Beyond Tomorrow
Introduction. It’s been a while since I have recommended a movie. Ann and I watched one the other night that was so good I just have to share it. I would describe “Beyond Tomorrow” as a cross between “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol.” Filmed in 1940 in black and white, it is a movie valued not for its stars or its production values, but for its heartwarming story.
The story plot starts around Christmas and ends shortly after New Year. In fact, a colorized version of the film has been released entitled “Beyond Christmas.” The technical quality of many copies of the movie are not the best. Please don’t let low video quality deter you from experiencing this film, which should be a holiday classic.
From TCM.com: “Beyond Tomorrow (1940) combines several themes and conventions that have long been popular with audiences: older and wiser characters who intervene to change or improve the lives of younger ones; supernatural presences who return to Earth to solve a problem among the living; and the notion that fame and fortune are far less important than togetherness and true love. And all this set during the Christmas holidays, a time when the value of joy and giving are utmost. Charles Dickens set the tone for much of this with his often-filmed story A Christmas Carol. And a similar structure would prove most potent several years after the release of this picture in Frank Capra's classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946).”
Storyline synopsis: “Three wealthy but lonely older men, Melton, Chadwick and O'Brien, invite two young strangers to dinner on Christmas Eve. The two guests fall in love and become friends with their three benefactors. The three rich industrialists are killed in a plane crash but continue their interest in unfinished earthly matters. The young man becomes an overnight sensation as a radio singer and falls under the spell of a glamorous Broadway actress. The ghosts then take it upon themselves to reunite him with his true love.”
Why I recommend this movie. While the holidays provide the background for this movie, its strong themes of love and redemption capture the spirit of the season for me.