In 1937, Leo McCarey made The Awful Truth, a delightful film I absolutely devoured and which instantly became one of my favourite screwball comedies. It was a warm, joyful and hilarious film that I truly adored for its marvellous sense of humour and its warmhearted storyline. That same year, McCarey made another film, Make Way for Tomorrow, a film that could not have been more different than The Awful Truth. Many have pointed to Make Way for Tomorrow as being amongst McCarey’s most remarkable achievements, and I do wholeheartedly agree with everyone who makes the very bold assertion that this may just be the saddest film ever made – and even writing this now, I am struggling to hold back the encroaching emotion, because if there was a film that could be considered the quintessential tearjerker, its this one – a beautiful ode to love and the strength of romance, as well as a deeply sentimental story about the effects of the Great Depression, not necessarily the broadly socio-political or economic, but the more personal and intimate, which manifests itself as an underlying theme of Make Way for Tomorrow, which is most certainly one of the finest dramas produced during the 1930s, and one that still holds unimpeachable emotional resonance to this very day.

Make Way for Tomorrow looks at an elderly couple – Bark (Victor Moore) and Lucy (Beulah Bondi) have been married for fifty years, and have been profoundly happy in their marriage, raising their five children and living comfortably. His advancing years force Bark into retirement, and he very soon finds he is unable to pay for their home any longer, which results in their home being foreclosed. None of their five children is willing to take both parents, so they are forced to be separated, and despite the arrangement apparently being only temporary (supposing to last merely three months), various obstacles keep the couple separated, and they begin to question whether they will ever actually be with each other again. Being apart from the person you have spent half a century with proves to be difficult for Bark and Lucy, and when they realize that this could be a permanent situation, they try their best to remain optimistic, refusing to address the reality of their circumstances and accept that sometimes we are forced to undergo harrowing experiences that tear us apart from those we love, and it is how we deal with these situations that defines us as people and helps us navigate the unpredictability of life and the uncertainty of the future.

Let me state it outright: Make Way for Tomorrow is precisely as sad as it sounds. There is certainly a reason why this film has the reputation for being one of the most upsetting films ever made. I am not sure what the intention behind making this film was, other than to be an adaptation of a moderately successful play and novel that looked at this story, albeit not quite as remarkably as it was here. This is a film that could have gone in several different directions – it could have easily been a more outrageous screwball comedy, with less attention being paid to the unfortunate tragedy at the centre of the story, and more focus on the parents adapting to their new lives – but this would require a new ending, and as much as the ending to Make Way for Tomorrow is deeply heartbreaking, it is effective and absolutely perfect (and considering the studio apparently urged McCarey to change it to something more upbeat, a request he declined, shows the importance of this film as a serious affair). Make Way for Tomorrow could have also been a lavish melodrama, filled with large moments of exuberant excess and deeply saccharine narrative turns, but this would have taken away from the raw, brutal impact this film has – in many ways, Make Way for Tomorrow doesn’t bear much resemblance to much else being made during that time, and I’d even argue that this could be aligned as a predecessor to the great Italian neo-realist movement, with their simple films containing stories with overwhelmingly raw emotion. I recall having the same feeling of awed despair after watching Vittorio de Sica’s masterful Bicycle Thieves, with the unfurnished simplicity of the film striking us with a story that overwhelms us with ferocious, heartbreaking sincerity.

Leo McCarey was a notoriously excellent actor’s director – he brought out the best in many of his actors (Cary Grant gives the finest performance of his career in The Awful Truth, not to mention Bing Crosby’s effortlessly compelling turn in Going My Way) – and in Make Way for Tomorrow, he once again works his masterful magic to extract two extraordinary performances from a pair of veterans who were chosen to lead this film, and did so with such terrific gracefulness and towering elegance. Beulah Bondi is exquisite as Lucy, the matriarch who is a gentle, loving soul who cares for her family and their well-being as much as she can, knowing the importance of family and the might of a strong bond between those we love. Make Way for Tomorrow is undeniably a two-hander, and both actors are incredible, but it is Bondi that is the true emotional heart of the film – she is the character we see first at the outset, and the film closes with her, much of Make Way for Tomorrow demonstrating her own personal journey. This was an incredible performance from a remarkable veteran, whose restraint in playing this character was beyond admirable and she, along with the generosity of those helping in the formation of this character, craft a fascinating individual, someone who grapples between her own fierce independence and the fact that her advanced age means she needs to depend on others in some instances. Make Way for Tomorrow features one of the most difficult existential quandaries on behalf of Bondi’s character, and the result is absolutely heartbreaking, but quintessentially pivotal for this film to be as effective as it was. Victor Moore is wonderfully sympathetic as the other half of the main couple, playing Bark as a soft-spoken, reserved man who may be considered delusional – he is in constant search of a job, not realizing that very few people would be willing to hire someone at his age. Yet, he persists. Bondi and Moore inhabit these roles with such incredible precision and profound empathy, we often forget that we are watching a film, because their relationship – the joyful aspects and the heartbreaking moments – seem so undeniably realistic through their extraordinary performances. Every other performance in the film pales in comparison to Moore and Bondi, who are simply astonishing and give utterly compelling performances.

Make Way for Tomorrow is a series of moments in the life of an elderly couple as they go about their lives, separated for the first time ever. The compelling story is brought to life not only be the dedicated performances from the actors, but also through the deeply moving way the story was executed. McCarey deftly defies portraying this story through falsely sentimental means – throughout the entirety of Make Way for Tomorrow, everything is kept relatively simple, without any trace of insincere emotional manipulation. The film plays out through demonstrating the events this couple goes through, and it never resorts to anything other than the honest truth, both in terms of how it represents the era (right in the middle of the Great Depression), as well as how it uses the story to elicit a particular response. Everything about Make Way for Tomorrow appears to be wholly genuine and undeniably truthful – this is not a heightened story of emotional sensation for dramatic value, but rather a social realist drama that shows the trials and tribulations of a couple and their troubles in finding their way through a rapidly changing world. This is not a film that looks at a particularly special set of characters, nor is it about some extraordinary, rare circumstance. It is about something that many individuals during the Great Depression would have to endure, especially those without the means to afford basic necessities, such as our elderly couple here. Make Way for Tomorrow is a heartbreaking testament to the human side of the Great Depression, showing the effects on a more intimate level, while constantly reminding us that this is not a story that stands alone – it is simply one tragedy out of a multitude of similar circumstances, which forces us to not only consider the harmful effects of the era but also be profoundly thankful for the luxuries many of us are accustomed to. McCarey is extremely good at conveying this kind of story without being too heavy-handed, or preaching to the audience, which makes Make Way for Tomorrow all the more heartbreaking when you realize that everything this film is portraying is presented in as natural a way as it can be, which gives it a profoundly powerful sense of emotional gravitas.

Even though this film was made and set in 1937, it stills is undeniably striking. The resonance this film has should not be underestimated, because very few films made over eight decades ago can still be so profoundly moving to the current generation. Make Way for Tomorrow is such a simple film, but its power lies not in the grander story (which is tearjerking in its own way), but in the smaller moments which serve to be the most heartbreaking of them all. Case in point: the final act, where Bark and Lucy decide to spend one final afternoon together before he leaves on a train for California, knowing the likelihood that they may never see each other ever again. They spend the afternoon and evening strolling through the city, reminiscing about the past and enjoying the company of each other – they had never taken each other for granted, but the sorrow expressed in the most subtle of expressions and most unnoticeable of gestures resonates profoundly. They dance, they drink and they laugh – but these moments of joy are not as warm as they’d appear, because the looming departure is only rapidly approaching, and no matter how hard they try, they just can’t evade the inevitable march of time. I dare anyone to watch Make Way for Tomorrow, especially the final scene, and not feel the dreaded tugs at the heartstrings, or the uncontrollable flow of tears as the loving couple trade final farewells that are remarked “just in case”, knowing that there are some severe odds against tomorrow being spent with each other, which is a dreaded concept for any family members who have to go in their own directions for whatever reason.

The marvel of Make Way for Tomorrow doesn’t occur in the grander scheme, but in the smaller episodic sequences, which leave the most indelible impact, and will absolutely break the heart of any viewer who endeavours to undertake this emotionally tumultuous social drama. I adored Make Way for Tomorrow, but I acknowledge that watching it is a daunting experience – it often feels too miserable to be enjoyable, but in a way that is not unhappy, but rather deeply melancholic. McCarey ensures that the film is infused with a decent amount of relentless hope and optimism that may be implausible, but nonetheless adds considerable warmth to a film that doesn’t strive to be depressing, but rather to demonstrate the plight of many individuals during one of the most trying times for common people in American history. Make Way for Tomorrow is a magnificent film, an intimate drama that is relentless with providing an abundance of emotions through its simple execution, creating a social realist masterpiece that never fails to move the audience, whether it be to deep introspective thought or unhinged weeping (both of which are not only common responses, but somewhat expected). Make Way for Tomorrow is a film that moved me so much, and I simply can’t stop thinking about it. It has a powerful effect on the viewer, and the final moments are just so exquisitely beautiful and unbelievably haunting. This is a film that blows you away with its raw emotional impact and earnest storytelling, resulting in one of the most unforgettable dramatic experiences of the 1930s. This is truly a gem, and an absolute masterpiece, one that most certainly has to be seen and adored, because it is an astonishing film and a soaring achievement of social realism.