Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Filmgroup Productions

Video: B2MP, Inc.

 

Disc:

Region: FREE (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:42:28.142 

Disc Size: 22,420,649,982 bytes

Feature Size: 22,026,590,208 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.00 Mbps

Chapters: 20

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: May, 2014

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit

 

Subtitles:

• English, None

 

Extras:

• Theatrical Trailer (1:58)

DVD of the Feature

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: Duvall is astonishingly good in the best-ever screen presentation of Faulkner's work." - Leonard Maltin often cited as one of his favorite performances, Robert Duvall stars as Jackson Fentry, a solitary man and sawmill caretaker, who meets and eventually falls in love with an abandoned pregnant woman. Academy Award TM winner Horton Foote (To Kill a Mockingbird, Tender Mercies) wrote the screenplay based on his stage adaptation of a short story by William Faulkner. Directed by Joseph Anthony (The Matchmaker, The Rainmaker), and shot in beautiful black and white to convey the era in which it takes place, the film is a haunting, emotional tale about a man's capacity for love. First ever release on Blu-ray.

 

 

The Film:

Horton Foote was the adapting hand behind this superlative black and white filmization of the 1939 William Faulkner story Tomorrow. Framed in flashback, the film explores the personal reasons that semi-literate farmer Robert Duvall is the lone jury holdout in the guilty verdict for a young killer on trial. We learn in a gradually unfolding fashion that the boy is the son of Olga Bellin, a woman with whom Duvall had had an intense personal involvement some twenty years earlier. Foote's script had previously been utilized on a Playhouse 90 TV version of Tomorrow, which starred Sterling Hayden. Universally regarded as the best-ever film adaptation of a Faulkner work, Tomorrow was in danger of vanishing without truly finding its audience, when it was given a well received TV premiere on PBS on December 17, 1984--twelve years after the film was made.

Excerpt from MRQE located HERE

Starring Robert Duvall in his breakthrough screen role, Tomorrow is a poignant tale based on a short story by William Faulkner, and scripted by Academy Award winner Horton Foote (To Kill a Mockingbird, Tender Mercies). Duvall is Jackson Fentry, a young man who leaves his father’s farm to work at a local sawmill. Fentry rescues a young pregnant woman, who has been abandoned by her husband and family, and the two fall in love. Shot in black and white to convey the feel of the Depression era, Tomorrow remains the finest screen translation of Faulkner’s vision of the South.

Excerpt from the DVDBeaver review located HERE

 

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Firstly, The 2003, 1.33:1 Home Vision DVD reviewed HERE is way out-of-print and was fetching big bucks in auctions - so the timing of this Blu-ray is perfect. This is only single-layered but it looks excellent - probably more the condition of a strong source (from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art). Grain textures are apparent and supports the 1.78:1 (I assume 1.85:1 was original?) film presentation brilliantly. Contrast has some nice layering and the visuals seem fairly tight with a high level of detail. There is no real damage or speckles visible. I noticed no noise and there is some infrequent depth. The Blu-ray is quite strong video-wise with no major flaws - it gave me a very pleasing 1080P viewing.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

A linear PCM track at 2304 kbps is used and its does the job exporting clean (occasionally scattered as per the original production) audible dialogue. There is somewhat of a score by Irwin Stahl - Tomorrow was his only film work. It is well supported by the uncompressed transfer. There are optional English subtitles (sample above) and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE - playable on BD machines worldwide.

 

Extras :

Only a theatrical trailer, and, there is a DVD of the feature included. The Home Vision DVD had extras including an original, 17-minute, interview with Robert Duvall and Horton Foote. I recall it being quite good and it's a shame it is not present here - or a commentary. The film is certainly strong enough to warrant one.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
When I saw Tomorrow about 10 years ago (via the Home Vision DVD reviewed HERE) I was blown away. This feeling was only exemplified by this new Blu-ray.  The film-like quality of the 1080P adds another personal layer to Duvall's memorable performance. Comparisons to Billy Bob Thornton’s character in Sling Blade are appropriate. There are some prosaic shots in Tomorrow.  I'm so pleased to own this in HD. Despite the bare-bones status - this has our strongest recommendation. Don't hesitate. 

Gary Tooze

May 22nd, 2014