... Old rivers grow wider every day
But old people just grow lonesome
John Prine, "Hello in there".
My favorite MacCarey drama,better ,IMHO,than his beloved works such as "Going my way" "the bells of St Mary's" "An Affair to remember".
Its influence was important in Europa ,notably in France (René Allio's "La Vieille Dame Indigne" ) or in Italy (Luigi Comencini's "Buon Natale,Buon anno;Vittorio de Sica's "Umberto D" ).
Unforgettable scenes:
The bridge game during which the old lady gets in the way.The sound of her rocking-chair,the phone call,the children ashamed of their mum,all rings true,all leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
The letter ma sent to pa :"I cannot read anymore,you'll read the rest when your glasses are fixed " the old man's buddy says as the news become more and more depressing .One should notice here McCarey's skills;a tearjerker maker would have shown us through the home for aged people,but the sentences of the letter are much stronger than the pictures "This is a lovely place" the daughter-in-law keeps repeating.
The last afternoon together ,the last hours which are all the more precious .The tenderness the director feels for his characters is infinite.Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi shine during this extraordinary romantic final: coming back to the chic hotel where they spent their honeymoon,they won't return to their selfish children's home for one last meal (what kind of beast could enjoy such a feast?).In the hotel,they dance and there's that magic moment : the conductor,realizing these old people cannot adapt themselves to the new jazzy rhythms ,asks his musicians to play "let me call you sweetheart".
The ending is one of the saddest I know.Whereas Frank Capra would have probably gathered the whole family in the station,or have Thomas Mitchell arrive at the last minute when the train moves off,McCarey refuses any happy end.Hence the failure of the movie when it was released.
Make way for tomorrow indeed! There are very revealing shots of New York with the skyscrapers and the cars which run faster and faster ,leaving the old by the wayside.And however these sacred lines had warned us before the tragedy began:" honor thy father and thy mother",written on an ominous sky.
Waiting for someone to say
Hello in there,
Hello (J.P.)
But old people just grow lonesome
John Prine, "Hello in there".
My favorite MacCarey drama,better ,IMHO,than his beloved works such as "Going my way" "the bells of St Mary's" "An Affair to remember".
Its influence was important in Europa ,notably in France (René Allio's "La Vieille Dame Indigne" ) or in Italy (Luigi Comencini's "Buon Natale,Buon anno;Vittorio de Sica's "Umberto D" ).
Unforgettable scenes:
The bridge game during which the old lady gets in the way.The sound of her rocking-chair,the phone call,the children ashamed of their mum,all rings true,all leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
The letter ma sent to pa :"I cannot read anymore,you'll read the rest when your glasses are fixed " the old man's buddy says as the news become more and more depressing .One should notice here McCarey's skills;a tearjerker maker would have shown us through the home for aged people,but the sentences of the letter are much stronger than the pictures "This is a lovely place" the daughter-in-law keeps repeating.
The last afternoon together ,the last hours which are all the more precious .The tenderness the director feels for his characters is infinite.Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi shine during this extraordinary romantic final: coming back to the chic hotel where they spent their honeymoon,they won't return to their selfish children's home for one last meal (what kind of beast could enjoy such a feast?).In the hotel,they dance and there's that magic moment : the conductor,realizing these old people cannot adapt themselves to the new jazzy rhythms ,asks his musicians to play "let me call you sweetheart".
The ending is one of the saddest I know.Whereas Frank Capra would have probably gathered the whole family in the station,or have Thomas Mitchell arrive at the last minute when the train moves off,McCarey refuses any happy end.Hence the failure of the movie when it was released.
Make way for tomorrow indeed! There are very revealing shots of New York with the skyscrapers and the cars which run faster and faster ,leaving the old by the wayside.And however these sacred lines had warned us before the tragedy began:" honor thy father and thy mother",written on an ominous sky.
Waiting for someone to say
Hello in there,
Hello (J.P.)