Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

clanciai This is a surprisingly modern and almost shockingly valid film still today after 75 years, since all the arguments are as important today as in 1940 and perhaps even more so than ever. It's about the transience from a democracy to an autocracy, how it changes the very core of society and plunges people into an entirely different mentality turning many of them into aliens and forcing them into exile, if they want to escape the brainwash. It's an upsetting story extremely efficiently told with marvellous photography, especially in the final scenes way up in the Alps, and it's a joy to see James Stewart so young and fresh and completely himself in total honesty. Margaret Sullavan has done better in other films, especially "Three Comrades" two years earlier, another German story on a novel by Remarque, but no one is falling short of perfect. Frank Borzage's direction celebrates perhaps its greatest triumphs in this vitally important film so much ahead of its time, since it clearly sees through all what Germany actually was about long before America entered the war. This is actually a timelessly important film unmasking the very essence of autocracy as a very efficient warning against it for all times - it could be about any autocracy. Perhaps it's a little dramatized and exaggerated, it all happens in 1933 while it's still winter, while it really depicts the whole development in Germany up till 1939, but that's a minor detail, and the film would have been less efficient without the exaggerations - the message is the important thing, and it remains a vitally important one for all ages.

jarrodmcdonald-1 What's striking about The Mortal Storm is that it was filmed in February 1940 and premiered in June of the same year. That was 18 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The book was published in the late 1930s. It's profound because it was not only timely but prophetic. This is a good example of filmmakers who are attempting to illuminate, warn and hopefully prevent tragedy. While the Jews are not mentioned specifically in the film, there are speeches about what happens if you are not Aryan or at least pro-Aryan and there is also mention of concentration camps. If this film was remade today (and it very easily could be), I think you could substitute the fanaticism of the religious right in place of the Nazis. These wars are still happening today, in a domestic and spiritual sense, and as a result, The Mortal Storm remains just as timely and perhaps as powerful as ever.

utgard14 Sincere, moving story about the Nazi takeover in Germany and its affect on one family in particular. The father (Frank Morgan) is sent to a concentration camp. His stepsons become ardent Nazis, as does the man who was supposed to marry his daughter (Margaret Sullavan). This also drives a wedge between the sons and a lifelong friend (James Stewart), who is in love with Sullavan.Beautifully acted with fine performances from all. Stewart and Sullavan are amazing. Robert Young, usually playing good guy parts, here plays a Nazi. Bonita Granville does well, as does Ward Bond in a villainous part. Maria Ouspenskaya is brilliant as usual. But the best kudos would have to go to Frank Morgan for his sensitive, intelligent performance. Possibly the finest of his career. Robert Stack also appears as one of the Nazi stepsons and plays a part in the film's powerful final scene.This is truly a classic in every sense of the word. It's a movie that should be seen by everybody, both for its content as well as its historical value.

DKosty123 This very political look at Pre-World War 2 Europe is a solid multi-faceted drama about a family being torn apart by the Nazis. While the film does not mention Germany by name, it has plenty of swastika's and does feature a ski escape sequence to Austria. Jimmy Stewart leads a fine cast with a great role by Frank Morgan as the ailing father of the family and Margaret O'Brien. Robert Young plays a Nazi officer who is a big departure from Father Knows Best which came much later. Young is convincing in his role.The most powerful and disturbing line to me is when the son quotes what he is being taught in school. The line goes like "We must all sacrifice our personal lives and beliefs in order to further the cause of our government." While I might not have the quote exactly right, the idea behind it is that we are supposed to follow our government like some bunch of blind and mindless robots. This idea reminds me very much of some issues in our government and society today.The reason this is not the perfect movie is it does suffer from the time the movie was made. The ski escape sequence particularly suffers from the crude technology of the times. It is hard to imagine all those actors out in the cold mountains skiing without being dressed warmly. This stuff is very obviously staged in a studio and crudely done.That does not take away from a well written script, a terrific cast and a timeless drama.