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Rating:  -
This WWII political drama starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, along with very young Robert Stack, Dan Dailey, Robert Young and of course, the Wizard of Oz, Frank Morgan, who is fabulous in this dramatic role, has been overlooked by the wizards of Hollywood. Due to the overall excellence of the film, great acting and wonderful scenes of Jimmy and Margaret "skiing" in the Alps at night, it should be listed, at least, as one of the best 100 films.
Rating:  -
"The Mortal Storm" is a movie that predates America's entry into WWII. It is based on a book that was published the year before the war began in Europe. It tells the story of a Bavarian family and their mixed relationship with the Nazi party. Within this family and their close associates, is a mixed opinion of the Nazi party. Some were hard-core adherents and others either ignored or disagreed with its' totalitarian stance. The film suffers somewhat by not exploring the rationale behind the near-fanatical supporters. One day they're classmates and after Hitler is elected Chancellor of Germany, they are uniformed thugs. Maybe I missed "The Prenatal Storm" but I found it hard to make the transistion. Oh well, much of Germany, Europe and the rest of the world probably felt the same way. That isn't the point to "The Mortal Storm".
The essence of "The Mortal Storm" is its' excellent depiction of how mob rule can intimidate freedom of speech. Once freedom of speech is repressed, anything can happen. The bullying and coercion came through loud and clear. Although I'm repeating myself, this "overnight" transistion from brotherly love to thumb screws and jack boots, left out a major part of the lessons to be learned from Nazism. That's unfortunate because we, as a world community, cannot speak coherantly about the lessons of Hitler's rise to power. We hear people make comparisons to modern day political issues but those comparisons are quickly denounced as excessively inappropriate. It's true that we have no Hitler/Nazi Party components wielding power in America. but it isn't true that freedom of speech is free from attack. The emergence of "Politically Correct" speech has intimidated a lot of thoughtless and worthless speech out of our national vernacular. Our sense of decency and fairness has helped improve our diversity awareness and that is good. However, the frontiers of Political Correctness have edged into intimidating the serious discussion of a number of moral and politcal issues. Unlike "The Mortal Storm" these things don't happen overnight.
I found myself challenged to determine how much courage I would have had in such times as I was watching. That, I believe, was the point of the movie.
Rating: -
Probably the best movie concerning the rise of Hitler and Nazism ever made. By far, the most compelling performances were that of Jimmy Stewart (Martin Breitner) and M. Sullivan. There are many familiar faces in this film that went on to even greater heights: Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz), Robert Stack (The Untouchables), & Robert Montgomery (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby MD). But to really understand this film you have to understand the director, Frank Borzage. A 2-time Oscar winner (Seventh Heaven, The Bad Girl), he attained high rank in the Masonic Order. A primary axiom of the Masons was their belief in the universal brotherhood of man. The idea that all had value. This themes is very evident in the film. The alpine village depicted here serves as an excellent model relative to what happened in nearly every German home. Although a box office failure, the film serves as perhaps the best commentary ever on the effects of Nazism on the individual German family.
Rating: -
A chilling and surprisingly effective political drama detailing Germany's transition from a center of European high civilization into the totalitarian paranoia of the Nazi regime. Jimmy Stewart is a free-thinking, kind hearted Everyman, whose best friends turn on him when he refuses Party membership, and whose life and career are destroyed by the people who were once his neighbors and confidants. The sense of horror and surprise at how swiftly things changed is made manifest in this film, which is one of Hollywood's most effective pre-war antifascist propaganda films. Margaret Sullavan plays opposite Stewart, and once again adds a nice touch to her role as the girl he loves, and the daughter of an eminent scientist who runs afoul of the local Nazi fanatics. Robert Stack also appears, so young (and so blond!) that you'll hardly recognize him. A powerful film; well worth watching.
Rating: -
Politics are heavy in this movie, and what it is all about. Reminds me of current American political correctness, and the liberal bias of the US press. And why living in Texas is not all agreeable, but nobody judges my liberal views with malice.
Liberty here is complete, and a breath of fresh air after, "life inside-the-beltway".
But the true value is the accidental depiction of the good German woman. Accidental because that was not the purpose of the movie. And as such, probably gives us a valuable and accurate historical time capsule of how gracious woman used to be in the highly educated, pre-war Germany. And what all men would like to see in their woman. Especially poignant was the five minutes the German mom had with Dad, knowing he was going to die in the hands of the German captors. She didn't cry. And he was so noble, and strong.
What have American women become, and what have we all lost???
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