![]() For a supposed hack relegated to B-minus features like The Devil Thumbs A Ride, Felix Feist proves adept at filling his work with unexpected, inventive details. Tomorrow Is Another Day is NOT the sequel to Gone with the Wind but a lovers-on-the-lam story, and a surprisingly alert and moving one as well. Felix Feist (who?) provides the playful direction. But it is a fresh surprise in a genre that's full of fresh surprises. There's nothing groundbreaking to be found here. In case I've oversold it, don't think this film is going to change your life. Cochran and Roman have incredible chemistry together, and the movie really makes you root for both of them, even though he comes across as perhaps a tad off his rocker. There's a whole sub genre of noir that involves flights from big cities into the open spaces of America and how those open spaces are no longer safe the decay of urban environments will follow relentlessly, and the open spaces are even more dangerous because there are fewer places to hide. A gem indeed, "Tomorrow." stars Steve Cochran and Ruth Roman as a recently released con and a dance hall hostess, respectively, who move away from the city and set up house, only to find that his criminal past will not be left behind so easily. I had no intention of watching it, since I was tired and I'd already sat through two other movies in the series that evening: "The Gangster" and one of my all time faves, "Gun Crazy." But then the host started talking about how "Tomorrow." is a "dark gem" in the noir canon and how it's relatively unknown, and I started to think about when I would ever have the chance to see it again and decided I had to sit down and watch the damn thing. Included as part of the station's "Summer of Darkness" series, highlighting my favorite genre, film noir, "Tomorrow Is Another Day" aired at 10:45 pm. "Tomorrow Is Another Day" is an example of why I love TCM. Then we might have had a memorable whole instead of a memorable half. I just wish the film had modulated Kay's change in a similarly subtle manner. Plus, Clark's personality remains volatile and believable, though undergoing the inevitable softening. Those clapboard shacks for the transient pickers are right out of Grapes of Wrath and just as realistic. That's not to say the second part is wasted. However, the problem remains- the personality contrast between the "hard-case before" and the "all-sweetness after" is simply too strong and abrupt not to draw critical attention, regardless of how worthwhile the message. There, Cay washes out the dance hall blonde for the darker natural color underneath, thereby releasing the real person redeemed now by true love. That transformation is signaled in her change of hair color. Frankly, Cay's big turnaround from loose woman to wifely Madonna is simply too complete to be believable. The second half unfortunately collapses into unremarkable melodrama. However, despite the excellence of this noirish first half, I have to agree with reviewer Teller. All in all, these are the kind of deft touches that turn a good film into a memorable one. ![]() These touches continue throughout, as with the back-and-forth wristwatch mirroring Cay's and Clark's relationship, or the heart-stopping dropped keys that unlock the carry-all car. That way we know she's a real hard case no matter what she's said to poor Clark (Cochran). Note how taxi-dancer Cay (Roman) ends the dance hall scene by soliciting another customer. production manages uncommon attention to detail. Between the hard dames and the 1-minute buzzer, the guys better hold onto their wallets. I've seen a lot of cheap dives in movies, but none I think combines atmosphere and annoyance better than this one. Catch that early scene in the tacky dance hall- it's a gem. An ex-con and a dance hall girl flee the cops and a wrongful murder charge.
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