The Mortal Storm
Directed by Frank Borzage
Written by Claudine West, Hans Rameau and George Froeschel based on the book by Phyllis Bottome
1940/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Warner Archive DVD
#146 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] [first lines] [white clouds appear; they quickly turn to storm clouds] Narrator: When man was new upon the earth, he was frightened by the dangers of the elements. He cried out, “The gods of the lightning are angry, and I must kill my fellow man to appease them!” As man grew bolder, he created shelters against the wind and the rain and made harmless the force of the lightning. But within man himself were elements strong as the wind and terrible as the lightning. And he denied the existence of these elements, because he dared not face them. The tale we are about to tell is of the mortal storm in which man finds himself today. Again he is crying, “I must kill my fellow man!” Our story asks, “How soon will man find wisdom in his heart and build a lasting shelter against his ignorant fears?”[/box]
I may be in the minority here (this film is very highly rated by IMDb users) but I still don’t understand why I needed to see The Mortal Storm before I died.
Kindly, loveable Professor Roth (Frank Morgan), a “non-Aryan” (at no time is the word Jew uttered in this film) is on his second marriage. He is the head of a happy family and his wife’s two sons treat him like their own father. He and his wife also have a grown daughter Freya (Margaret Sullavan) and a young son of their own. Professor Roth is also beloved at work, as evidenced by the huge 60th birthday celebration held for him. Students Martin (James Stewart) and Fritz (Robert Young) make speeches on the occasion. Both of them are in love with Freya but Fritz has been the most aggressive and she finally accepts his proposal.
On the very night of Roth’s birthday dinner, news comes that Hitler has been appointed Chancellor of Germany. Roth’s two stepsons and Fritz are delighted and rush off to attend a meeting; everyone else is aghast. We follow Roth’s slow decline from esteemed professor to pariah and the breakup of his happy home. Martin stands up for another intellectual and is forced to leave the country. After Freya is prevented from leaving Germany when she is found carrying a scientific paper written by her father, Martin returns for her. Fritz and the stepsons are repeatedly put in situations where they “need” to refuse help to their former friends/family. With Maria Ouspenskaya as Martin’s mother and Robert Stack as one of Roth’s stepsons.
Watching this the day after I revisited Rome, Open City was perhaps not a great idea. The contrast just highlighted my impression that these were movie Germans in movie situations. It was OK but I couldn’t get too excited about it.
Trailer
I liked this one, but that was a year before Rome, Open City and watched amidst movies either trying to deny the coming war or shrugging it off. This is one of the first films agitate against what was happening in Germany, especially towards people not liked by the regime. The movie may not mention the word Jew, but thta is clearly what is meant. I think that is the reason why this film is considered important. Certainly James Stewart has done better in other movies and, of course your are right, the Nazi’s are a special Hollywood breed.
Goebbels banned all MGM product from Germany after this movie, so it was a courageous move by the studio. I might need to see it again sometime and see if my reaction changes.
I also think this in on the list because it was a film from 1940, and an American one no less, that showed Nazis as both evil and possibly insane. It would be almost 2 more years before the U.S. would go to war against them.
I agree that it is an important film. I’m not so sure it’s a great one.
This was strong stuff while the USA was still a “neutral” country so I would agree that it is probably the historical value that puts in in the top film category. Jimmy Stewart was all wrong for the part but the rest of the actors are OK even though they sometimes overact. Not one of my favorites but it is watchable……..but not one to be viewed more than once.
I may have overstated my feelings about the movie. I enjoyed watching it enough. It may have been sour grapes that that other Stewart-Sullavan pairing for 1940 didn’t make The List!