RFF: The Mortal Storm

Part of The Resistance Film Festival

“(A) pertinent film …. that depicts how Hitler’s ascendancy affects the lives of one family & two men (one who supports the Nazis, one who doesn’t)” – Randy Myers, SFGate

Introduction by festival curator & former Roxie programmer, Elliot Lavine!

Germany: 1933. Viktor Roth, an unassuming university professor and his family, live a quiet and peaceful life, but find their safety and their lives imperiled now that Adolf Hitler has come to power. Most everyone in his town has embraced the new Nazi creed, but not everyone. Those who stand in defiance must now face the consequences of internment in a concentration camp. A tragically divided family forms the nucleus of this powerful anti-fascist drama, long unseen on the big screen. Produced a full year before America’s entry into World War II, this film stands as an early testament to the Hollywood industry’s commitment to combatting totalitarianism. Starring James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Robert Young, Frank Morgan. Screenplay by Claudine West, Hans Rameau, and George Froeschel. Photographed by William Daniels. Directed by Frank Borzage. In B&W. 110 mins. 1940.