René Clair

(On Cable TV, January 2022) One of the most interesting aspects of watching classic Hollywood is seeing them grapple with classic science fiction or fantasy themes in a context where these ideas had not yet permeated in the general population. Tentative over-explanations, basic treatments and now-obvious twists presented as shattering conclusions are part of the experience, and It Happened Tomorrow doesn’t quite deviate from that tradition, as it takes a very long time to make the most out of its anticipating-the-future-through-tomorrow’s-newspaper premise. Director René Clair eventually takes his material somewhere interesting (the last twenty minutes of the film are quite good), but the early going is a drag, as It Happened Tomorrow seems almost afraid to commit to its Lord Dunsaney-inspired supernatural plot device. Otherwise, the film is presented in a rather straightforward fashion, with a newspaperman trying to resolve his romantic and financial issues with knowledge of what tomorrow will bring. There’s almost certainly a better movie out there making use of those elements, but let’s be honest—much of the appeal of It Happened Tomorrow is in seeing how it comes to grips with its own premise, as a period piece in more ways than one.