Tomorrow/ Tender Mercies

TOMORROW, 1972, Castle Hill Productions, 103 min. Dir. Joseph Anthony. Robert Duvall stars as a Mississippi farmer who, despite his own independent predisposition, falls in love with a pregnant woman who has been abandoned by her husband. Based on a story by William Faulkner, this drama was adapted by Horton Foote (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD) from his play and is understated, touching and romantic.

TENDER MERCIES, 1983, Universal, 100 min. In another Horton Foote-Robert Duvall collaboration, Duvall (in an Oscar-winning performance) plays a fallen-from-grace Texas country singer who gets a second chance at life with an attractive widow (Tess Harper) and her son. A purely character-driven collection of episodes rather than a conventional story, TENDER MERCIES represents Foote at his observational best, with expert direction by Bruce Beresford and fine performances by Betty Buckley, Ellen Barkin and Wilford Brimley.