Review of The Mortal Storm (1940) by Jennifer H — 19 May 2010

How could one teenager describe the overall impact of such a movie as the Mortal Storm. Simply, it was intense without being intense. What a conundrum, you might say. Well, don't quarrel with me. Just watch the movie. The Mortal Storm, starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan, attacked a hot topic with such simplicity and manners that not even the Nazis could have been offended. Sure, The Mortal Storm was not a movie cheering the Third Reich on from the sidelines but it illustrated what every Nazi held to as important- that power belonged to Germany. Thankfully, Jimmy was not a Nazi and neither was Margaret.

In the end, the two got together. If I have ruined the ending, I offer my sincerest apologies but you must suspect it. Although there was little letter writing in this movie, once again, Jimmy and Margaret pulled off a romance pleasing to the audience. The script made very clear that Jimmy and Margaret were friends at the beginning of the film. In their early scenes, when alone, I expected Jimmy to use his charming face. It's the face he uses when in the privacy of the woman he loves. But I didn't see that face, at least not at the beginning. My mind said, "What's wrong! Why isn't Jimmy using his Charming face? Has the world come to an end? Is Jimmy not getting the girl after all?" But don't worry. Jimmy got his game on. Before I even saw the face, Jimmy's head collided with Margaret's and he kissed her, he kissed the crap right out of her.

Enough of this mush. Let's talk about the thrills... (Pause) OK, so there were not many thrills. But even life during the reign of Hitler wasn't all terror and escape. This is where I give my congrats. The Mortal Storm was a piece about the separation of a family between opposing viewpoints. What a dull topic. I would expect the film to be far less eye catching. Yet somehow, 'Storm' caught my attention and kept it. A movie like that deserves much praise. I fell asleep watching Mutiny on the Bounty. Go ahead, hate me. If you can find Mutiny on the Bounty worth your time, I'm sure The Mortal Storm is worthy of your attention as well.