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Post by wmcclain on Sept 21, 2020 11:46:03 GMT
Storm Warning (1951), directed by Stuart Heisler. Ginger Rogers stops in a town terrified of the Klan and witnesses a jailbreak and murder. Her life is further complicated when she discovers her sister's husband is one of the gang. Ronald Reagan is rather good as the prosecutor who wants her to testify. A seriously toned and earnest drama on a little-seen subject. A bit overblown and and a bit heavy on the message, but the tension builds nicely, first to the inquest and then to a confrontation with the brother-in-law and the assembled Klan. I did not recognize Doris Day as the sister. It's supposed to be in the South but the accents are all generic middle American and there are only a scattering of black faces in the crowd. The Klan is portrayed as a racket benefiting a few leaders. In the story they are mostly concerned with "outsiders"; there is a hint of racial animus: "it wouldn't be safe for a woman to walk the streets without us..." The prosecutor knows who is under the sheets and calls them by name: "Am I supposed to be afraid of you because you're wearing a mask?" That's Ginger Rogers being flogged by the Klan in the last thumbnail below. 
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Sept 21, 2020 19:16:51 GMT
Storm Warning (1951), directed by Stuart Heisler. Ginger Rogers stops in a town terrified of the Klan and witnesses a jailbreak and murder. Her life is further complicated when she discovers her sister's husband is one of the gang. Ronald Reagan is rather good as the prosecutor who wants her to testify. A seriously toned and earnest drama on a little-seen subject. A bit overblown and and a bit heavy on the message, but the tension builds nicely, first to the inquest and then to a confrontation with the brother-in-law and the assembled Klan. I did not recognize Doris Day as the sister. It's supposed to be in the South but the accents are all generic middle American and there are only a scattering of black faces in the crowd. The Klan is portrayed as a racket benefiting a few leaders. In the story they are mostly concerned with "outsiders"; there is a hint of racial animus: "it wouldn't be safe for a woman to walk the streets without us..." The prosecutor knows who is under the sheets and calls them by name: "Am I supposed to be afraid of you because you're wearing a mask?" That's Ginger Rogers being flogged by the Klan in the last thumbnail below. A good summary my good man, great thumbs as well. I'll just add my review for thread purpose. The KKK took my baby away, they took her away, away from me.
13 November 2013 Storm Warning is directed by Stuart Heisler and written by Richard Brooks and Daniel Fuchs. It stars Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day and Steve Cochran. Music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Carl E. Guthrie. Stopping over to see her sister in Rockpoint, model Marsha Mitchell (Rogers) witnesses the Ku Klux Klan committing a murder and sees two of the perpetrators with their hoods off. Upon arriving at her sister's house, she is stunned to find that the beau of Lucy's (Day) life is one of the killers! Should she do what is morally right? What District Attorney Burt Rainey (Reagan) wants her to do? Or should she think of her sister and keep Hank Rice (Cochran) out of prison? Lets get the big complaint out the way first. What has been written before is true, the issue of race hatred and the KKK is not dealt with, this really does soft soap that particular issue in favour of a more - less - controversial angle. Film does still portray them as cowardly murderous thugs hiding behind hoods, even portraying them as dimwits following one almighty Grand Wizard (or is it Dragon?) who is more concerned about cash than colour of skin, but trivialisation of a hot topic occurs. We are the law here. The judges and jury! So, accepting it on its own "non social issue message" terms, then it's a thoroughly engrossing piece of film noir styled melodrama. Thematic noir staples are within, with bigotry, fate, family dysfunction and a woman in peril scenario (the fox in the hen house situation is super) all bubbling away under the moral obligation surface. Laid over the top is no short amount of atmospheric style, as Heisler (Among the Living/The Glass Key) and Guthrie (Backfire/Caged) produce dank shadowed streets, misty jails and a big court room segment bathed in slatted shadows befitting the moral discord filtering around the room. Don't give me that Halloween routine. Heisler proves to have a good eye for imagery as well as technical nous, such as snaps of child Klan members or the symbolic falling of a burning cross. He also marshals his cast very well. Don't believe any review that says Rogers is miscast, she simply isn't, she's feisty, sexy and strong, yet vulnerable as well, she's perfect for the role that was originally intended for Bacall who bailed out. And with Day exuding a confused innocence that hits the right notes, Heisler's reputation as a great director of actresses holds weight here. Reagan and Cochran are fine, with Cochran veering away from his normal cool, calculated persona to offer up a characterisation we rarely saw from him. It misses a trick to really strike a dagger in the KKK scheme of things, and yes some of it feels like lower grade Tennessee Williams. However, the makers turn this Southern town into a diseased noir landscape, where the story is paced and performed with skill, and it all builds moodily to a truly great finale. Well worth seeking out. 8/10
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Post by wmcclain on Sept 21, 2020 19:26:35 GMT
This is ""Lesser Known Ginger Rogers Week". More on Wednesday and Friday.
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Post by teleadm on Sept 25, 2020 21:45:46 GMT
Now that I have search i little further, It's a movie I have seen, I liked it on some levels, and Rogers as the only one who see what is happening was better than I expected.
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Post by teleadm on Sept 25, 2020 21:54:52 GMT
While searching around, I wrote this once , good movie, Rogers is good as the only one who see Doris has fallen for the wrong men.
So I have obviously seen it.
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Post by cynthiagreen on Oct 2, 2020 0:50:29 GMT
it certainly has a weird fascination... the opening sequence with ageing Ginger as a "top model" running both in terror and in very high heels from a KKK hit.... the shameless stealing from STREETCAR (Ginger is Blanche. Doris Stella and Steve Cochran a not bad Stanley} that horsewhipping scene...  and Poor Dodo! (mighty effective in a straight drama) 
The long dull courtroom scene kills it though and Reagan was a minus here.
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