Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)

 Leo McCarey's "Make Way for Tomorrow"


After watching a few of Leo McCarey's films, I thought I was familiar with his style and work. Going into his 1937 film, "Make Way for Tomorrow," I was expecting something of a slapstick or situational comedy, like "Duck Soup" or "Ruggles of Red Gap." However, I did not received a comedy. What I got instead was a tragedy.

The film centers on elderly couple, Bark and Lucy, whom must give up their lifelong home to the bank. Because there is not enough living space, the couple must split up and live with different children. It becomes more and more apparent that they are not only dealing with their continued obsoletion, but with their very existence being a burden to others.

I think there is a lot that could be said about this film, however I just watched "Last Year at Marienbad" so that masterpiece is still heavy on my mind, making it hard to focus on this smaller work. What I will say is that, while watching, I felt as though I were watching two lovebirds from the 1800s deal with the new realities of the industrial 1930s as they slowly become a fading memory of a time gone by. I noticed that while I was watching, I kept noticing their visual style and their clothing and how it made it think of someone from the late 19th century. This viewpoint of this couple was completely incompatible with the landscape around them. It was difficult to reconcile their very existence, making it a rather discomforting and chilling watch to say the least. 

To me, it's film that forces you to reconcile with your own fading obsolescence. You must 'make way for tomorrow' because just like these two elderly lovebirds, your time will come to fade. It's a existentially tragic watch and an incredibly contemplative film for a Hollywood 1930s picture. 



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