Tomorrow Is Forever

- Mr. Lawrence. - Thanks, ambrose.

I should say so, Mr. Lawrence.

This is your grandfather's madeira.

Come in, come in.

You don't see a war ended every day.

Gentlemen...

And ladies...

You'll forgive me for having omitted you,

but in my day the fair sex

graced the home and not the office.

I should like to propose a toast.

This is the third war the Hamilton family has helped to win;

the third occasion in our history

- we have had to turn from peacetime manufacturing... - They're drinking a toast.

To wartime production.

1860,1898, 1917;

Lincoln, McKinley, Wilson...

Three commanders-in-chief,

we served them and our country

to the best of our ability.

So now let us drink to peace,

peace and prosperity to all men

everywhere.

Oh yes... my son and I would like to declare

the remainder of the day a holiday.

Well, Mrs. MacDonald, you seem to be taking all this very calmly.

Oh I'm not calm, I...

I'm so excited I can hardly breathe.

Really?

This means my husband will be coming home.

Oh, from France?

How long has he been over?

Only since August, but it seems years.

He was lucky to get there.

I tried, but they ordered me back here to my job.

Perhaps it's more important.

But I'll never feel right about it.

And I'm not married, no ties,

nothing to hold me here.

Even if you had, you'd still want to go.

Like John... if he'd been forced to stay home,

nothing could have made him feel right about it either.

- Not even you? - Not even I, and I tried.

Where's everyone gone?

My father declared a holiday. Didn't you hear?

I'm afraid I didn't.

Oh... what does Mrs. MacDonald do here?

- Stenographer? - No, she's straightening out the research library.

Doing it very well, too.

Husband's overseas, you know.

Yes, I know.

Lucky man.

John MacDonald: Elizabeth.

Elizabeth. I've got a surprise for you.

Stay where you are. I'll be right out.

What is it?

- I'm coming in. - John MacDonald: No, you don't.

You stay right where you are.

Oh, that's not fair. At least tell me what sort of a surprise.

John MacDonald: It's a new suit.

I went right out and got it all by myself, without you.

Aren't you getting to be a big boy?

- John MacDonald: Are you standing near the door? - Right smack up.

John MacDonald: Well, then back away a little.

This is kind of an unusual suit.

It needs a certain perspective.

Now if you're playing some sort of trick on me...

John MacDonald: Here I come, ready or not.

Well?

Are you asking me to say something or is it too late?

Depends.

I don't expect you to show much enthusiasm

for just another blue serge,

but this...

Sweetheart, you know I've got to go, don't you?

I'm not sure why. I knew you wanted to.

Who wanted to? Honey, if you don't do something about it yourself,

they come after you. You wouldn't like to have them

crawl up under the house for me, would you?

Why didn't you tell me?

I was afraid.

But, John, your work. You're accomplishing so much here.

It just happens I made a very good deal with them.

I start off with the very top pay for a second iieuie.

Did you get it in writing?

- Oh, sure. - A contract?

Honey, I've got the army tied hand and foot.

I can't make a move without their permission.

Oh, darling, I might have known you'd outwit them.

- What else? - No fighting.

None at all?

The very first gesture of unfriendliness by the enemy,

a bugle blows and the whole business stops dead

until I'm removed to some place of safety.

Oh, John.

Oh, I'm going to miss you.

Miss me, but don't be scared.

I have to let you go, don't I?

Yes.

Let me love you my own way.

Let you love me in your own crazy way.

Promise me you'll come back.

- Promise not to forget me. - Oh, John.

I'll come back.

I promise.

I'll come back.

Library.

Isn't Mrs. MacDonald back from lunch yet?

I heard her say she was going home at noon.

It's quite a ways.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Aren't you feeling well?

Oh yes, I'm quite all right, thank you.

Some water, quickly.

What is it? What's happened?

It's Mrs. MacDonald. She's fainted.

- Ambrose, some Brandy. - Yes, Mr. Lawrence.

Where does Mrs. MacDonald live?

Over on George street, I think.

- With her family? - No, she lives alone.

Get the car and bring it around front.

Yes, sir.

I'll see to her if you'll help her to the car.

What did the doctor say, aunt Jessie?

- He's still up there. - I know he's still up there.

What did he say? Is she very ill?

Larry, who is this girl?

Her name's MacDonald. She works in the office.

She's going to have a baby.

Her husband was killed in the war.

She was very much in love with him.

I'm afraid the next few months are going to be rather difficult.

Do you think you could keep her here and look after her?

After all, she can't very well go through this thing alone.

No, of course she can't.

She was so happy when she thought her husband was coming home.

Now he's dead.

Give me something to finish it, won't you?

- Quiet. - That's not much to ask.

You must be quiet.

At home they'd shoot a dog that had been smashed by a truck.

Why don't you let me die?

That's what the other doctors say.

That means hopeless, doesn't it? Hopeless.

Yes. That's what it means.

- Hopeless. - But I don't agree with that.

It's difficult to say this well,

perhaps I cannot say it at all

but I will try.

For me, you are not only a man,

you are mankind.

You do not want to live? Very well.

But what I learn from you

will one day help me to heal men

who do want to live.

I want to die.

To die!

Elizabeth.

Signed only “Elizabeth."

Do you still refuse to tell us who she is?

Is this Elizabeth your wife?

Don't you want to let her know that you are alive?

You do not seem to understand.

When you were picked up on the battlefield,

there was nothing on you but this one letter.

Your identity disks could not be found.

If they were, you will probably have been

officially reported as dead.

You call this being alive?

If you had lost both arms,

or even if there had been blindness,

we could do so much for you.

Life can still be good.

You mean I have my eyes, but no face.

My friend, there is such a thing as plastic surgery.

We can give you a face.

But what we cannot give you is a name.

Stop asking me who I am and do what you please with me.

Give me any name you like.

Do you realize that your wife has almost certainly

been informed that you are dead?

She's mourning for you,

grieving for you.

She's young, there are no children,

nothing to hold her to me.

Nothing... only pity.

There's much more than pity.

There's great love and great need.

As long as you are alive, there's love for you,

for your very disabilities.

She would want to be your hands, your feet,

every part of you that has been hurt.

I can only heal you.

But she...

She can make you whole.

Dr. Ludwig, what's the most you can promise me?

The use of an arm?

The power to hobble on a crutch?

And for this fragment of my life, you'd have me

destroy the whole of hers?