It happened tomorrow

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Movie
German title It happened
old tomorrow . What happened tomorrow
Original title It happened tomorrow
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1944
length 85 minutes
Rod
Director René Clair
script Dudley Nichols
Rene Clair
production Arnold Pressburger
for United Artists
music Robert proud
camera Eugen Schüfftan
Archie Stout
cut Fred Pressburger
occupation

It Happened Tomorrow (alternatively also Was morgen Happened , original title: It Happened Tomorrow ) is an American romantic comedy from 1944 directed by René Clair . The story of a journalist, played by Dick Powell , who reports in his newspaper about events that lie in the future, i.e. will not happen until tomorrow, contains confused situations that are resolved on film thanks to a brilliant montage and imaginative imagery. The other leading roles are cast with Linda Darnell and Jack Oakie .

The script is based on a comedy by Lord Dunsany based on a story by Hugh Wedlock Jr., the novel by Howard Snyder and an idea by Lewis R. Foster .

action

Larry and Sylvia Stevens are about to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary . Larry would like to take this as an opportunity to publish a story that happened 50 years ago. It's been so long since he celebrated his appointment as reporter for the Evening Post, "his" newspaper. Back then, just before the twentieth century began, he claimed that if he knew tomorrow's news today, he would give ten years of his life. Laughing, he challenged the old archivist Pop Benson to provide him with news from the future and teased him if it wasn't boring rummaging around in the old papers. However, Pop warned him that knowing the future could be dangerous.

A poster by the clairvoyant and fortune teller Oscar Cigolini prompts Larry to attend his show that evening. Cigolini's niece Sylvia Smith, who is the artist's assistant, makes a great impression on the young reporter. He makes an appointment with Sylvia for the next day. When he got home that evening, he stared in dismay at the newspaper that old Benson had given him that morning, but which now turns out to be the next day's issue and reports events that have not yet happened. From now on it is repeated at irregular intervals that Stevens receives a newspaper of tomorrow, which gives him incredible advantages as a reporter, but not only that, he also gets into situations that are both dangerous and hair-raising. But he can also intervene so that bad news does not come true. So he saves Sylvia from drowning, gets caught in a bank robbery and even in a murder planned in the opera.

However, Larry also tries to make a profit from his knowledge by using the race results at the next day's trotting to make money. Because of this, he gets into a conflict with Oscar Cigolini. A few days later he had to read in the newspaper that he had been shot in a hotel. He desperately does everything to prevent this prediction of his future from coming true. First of all, he marries Sylvia in order to protect the young woman in the event of his death. The news about Larry's death turns out to be a mistake by the police. Larry had followed the crook Shep, who had stolen his wallet, to the roof of a hotel, where they both fell through the fireplace into the hotel lobby. There Shep had drawn his gun, which was seen by two police officers who then shot Shep. Since Shep carried Larry's wallet with him, news spread that reporter Larry Stevens had been shot in a hotel lobby and got into the paper.

Larry, however, is incredibly relieved that he is alive and that tomorrow's message has dissolved in such a happy way for him. Together with Sylvia he stands in the rain and dreams of a long, happy future. They use the Evening News as protection from the rain falling on them and dream of their golden wedding underneath.

Production, background, soundtrack

The shooting lasted from the beginning of October to mid-December 1943, some additional scenes were shot on December 24, 1943. Additional dialogues come from Helene Fraenkel, the film construction by Ernő Metzner , the equipment by Emile Kuri and the costumes by René Hubert .

According to the Hollywood Reporter and the New York Times , Frank Capra bought the origin story on which the film is based from Hugh Wedlock, who in turn drew on the novel by Howard Snyder. Then Capra discovered, however, that the real rights were with Lord Dunsany. In order to avoid a plagiarism lawsuit, he also bought these rights. After Capra was recruited by the army, he sold the rights to the producer Arnold Pressburger. He was very impressed by the story and recruited René Clair to direct it. Both men agreed that they wanted Dudley Nichols to write the script. Clair was hoping to get Cary Grant to play reporter Larry Stevens. Nichols and Clair then decided to let the story play in late 1890 to avoid any connection with the current war . On July 3, 1944, Lux Radio Theater aired an adaptation of the story with Don Ameche .

It Happened Tomorrow was not one of René Clair's favorite films, although he said that the last twenty minutes of the film were the best he had done in Hollywood. However, the film was a hit with audiences for United Artists and received two Academy Award nominations , one in Best Soundtrack (Drama / Comedy) for Robert Stolz and one in Best Sound for Jack Whitney . Robert Stolz had to admit defeat to Max Steiner and the literary film adaptation As you said goodbye , Jack Whitney Edmund H. Hansen and the biography Wilson .

Soundtrack

  • Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms , traditionally
    sung at the beginning of the film
  • I Would Not Die in Spring Time , lyrics by Stephen Foster as Milton Moore
    sung by the men of the paper
  • Ah, fors' e lui from La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
    performed by Jean Forward as Nellie Melba, when the newspaper journalist and his girlfriend are waiting at the box office at the opera
  • Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream , music by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
    played at the wedding
  • Light Cavalry Overture , music played by Franz von Suppè
    when Larry and Cigolini are on the hunt for the thief

Theatrical release

The film was first released in the United States on February 25, 1944, and then generally released in theaters on May 28, 1944, and again in January 1948. The full US title is: René Clair's It Happened Tomorrow . In Germany, the film was released in a subtitled version in 1947 and, depending on the cinema, it was announced with the title It happened tomorrow or the title What tomorrow happened . On July 13, 1965, he was seen for the first time on television in the Federal Republic of Germany. In Austria, the film was published under the title What tomorrow happened . More publishments:

  • Mexico: September 14, 1944 under the title Hoy es mañana
  • Sweden: October 9, 1944 under the title Det hände i morgon
  • Australia: 1945, original English title
  • Portugal: January 15, 1945 under the title Aconteceu Amanhã
  • France: September 19, 1945 under the title C'est arrivé demain
  • Denmark: April 7, 1947
  • Finland: October 16, 1953 under the title Tapahtui huomenna
  • Belgium (French title): C'est arrivé demain and under the Flemish title Dit bebeurde Morgen
  • Belgium (dubbed version): C'est arrivé ... demain
  • Brazil: O Tempo é uma Ilusão
  • Spain: Sucedió mañana
  • Hungary: Holnap történt
  • Italy: Avvenne ... domani and the OT Ora X, colpo sensazionale
  • Poland: Zdarzylo sie to jutro
  • Yugoslavia (Serbian title / literal title): Sutrasnje novine

criticism

The film was largely judged positively by the critics in France and was sometimes also enthusiastically praised or referred to as one of Clair's best films. The film's “strict aesthetics” were praised. Clair picked up a subject that Voltaire or Chamisso would have liked, a subject that would have been just as suitable for dark films with philosophical claims. With this film, Clair once again demonstrated his talent, like in a rhythmic ballet, all the gears mesh perfectly and everything works with a clarity and apparent simplicity.

The lexicon of international films was full of praise and ruled: “René Clair comedy with an amazing solution. An untroubled pleasure full of witty ideas and cheerful optimism. "

Variety found that the film knew how to distract from reality in an entertaining manner and, on balance, provided many sparkling moments.

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World, was of the opinion that the film may be foolish, but told in a witty and funny way. It is also entertaining, kind-hearted and carefully crafted nonsense, which is particularly true of some skits.

Timeout, London, said the film is not consistently as resourceful as it could have been, but still knows how to captivate.

Awards, nominations

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Herbert Wilfinger: What happened tomorrow - film program November 2012, Verlag Filmprogramm & Kunstverlag Susanne Odlas, Vienna, p. 4
  2. ↑ It Happened Tomorrow Orig. Print Infos (English) at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  3. ↑ a b It Happened Tomorrow Notes at TCM (English)
  4. ↑ a b c It Happened Tomorrow Articles at TCM (English)
  5. ↑ What Happened Tomorrow Film Stage Volume 1 No. 8
  6. ↑ What happened tomorrow Filmpost number 37, 2nd year
  7. ↑ It happened tomorrow. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 3, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  8. ↑ Review: 'It Happened Tomorrow' In: Variety 1943/1944 (English). Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ Dennis Schwartz: It Happened Tomorrow: Meticulously crafted nonsense Ozus' World Movie Reviews, March 8, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ TM: It Happened Tomorrow In: TimeOut, London (English). Retrieved February 12, 2016.