Tonight's Movie: When Tomorrow Comes (1939) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

WHEN TOMORROW COMES (1939), starring the incomparable screen team of Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne, will be released on Blu-ray this week by Kino Lorber.

WHEN TOMORROW COMES closely followed the release of Boyer and Dunne's classic LOVE AFFAIR (1939), which came out in April 1939. WHEN TOMORROW COMES was released by Universal Pictures just four months later, in August.

It's a bit difficult to discuss this film without pretty much giving away the entire plot, as though the film runs 90 minutes, the storyline itself is short and specific. Boy chases girl, boy gets girl, and then... Those who would rather see the film first are advised to stop reading here and return after watching it.

The film's screenplay by Dwight Taylor was based on a story by James M. Cain. Pianist Philippe Chagal (Boyer) "meets cute" with waitress Helen Lawrence (Dunne) in a New York City restaurant. Something about Philippe wanting cheese but it's not sold a la carte, only with pie...

Helen is busy helping to organize a strike of the waitresses working for the restaurant chain, and Philippe gives her the impression he's a down-on-his-luck union man himself, a pianist who is currently unemployed.

Philippe and Helen hit it off and spend a day together, but when a storm comes and they take cover at his house, Helen has a shock coming -- Philippe lives in a mansion with a butler and is actually a famed pianist.

A bigger shock is in store: Despite the burgeoning romance with Helen, Philippe is married to the mentally disturbed Madeleine (Barbara O'Neil, who was also Boyer's troubled wife in ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO the following year). And with Helen being a self-respecting woman, this just isn't going to work, despite the fact she and Philippe have fallen desperately in love.

I had mixed feelings about this film. Boyer and Dunne have incredible chemistry, and watching them together is classic movie bliss. Actors don't come any better, and they share screen time for the vast majority of the movie.

And yet...

It really was unfair and frankly rather slimy of Philippe to chase after Helen, no matter how miserable his personal circumstances; it was completely unfair to lead her on. He does attempt to tell her the truth at one point and she stops him, but by that time she was already head over heels for him.

Any hope they can work out a way to be together is forestalled by Madeleine, who is clearly a dangerous customer using her mental health issues as a means of controlling her husband.

And so Philippe and Helen have a moving farewell, and that's that. Perhaps they'll meet again one day...but probably not.

It says a lot of Boyer that his character comes across as likeable as he does when he's basically cheating two women of the truth at the same time. Dunne is always a compelling, unique performer -- many may have been her equal, but surely no one in the movies was better -- and that is no different here than in any other film.

In the end the film is basically wonderful scenes with marvelous chemistry in service of a disappointing story. Like Helen, the audience is taken on a magical trip which comes to an abrupt, sad ending.

Yes, it's worth watching for Boyer and Dunne, yet in the end I kind of wished I'd watched LOVE AFFAIR instead! Or perhaps TOGETHER AGAIN (1944).

WHEN TOMORROW COMES was directed by John M. Stahl and filmed in black and white by John J. Mescall. The supporting cast includes Nydia Westman, Nella Walker, Fritz Feld, and Onslow Stevens.

The Blu-ray print is lovely. Extras consist of a commentary track by the team of Lee Gambin and Elissa Rose, as well as a gallery for half a dozen additional films available from Kino Lorber.

As a side note, WHEN TOMORROW COMES is one of a couple Boyer films regarding illicit love which Kino Lorber has released this year, the other being BACK STREET (1941). BACK STREET will be reviewed here at a future date.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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