Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Stormy Weather Blu-ray Movie Review

Lena keeps reigning all the time.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 17, 2015

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.

While Stormy Weather is often referred to nowadays as a “Lena Horne film,” probably due in no small part to Horne’s iconic rendition of the title tune in one of the film’s large production numbers, in reality it’s a wonderful ensemble piece which is ostensibly built around the career of the film’s other major star, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. Robinson portrays Bill Williamson, a character supposedly modeled, if sometimes rather speciously so, on Robinson himself. The film is told largely in flashback, as an “elderly” Williamson delights a gaggle of incredibly cute children with tales from his career in show business.

That brings Williamson into contact with a host of both fictional and real life characters. Chief among them is up and coming songstress Selina Rogers (Lena Horne), who ends up appearing with Williamson in a show produced by and starring Chick Bailey (Babe Wallace). There’s a bit of romantic tension between these three, though it’s obvious that Selina and Bill have eyes for each other. Playing out in the background are various minimally detailed subplots, including Bill’s relationship with the goofy Gabe Tucker (Dooley Wilson). The film is full of incredible performances, not just by Robinson and Horne of course, but also Cab Calloway, Fats Waller and, in one of the more incredible dance sequences of its era, the amazing Nicholas Brothers.

As laudable as Stormy Weather is in actually offering a host of African American greats a chance to strut their stuff, it also can’t be denied that the film is squarely a product of its time, to the point that some portrayals within the film will strike those inclined toward political (and/or racial) correctness as being at the very least insensitive, if not worse. Dr. Boyd points out the inherent irony of this fact in his commentary, perhaps being slightly taken aback at big production numbers which trade in on a quasi-savage “African” display of headdress wearing, face painted, blacks. Even more problematic are scenes with blacks in blackface, and a reliance on minstrel tradition which play uncomfortably to present day eyes.

There are some true oddities tucked into Stormy Weather, including my own personal favorite, a rollicking number called “The Salt Lake City Blues.” As a born and bred Utahn who can state unequivocally that I literally never saw a single black person in Salt Lake for at least the first ten years of my life, the hilarity of a black woman lamenting her time there was a highlight of the film for me. Some of the humor is problematic, especially when it plays upon admittedly white preconceptions of how blacks act (the silliness on the barge early in the film is a notable example), but the film’s musical elements still ring with an ebullience that simply can’t be denied. There are some great moments with Cab Calloway as well, not necessarily limited to the musical side of things (I'll pun horribly and simply say Calloway provides a prime example of "Zoot allure" in the film.)

There’s some really interesting background information on the film available here (courtesy of TCM.com) which suggests that the film’s production was not an entirely smooth one, especially for the film’s black cast and some of its black crew. This perhaps echoes the dilemma of Horne herself—Stormy Weather sought to celebrate the black experience while also falling prey to stereotypes. No wonder Horne ultimately broke free of the studio system to establish herself as a completely unique, label-phobic individual.

Stormy Weather Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Stormy Weather Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary is by Dr. Todd Boyd, Professor of Critical Studies at USC, who brings a somewhat more cultural perspective to the film than is usually the case, dealing with things like how blacks have tended to be portrayed throughout film history (including in this film). A really interesting listen.


• Isolated Score Track is presented in a rather boisterous sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, though interestingly vocals are variously either mixed way down or are nonexistent.

Stormy Weather Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.