Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

The Mortal Storm Blu-ray Movie Review

Ties that blind.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 31, 2020

Frank Borzage's The Mortal Storm was one of the few anti-Nazi films produced by Hollywood before America's entry into WWII. Featuring the final on-screen pairing of Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan (who had previously worked together on Next Time We Love, The Shopworn Angel, and Ernst Lubitsch's The Shop Around the Corner, released only five months earlier), it's an effective picture where just about everything fits together perfectly. Although purposefully vague about the ethnicity of its "non-Aryan" characters (the studio did, after all, want to sell movie tickets in Germany), this film and all other MGM releases were subsequently banned in the country during the next five years.

Taking place in the not-too-distant time and place of 1933 Germany, The Mortal Storm introduces us to a great cast of characters in relatively short order. We meet them all on the 60th birthday of Jewish professor Viktor Roth (Frank Morgan), whose daughter Freya (Sullavan) and stepsons Erich (William T. Orr) and Otto (a young Robert Stack) present him with gifts before he leaves for work. Surprised by a gathering organized by his students, including Freya's suitor Fritz (Robert Young) and family friend Martin Breitner (James Stewart), Viktor is touched to have so much appreciation and support. The spell is broken during his birthday dinner when it's announced that Hitler has been made chancellor of Germany, igniting a political debate between his pro-Nazi stepsons and pacifist Martin that ends with the former, along with Fritz, leaving for an emergency rally celebrating the country's ongoing march towards fascism.

Things go downhill fast, but only some of it involves skiing. Viktor's family is divided by his stepsons' blind allegiance to the Nazi party, and even once-devoted students turn their backs. His remaining relatives, which may as well include Martin and his immediate family, are voices of reason but outnumbered wherever they go. This is perfectly represented with a pub visit where Martin defends a bullied Jewish man from aggressive Hitler Youths; almost simultaneously, Freya finally realizes that her engagement is a farce. But things get darker still; soon enough, Martin volunteers to sneak the old man into Austria and Viktor is arrested while his family hides in fear. It's this profound uncertainty, combined with the ever-present danger of roving Nazi patrols, that casts a deep and dramatic sense of dread over the film.

Although certainly not granted a happy ending -- whatever that might look like in 1930s Germany -- The Mortal Storm nonetheless feels morally hopeful due to its unabashed resistance of what was, and still is, a festering poison. Its only crime is pulling punches with terminology to evade German censors, a fruitless attempt that makes the film slightly less admirable as a protest against evil. Aside from that, and the presence of mostly English-speaking Germans (especially drawling Jimmy Stewart, a ridiculous notion that doubles as The Shop Around the Corner's main handicap), The Mortal Storm is still a near-perfect production that's aged extremely well and now earns another life on Blu-ray.

The Mortal Storm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Last issued on DVD by Warner Archive in 2010, The Mortal Storm returns with a suitably terrific 1080p transfer sourced from a 4K scan of its best surviving elements. Although the image quality varies slightly at times for that reason, it's a remarkably stable and very clean picture that showcases The Mortal Storm's pristine black-and-white cinematography. Black levels run nice and deep and contrast is also very well resolved, with lots of silvery grayscales revealing its nitrate roots. Fine detail and textures are also quite good, while only a handful of interior scenes and a few rear-projection effects dip into softer territory. As usual, Warner Archive's dual-layered Blu-ray is perfectly authored and runs at a very high bit rate, showing absolutely no flagrant artifacts, edge enhancement, or even banding. It's a top-notch effort that, with very few exceptions, stands toe-to-toe with the studio's strongest vintage catalogue releases.

The Mortal Storm Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track is surprisingly equal in overall quality, suffering from absolutely no distracting source defects and sounding quite robust at times. Dialogue is very clean and easily understood; obviously the film's one-channel roots prevent any kind of separation, but crowded conversations are anything but narrow or cramped, whether the characters are in a smaller dining room or crowded pub. The Mortal Storm's dramatic score is credited to three separate composers -- Bronislau Kaper, Eugene Zador, and Edward Kane -- and maintains depth with a strong dynamic range and well-mixed levels that rarely fight for attention with the speech. Much like the optional English (SDH) subtitles, there are no obvious sync issues and everything runs smoothly from start to finish.

The Mortal Storm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Although not advertised on its press release, The Mortal Storm includes a few extras beyond the theatrical trailer.

• Peace on Earth (8:30) - This Oscar-nominated 1939 MGM cartoon, directed by an uncredited Hugh Harman, tells a sobering account of war through the eyes of two baby squirrels and their grandfather. It was later remade as the 1955 short Good Will to Men, long after Harman left MGM to direct Army training films during WWII.

• Meet the Fleet (20:18) - A 1940 Warner Bros. color short film -- also known as Anchors Aweigh -- starring Robert Armstrong, William T. Orr, and future Superman George Reeves as three Navy recruits in training.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:47) - This vintage (and suitably dramatic) promotional piece touts The Mortal Storm's literary roots, as well as a handful of earlier MGM book-to-film adaptations. Watch it here, or check out this "enhanced version" featuring an introduction and commentary by Allan Arkush of Trailers from Hell.

The Mortal Storm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dramatically effective and well-acted, Frank Borzage's The Mortal Storm is a landmark WWII film of great historical importance that remains just as potent today, showcasing how opposing political viewpoints can sharply sever the ties between families and friends. Warner Archive's new Blu-ray is up to their usual high standards, pairing a top-tier A/V presentation with a small collection of carryover extras. An absolutely essential purchase, even as a blind buy.