Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) Directed by Leo McCarey

(Review originally written at 9 July 2008)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

In Hollywood your career is already mostly over once you're over the age of 40, especially if you're a female. This in the '30's was even more so the case then now days actually. So making a movie about 2 aging people was quite an unique and daring move for 1937 standards. For this the movie mostly deserves credit but it on top of that is also simply a fine movie, that gets carried by its story and strong characters.

It's not the usual sappy dramatic story and movie as perhaps you would normally expect from a '30's movie. It instead is a movie that focuses on some more real emotions of life, without ever having to force to much with its emotions to carry out its story and perhaps also some morals.

Well yes, it's a '30's movie set in the '30's, so of course it's sort of outdated with its story. In this modern age the two elderly people the movie focuses on shall be less lonely and they at least will remain more in contact with each other, after their forced separation in this movie. But of course this doesn't make the movie or any of its emotions any less powerful.

It's a real movie about life, with realistic characters and a story that is more or less recognizable for everyone. Even though the children obviously love and care about their parents, they just can't take care of them after they had lost their house to the bank. Instead they are even embarrassed for them and they get in the way with their average normal lives.

Don't really know why this movie isn't any better known, since everyone everywhere speaks so well of it. Perhaps it's because it's not your typical average '30's movie and drama has some to do with it.

8/10