A traveling dress model (Ginger Rogers) stops in a Southern town to visit her sister, who has married a Ku Klux Klan member. While there, she helps the district attorney (Ronald Reagan) prosecute Klan members after she witnesses them commit a murder. Directed by Stuart Heisler.
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Video Quality
Storm Warning makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p master from a 4K scan of the Original Nitrate Camera Negative. This presentation is a truly wonderful effort from one of the best labels in the business. This presentation is a beauty as the new transfer shows off a tremendous amount of depth and enhanced detail within this small, morally bankrupt town. You will be bowled over by the amount of detail present with rich textures on the clothing and within the production design.
The black-and-white photography shot by Carl E. Guthrie wows in high definition with natural grain intact. Black levels are immensely deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts in sight. This is especially helpful since most of the movie seems to take place at night or within shadowy environments. The contrast is formidable, and we did not spot even a trace of damage. Warner Archive has served up something exceptional here.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a newly restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that holds up very well in all respects. This track shows practically nothing in the way of discernible age related wear and tear such as humming, distortion or drop outs. The evocative score sounds as pleasant and stable as one might hope with no real strain even in the higher registers. The dialogue and environmental noises are balanced with all competing elements for a seamless experience. Warner Archive has provided a top notch audio experience for audiences. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.
Special Features
- One Who Came Back: A 21-minute live-action short in which a Korean War veteran tells his story from being wounded during combat to his recovery and return to America. This is presented in HD and looks quite nice overall.
- Bunny Hugged: A seven-minute Merrie Melodies short featuring Bugs Bunny getting acquainted with the world of boxing. This amusing short is presented in gorgeous HD.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Storm Warning is an occasionally blunt but effective commendation on the simmering undercurrent of hatred that can infiltrate the nation. The film is still fairly relevant to the modern era, which is truly a heartbreaking aspect to realize. The drama is tastefully realized, but the film feels like it pulls its punches in the wrong moments. The performances are very strong and the film is quite entertaining, it just falls short of being the complete knockout it could have been. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that presents a fantastic A/V presentation and a decent array of supplemental features. If the subject matter intrigues you, you should definitely not pass it up. Recommended
Storm Warning can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.