7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The relationship between an aspiring dancer and a popular songstress provides a retrospective of the great African American entertainers of the early 1900s.
Starring: Lena Horne, Bill Robinson (I), Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra, Katherine Dunham and Her Troupe, Fats WallerMusical | 100% |
Romance | 88% |
Music | 26% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It’s an uncomfortable but perhaps inescapable fact that Lena Horne’s so-called “multi-ethnic” status both elevated her and worked to her detriment during her time in Hollywood during the heyday of the studio system. Horne’s elegant appearance was completely unique, neither “typically” black nor white (whatever that might mean). But as with many “half breeds” (and I count myself among their number, albeit as a so-called "half Jew"), Horne found out she couldn’t completely matriculate with either group, at least in some respects. As commentator Dr. Todd Boyd discusses in a frank assessment of black history as it pertains to films, "light skinned" blacks probably seemed inherently less threatening to white audiences back in the day (Boyd points out the irony that the light skinned Babe Wallace is atypically the "villain" in Stormy Weather, despite the fact that the darker skinned Bill "Bojangles" Robinson would have more traditionally been cast in that role had it not been for his vaunted reputation.) Horne found herself in an odd and perhaps singular position, labeled as "African American" (or "Negro" as it was inevitably called back then), despite a lighter skinned, quasi-anglo appearance that made her more “palatable” to the studio honchos who made her the first ostensibly black actor to be granted a major studio long term contract during Hollywood's Golden Era. On the other hand, even her genteel appearance couldn’t keep her from being labeled “black” by theater owners in the south, to the point that many of Horne’s appearances in films of the day were simply excised whole cloth when those films played in southern venues. The fact that the studios knew going in that this would happen meant that by default Horne’s appearances were often shoehorned into films, seemingly with little purpose behind them. That’s what makes two 1940s films of Horne’s so fascinating. 1940’s Cabin in the Sky and 1943’s Stormy Weather offer black casts in first rate entertainments that prove inarguably that race (obviously) has nothing to do with talent. Horne was able to really shine in both of these films, offering solid performances in admittedly fairly unchallenging roles in support of her always enjoyable singing.
Stormy Weather is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Elements aren't completely pristine, but come awfully close a lot of the time, with only minimal wear and tear including minor dirt and white flecks showing up. Black levels and gray scale are both excellent, and overall sharpness and clarity are superb. There are no issues with image instability, and though housed on a BD-25, the shortness of the feature and absence of any space hogging supplements allow for an artifact free presentation. The grain field is very organic looking and resolves naturally.
Stormy Weather's original soundtrack mix is delivered via DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, and while it's fine, if typically boxy and narrow sounding, it sounds marginally less vibrant than even the "background" soundtrack that's offered on the commentary track. There's actually no comparison between both amplitude and general vividness between the original soundtrack iteration and the isolated score (the isolated score is by far the more vigorous track). All of that said, everything is delivered well enough on the mono track, with good reproduction of dialogue and the all important score. At around 27:45 the mono track had a brief sputter that was not on the isolated score track, and in replaying the disc, it did not happen again, but I am reporting it here in case others experience the same thing.
As Dr. Boyd points out in the commentary on this Blu-ray, in some ways Stormy Weather is a problematic viewing experience for contemporary eyes, but the film's ebullient performances help to overcome some of the clunkier plot machinations as well as some of the unfortunate stereotypes that mark this film as the product of a (hopefully) bygone age. Horne and Robinson are magical as the leads, and the supporting cast is wonderful. Technical merits are very strong and with an understanding of the context of the film's production mindset, Stormy Weather comes Highly recommended.
1948
Warner Archive Collection
1951
1957
Warner Archive Collection
1950
Warner Archive Collection
1968
1982
1980
Warner Archive Collection
1971
Fox Studio Classics
1969
1961
1958
+ Director's Cut on Blu-ray
1977
1940
Warner Archive Collection
1941
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
1999
1945
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1944
1953
Warner Archive Collection
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1957