The Mortal Storm (1940)
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100% of critics liked it
(7 reviews) -
85% of users liked it
(973 ratings)
The Nazi Party's rise to power has disastrous consequences for a German family in this drama. Victor Roth (Frank Morgan) is a college professor teaching in Germany in 1933 who leads a peaceful and contented life with his wife Emelie (Irene Rich), son Rudi (Gene Reynolds), daughter Freya… More The Nazi Party's rise to power has disastrous consequences for a German family in this drama. Victor Roth (Frank Morgan) is a college professor teaching in Germany in 1933 who leads a peaceful and contented life with his wife Emelie (Irene Rich), son Rudi (Gene Reynolds), daughter Freya (Margaret Sullavan), and stepsons Otto (Robert Stack) and Erich (William T. Orr). However, Adolph Hitler's emergence as Germany's ruler has an unexpected impact on their lives. Fritz (Robert Young) and Martin (James Stewart) both vie for Freya's hand in marriage, but anti-Nazi activist Martin is forced to flee to Austria, while Freya is disturbed by Fritz's membership in a pro-fascist group. Victor repudiates Hitler's theories about Aryan superiority in class, and he not only loses his teaching position, but he is sentenced to a concentration camp. And while Emelie and Rudi join Freya as she tries to escape to Martin's new home in Austria, they find themselves hunted by Otto and Erich, now members of the Hitler Youth. The Mortal Storm was perhaps the most explicitly anti-Nazi film made in Hollywood prior to America's entry into WWII, and it resulted in all of MGM's product being banned in Germany. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Frank Borzage
- Written By
- Claudine West, Anderson Ellis, George Froeschel
- Genres
- Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1940 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This was the first Hollywood film to so openly and boldly cast aspersions on the Nazi oppression.
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Jaime N. Christley, Slant Magazine
Romance becomes the irritant and, effectively, Borzage positions his romanticism as a contribution to Hollywood's anti-fascist crusade.
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Cast
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Margaret Sullavan
as Freya Roth
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James Stewart
as Martin Breitner
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Robert Young
as Fritz Marberg
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Frank Morgan
as Professor Victor Roth
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Robert Stack
as Otto von Rohn
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Bonita Granville
as Elsa
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Irene Rich
as Mrs. Victor Roth
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Maria Ouspenskaya
as Mrs. Breitner
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William Orr
as Erich von Rohn
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Gene Reynolds
as Rudi
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Russell Hicks
as Rector
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William Edmunds
as Lehman
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Esther Dale
as Marta
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Dan Dailey
as Holl
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Granville Bates
as Prof. Berg
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Thomas W. Ross
as Professor Werner
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Ward Bond
as Franz
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Sue Moore
as Theresa
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Harry Depp
as 2nd Colleague
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Gus Glassmire
as Colleague
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Max Davidson
as Old Man
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Robert O. Davis
as Hartman
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Dick Elliott
as Passport Official
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William Irving
as Waiter
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Howard Lang
as Man
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Fritz Leiber
as Oppenheim
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Ted Oliver
as Guard
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Lucien Prival
as Passport Official
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Dick Rich
as Guard
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Bert Roach
as Fat Man in Cafe
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Bob Stevenson
as Gestapo Guard
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Julius Tannen
as 3rd Colleague
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Henry Victor
as Gestapo Official
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John Stark
as Gestapo Official
- Tom Drake
