Frustrated housewife Gwen James (Rabid’s Patricia Gage) feels like little more than a servant to her accountant husband (Strange Brew’s Douglas Campbell) and two daughters. Devoting all her time to their needs – and the demands of her cantankerous father – she feels her sense of self-worth slipping. As Gwen wrestles with increasingly despairing thoughts, she escapes into a world of glamorous fantasy and eventually finds a new sense of purpose by enrolling in a university course, where she strikes up a special bond with her young professor (American Nightmare’s Neil Dainard). But as Gwen reverts to a more youthful, carefree state, her family descends into chaos.
Arriving on the heels of The Bitter Ash and Sweet Substitute, When Tomorrow Dies concluded Larry’s Kent Vancouver Trilogy with a vivid new sense of style and daring. Working with a larger budget and a more seasoned crew, the director fused elements of film noir and the Hollywood melodrama to deliver a lurid – yet compassionate – investigation of the housewife psyche. Applying Kent’s preoccupation with youthful disaffection to an older generation, When Tomorrow Dies brought new depth to his approach and cemented his reputation as a maverick of Canadian independent filmmaking.
directed by: Larry Kent starring:Patricia Gage, Douglas Campbell, Neil Dainard, Nikki Cole, Desmond Smiley, Francie Long, Patricia Wilson, Caroline Kennedy, Lanny Beckman 1965 / 89 min / 1.37:1 / English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Additional info:
Region A Blu-ray
Newly scanned and restored in 4K from the original 16mm A/B negatives by Canadian International Pictures with sound transferred from the original 16mm magnetic final mix
New audio commentary featuring film historian and author Samm Deighan
Archival audio commentary featuring film professor Peter Rist
New introduction to When Tomorrow Dies by Larry Kent
Tomorrow Lives (2024, 9 min.) – New interview with Kent
Independent Evolution (2024, 18 min.) – New interview with Douglas
New audio interview with Heather Whitehead, daughter of star Patricia Gage (2024, 9 min.)
Talking to Larry Kent (2005, 19 min.) – Archival conversation featuring Kent and Rist
Kent on Kent (1965-1967, 20 min.) – Archival audio interviews with Kent
Mothers and Daughters (1993, 85 min.) – Little-seen Kent feature exploring some of the same themes as When Tomorrow Dies
New introduction to Mothers and Daughters by Douglas
Booklet featuring a new essay by film critic and professor Tom McSorley
