The Mortal Storm

This is far and away the most blunt and emotionally invested treatment of Nazi Germany I have seen from Hollywood prior to the US entering the war. So much so that at times it comes off as raw and histrionic and righteous, a fault in most other films especially as I would say it threatens to overwhelm the sense of the story once or twice. But it is so affecting now, and one realizes the purpose it served then, so that I can hardly fault it for that. This is not the Borzage emotionalism of other films, patient and knowing, but with rage underpinning it; a current of humaneness runs through them all. Counterpoints are obvious, but compellingly realized: first a college unites for the venerated professor’s 60th birthday celebration, then riots in his classroom after he continues to teach the science of physiology in defiance of Hitler’s statements. It just happens that his name is Roth, and nothing in his fate is shied away from — nor is that of the rest of our characters, as war leaves none untouched. Yes there is a grand romance in this tale, but war overtakes that, too. I can’t help but feel this is one of the most powerful films I’ve ever seen, put into context.