Make Way for Tomorrow (Leo McCarey, 1937)

-

Location: Rubenstein Arts Center, Film Theater

Make Way for Tomorrow
(Leo McCarey, 1937, 91 min, USA, English, B&W, DCP)

Orson Welles called it “the saddest movie ever made” and Ozu cited it as the primary inspiration for Tokyo Story, but Make Way for Tomorrow is so much more than a sentimental tear-jerker. It is 1937, and the so-called Roosevelt Recession has set off a second wave of bankruptcies and foreclosures. An elderly couple (Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) summon their adult children for one last visit before the bank takes away their home. After some discomfiting family debate, the couple is separated and sent to live uneasily among the middle-class strivers their offspring have become. McCarey’s subtle and unshowy style works by inference and allusion. There are no clear-cut villains here, even when the children begin to plot a more uncharitable solution. But it’s during the truly spellbinding arc of the final act, in which the couple is briefly united once more, stealing away precious moments of happiness, remembrance, and freedom, that McCarey’s film enters territory Hollywood films rarely have: somewhere in the ballpark of mystic revelations and eternal truths.  (JS)


[PDF flyer] [Share on Facebook] [+ Add to Google Calendar] [+ Export to Calendar (Outlook)]

Screen/Society screenings are free and open to the public. (Masking required - see below.)

Parking Info:  https://artscenter.duke.edu/parking/


COVID-19 INFORMATION:

As we welcome audiences back for in-person screening events, we are prioritizing the health and safety of our extended community. Keeping each other safe during events will require collaboration and we are grateful for your support. Screen/Society and the Rubenstein Arts Center will adhere to all university, local, and state regulations on and off campus, which are subject to change on short notice depending on public health conditions.

Vaccination Status: We strongly encourage audience members to be fully vaccinated before attending an event.  Duke University currently requires all students and employees to be vaccinated. More information on Duke University’s COVID-19 response.

Masking: We require masks for all indoor screenings. Current Duke University guidelines for campus visitors apply to all presentations on campus. Don’t have a mask? We’ll supply one. Please keep your mask on throughout the screening event.

Stay Home If You Are Feeling Sick: If you are feeling or showing symptoms of COVID-19 or if you believe you might have come into contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days, please stay home.

Seating: For our screenings, seating is based on a first-come basis. We encourage everyone to be respectful during performances and maintain distancing as they feel comfortable.

Enhanced Cleaning: Venues on Duke University’s campus are operating under restricted access and receive enhanced cleaning and sanitization of high-touch surfaces. Duke University venue ventilation is in accordance with CDC guidelines.

Hand Hygiene: Hand sanitizer stations are positioned throughout campus venues for your convenience.

Healthy Team: All employees and vendors are required to be symptom free before entering the building, as well as wear masks at all times, and frequently wash their hands during shifts.

Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi strolling arm in arm, in a scene from MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW.

Contact: Hank Okazaki

Email: hokazak@duke.edu

Sponsor: Duke Cinematic Arts