Cleveronix
A different way of telling a story
Gutsycurene
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Yvonne Jodi
Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
TheLittleSongbird
Was really surprised at how well 'Storm Warning' turned out. Despite having a love for drama, crime and film noir films and finding the Klu Klux Klan a fascinating if harrowing subject to talk about, there was the worry as to how Ginger Rogers and Doris Day would fare in atypical roles and whether Ronald Reagan would be up to the task.'Storm Warning' may not quite be a masterpiece, or an amazing film all the way through, but mostly it does live up to its potential and really does send up a storm in its best moments. It does sink into melodrama somewhat too much in the middle, with occasionally some of the dialogue slightly overheated, Tennessee Williams-esque dialogue (do love his stuff though) didn't seem to belong here. More of an issue was that the portrayal of the Klu Klan, although brutal and menacing at times, could have been more daring and more shocking.There was the sense that the film seemed too careful not to offend (when it really shouldn't have been afraid to tell the truth and express exactly what at the time and now everyone's stance on the Klan was) meaning that there was a glossed over feel.However, 'Storm Warning' is a visually striking film, the noir-ish look is seedy and gritty yet also audacious and luminous. There are some beautiful shots here and some of it has a real creepiness, the atmospheric sets and lighting also help. There is similarly a haunting score from Daniele Amfitheatrof and suitably taut direction from Stuart Heisler, based on their efforts here wouldn't hesitate in hearing and seeing more from them.Regarding 'Storm Warning's' script, it is thought-provoking and tight on the most part, if a little melodramatic and overheated in the middle at times. The story tackles some heavy and dark themes and does so in a hard-hitting and poignant fashion, complete with an ending that wrenches the gut, aside from the too safe portrayal of the Klan itself it's pretty ahead of the time stuff we're dealing with here and it really does not pull any punches. 'Storm Warning' is as dark and gritty as one can get and is less than glamorous, but that is what makes the film as good as it is in its best moments.Casting and the performances are very good. Ginger Rogers and Steve Cochran especially so, it's a courageous dramatic turn for Rogers and one that she handles with grit and sincerity while Cochran is nerve-shredding. Wasn't expecting Ronald Reagan to work, was expecting him to be bland and out of kilter so it was surprising that he was neither, and Doris Day (though she is much better in comedy and musicals, which suit her talent far more) is cast against type in a rare early dramatic role and comes over credibly.Overall, not perfect but a valiant effort and when it's at its best boy isn't it good. 8/10 Bethany Cox
jdsuggs
This has to be the only anti-Klan/social message film you'll ever see that doesn't mention race even once. African-Americans appear only as extras in this story; I'm pretty sure no one even gets a line of dialogue. As if that wasn't distracting enough, there's a tacked-on theme that the Klan is simply a money scam, with the various local wizards getting rich off of dues, emblem and white sheet and pillow case sales and what-not, and that the whole terrifying organization is one forensic audit away from some really bad press. On top of all that weirdness, it's made very clear- and don't think this wasn't thought through, hashed out, and thoroughly negotiated- that the Klan murder that opens the film was the unintended act of a loose cannon, rather than a real lynching. Past all that hedging, though, they really give that bad ol' Klan what-for! The result is an almost unimaginably odd duck- an openly crusading film that must have made the Klan and the NAACP pretty equally unhappy back in 1951.What we're left with is a pretty good Noir that is brisk, tense, gripping, and very exciting when it needs to be, driven by the kind of villains you love to root against- bullies and cowards. Ginger Rogers and Doris Day are cast well out of their comfort zones in humorless, non-glamorous (though Rogers plays a model), and mostly unlovable roles. Both pull it off admirably. Reagan is right in his wheelhouse as the straight-arrow prosecutor fighting an uphill battle. Odd to find these three future Republican stalwarts in this de-fanged cop-out, but they manage to make something out of the leftover pieces that's well worth your very short viewing time. "Storm Warning" is also nicely staged and spooky; it delivers a small town from the 1950s that you won't want to visit- but boy, is it vivid and real.It would be interesting to know what went on behind the scenes- who chickened this thing out, and what the early drafts looked like. They clearly had no heart to make an "Ox-Bow Incident" or "Gentleman's Agreement", but they gave what they could.
vert001
Even when I first saw STORM WARNING as a teenager on a late night television broadcast long, long ago, I realized that Ginger Rogers, Doris Day and Ronald Reagan were very odd casting for a film about the Ku Klux Klan. Still, the movie worked for me then and it works for me now. As many have noted, this is no documentary on the Ku Klux Klan. It treats the Klan more as your typical crime syndicate, a subject that was coming into prominence at around this time (see THE PHENIX CITY STORY among many others). Take STORM WARNING for what it is rather than for something that it is not and you'll find plenty to admire about it.Ginger Rogers plays a dress model, presumably modeling for some small garment district company, who's hitting the small town Southern circuit (we must deduce 'South' from the bus's itinerary on which Rogers is traveling. Otherwise the town could plausibly be anywhere in the Midwest, or even much of the West, though 1930 would be a more likely date for Klan domination of a city than was 1950). It's a modest position, and with a still marvelous body together with her rather worn face, Ginger very much looks the part. The first scene shows her kidding around a lot with her traveling companion. Such levity completely disappears once she witnesses the killing. It's a nice touch.Ginger also looks very plausibly the older sister of Doris Day. The psycho-dynamic similarities with A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE are too striking to be missed. This must have been the influence of the stage production of STREETCAR as STORM WARNING seems to have completed filming before the film version of STREETCAR began (the 10 month difference between the films' premieres indicates this time-line). Indeed, besides the obvious similarities with STREETCAR: older sister coming to visit recently married and now pregnant sister; meeting her in a bowling alley; younger sister sexually enthralled with blue collar hubby to the point of blinding herself to his animalistic nature; elder sister's attempts to get her away from husband; husband's attempt to rape sister-in-law, etc., there are also similarities with Elia Kazan's later ON THE WATERFRONT: Siblings strive to protect one another rather than aiding the cause of justice, in both cases by covering up the guilt of a crime syndicate involved in a murder; similar criminal hearings feature absurdly lying witnesses and interrupt the narratives; protagonists receive brutal beatings during the melodramatic climaxes, and crime bosses scream at their underlings to hang together or they will all hang separately. I think it's pretty clear that Elia Kazan took a look at STORM WARNING and that the influences go both ways.But be that as it may, we have here a Noir-tinged social drama notable for its generally sunny cast and extreme dark violence (was there a more explicit scene of its kind than the attempted rape in STORM WARNING between, say, 1934 and PSYCHO in 1960?). Stuart Heisler and Carl Guthrie were at the height of their directorial and photographic powers respectively when shooting STORM WARNING. Ginger Rogers' grim, emotionally buttoned-down portrayal of her character is perfect for the role and completely unlike her usual screen persona. Steve Cochran's pseudo-Stanley Kowalski is brutal and effective, and Doris Day is fine in what I believe was her first serious role. They give us a fine movie that should be much better known.
LeonLouisRicci
Sure enough, this Excellent, Tough and Prescient peek at the Ku Klux Klan flinched and completely abandon the Racist elements of the Secret Society and chose to focus on the more Mundane, but nonetheless Oppressive and Brutal traits of the KKK. But that doesn't necessarily negate this searing Melodrama from attaining some Nobility.So anyway to get at the problem is a way worth pursuing. Here we see them as Murders, Controlling the Justice System with Fear and Intimidation. These Xenophobes, and Cowards beneath the Hoods scatter like roaches when the Light of Truth illuminates the Darkness.This is accurately labeled Film-Noir with its Creepy Nighttime Scenes, Sadism, Violence against Women, and overall Bleak Tone. It also foreshadows, in the opening, a White Journalist as a Victim of Murder that would resemble the Klan's Triple-Homicide involvement in Mississippi of Civil Rights Protesters coming down from the North.Ginger Rogers is simply riveting in this Heavy Role and Her Performance seems to come from somewhere Deep. Doris Day is also convincing and Steve Cochran is at His slimy best. Ronald Reagan is at least not distracting, and delivers a typical Non-Performance. There is a Klan Rally at the End that is downright Evil, with flogging and one Quick Shot of a Witnessing Child being hoisted on a Member's shoulder so She can see better, that is an Insight into KKK Mentality so Eerie that it takes the breath away.
