Old Timey Movies

I just saw, for the first time, Make Way for Tomorrow, a 1937 film with no big stars, but some famous character actors.

It was the saddest movie I've ever seen. The last twenty minutes was a tour de force. One touching moment after another. And the ending devastated me.

Here's the IMDB synopsis:

An elderly couple are forced to separate when they lose their house and none of their five children will take both parents in.

The director, Leo McCarey, won the Best Director Oscar that year, but for a different movie. When he accepted the award, he said "Thanks, but you gave it to me for the wrong picture."

See it if you get the chance. And bring a hankie,.

So, let us know.

Or if you know Make Way for Tomorrow, what's your opinion of it?

One of David Lean's early directing efforts, from 1946 - Great Expectations.

I posted a brief clip in another thread: If I Had a Million (1932), which strings together several vignettes of varying effect by different directors. Like the similarly episodic Tales (it’s a pun, see?) of Manhattan a decade later, it’s stayed with me for ages.

One of my favorite old timey movies is Our Daily Bread directed by King Vidor in 1934. Unable to get studio financing he financed the film himself. A group of people get together on a farm and try to make a go of it during the Depression.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025610/

Mentioning King Vidor reminds me of his version of The Fountainhead which I enjoy watching. Gary Cooper, Patrica Neal, Raymond Massey. Probably not for all tastes though, but I'm a fanboy of the book.

(and speaking of The Fountainhead, apparently Zack Snyder is going to do a remake.)

A lot of old movies are available on youtube for free, including Our Daily Bread

Grapes of Wrath

Not that old timey but 1945 and IMO ahead of its time in terms of subject matter (compared to the other films of the time) and relevance to anytime in American society.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Weekend_(film)

"Love is Strange" (2014) with John Lithgow and Alfred Molina is a modern story that borrows a bit from "Make Way for Tomorrow."

"Umberto D" (1952) by de Sica also is a poignant look at aging. "Waterloo Bridge" (1940) with Vivian Leigh and Robert Taylor is about a younger couple who face bad luck, often in situations such as missing an important appointment by just a few minutes. "Mrs. Miniver" (1942) starts off happily, then WWII changes things - there are many similar stories.

In the 50s, the Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu made several films about families changing owing to aging and children moving away for marriage. A lot of his work is in the Criterion Collection or can be seen when TCM does foreign films late on Sunday nights.

Citizen Kane. A steering and prophetic commentary on capitalism and our increasingly soulless society. Kid was a genius. Every frame a gorgeous composition of light and shadow.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:
Grapes of Wrath

 But the movie doesn't have the gut-wrenching end of the book.