right. The Col. in Apcolypse Now is very real (I was a Marine). Gus in Loansome Dove (I was raised by cowboys). The lead in Tender Mercies (my cousin is a country western star), etc. In this hard to find film you will see a great actor Duvall at his early best. A great author who builds a penetrating study in Faulkner. A great screenwriter play-write director Foote (who worked many time with Duvall and knows how to show him at his best). These all come together in a very special way. A film that is for actors and people who get it... not for the masses(may think it moves slow). This is a file for folks who see the little things that make craft Art. I Love the film and the black white works perfectly.

This is a very down to earth film story written by William Faulkner concerning a cotton farmer named Jackson Fentry, (Robert Duvall) who lives in the South and he is a poor person but also works as a watchman over a saw mill during the Winter. One day Jackson goes outside and hears the sound of a person in distress and discovers a woman, Sarah Eubanks, (Olga Belin) who is pregnant and he decides to help her and he takes good care of her. As the picture moves on the story becomes quite interesting and you will never be able to figure out just how this great film ends. The pace of this film is very slow and the actor Robert Duvall creates a great Southern accent and speaks his lines with a real Southern drawl along with a great actress, Olga Belin. Enjoy.

I saw this film for the first time over a week ago and can't get it out of my mind. I was not familiar with the story nor had I ever seen Robert Duvall in such an powerful but understated performance. At first I wondered if I would like the movie but soon found I could not take my eyes off the screen. It was like being transported back in time to a place I've never been, and was watching this story unfold as if it was actually happening right in front of me. Robert Duvall was amazing, absolutely stunning. The story says so much about love and how important it is for all of us. Watch this movie...it is riveting and such a great story!

Tomorrow is one of the finest movies I have seen. Duvall was excellent in this movie, and even he points back to this as his finest work in cinema (I read an article once in which Duvall said that this role was his "King Lear"). The story is simple but significant. The impact of it is substantial. It is not a movie for hard-hearted cynics. Although it is not sappy, and by no means is it over-the-top (understated is a much better description), the movie does require a man to peel back his macho veneer and and try to identify with a life situation many men may find almost ridiculous (or horrifying) in this day, i.e. a life of faithful love and service. As such, this film would not be a top pick of fans of "The Man Show", or anything on MTV, for that matter. It is a gutwrenching story of sacrifice and self-denial; in other words, it is a REAL love story that brings to mind the love of God for the unlovely.

It's always interesting to see a movie from a play. This one made me wonder how the intimate, brooding mood of extended silences reached across the stage into the audience, but it certainly works on film. The Netflix blurb prepared me for a depressing experience, but I came away with a sense that I had spent a few years in a world that is thousands of miles and hundreds of years from my own. The characters have a limited range of expression, but what they feel and say is consistent and almost meditative. Yes, there is tragedy, but the gift of a film that opens a window on deep experience is that you are uplifted rather than let down. A nice little movie that makes me so grateful for DVDs.

Just a wonderful performance by Robert Duvall who dominates the entire film. He reminded me a lot of Boo Radley in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and though Boo didn't speak, his mannerisms were similar. Duvall's interesting accent struck me as being as much hill-billy as southern.

Several minor things troubled me a little about the movie. I did expect Jackson (Duvall) to try to recapture the boy, and I was somewhat surprised by his acceptance of the seizure. The ending also was unexpected.

Olga Bellin also did not appear unusually ill for a dying woman in my view either, though she did a nice job with her role. Nonetheless, this was a fine movie and the acting was just superb.

Believable character. Lackluster plot. His finest performance since Twilight Zone's "Miniature"; so a notable yet lesser known addition to an understated career that.finally gained much deserved recognition and popular appeal. Watch it for Duvall's superb performance; gritty realism, not much else.