‘The Mortal Storm’ Blu-Ray Review – Early Rebuke Against The Nazi Uprising Still Packs A Punch

Masterful director Frank Borzage’s brilliance behind the camera empowers this story of Hitler’s rise to power as seen through the microcosm of one German family. What on the surface seems small and personal, is instead a towering bold revelation of the brutality of the Nazi regime. James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan lead an impressive cast in a sweeping tale of the political and human chaos that rips a family apart, leading to savagery, sacrifice, and ultimately heroism.

For thoughts on The Mortal Storm, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/46jRHslivTE?t=998]

Video Quality

The Mortal Storm makes its Blu-Ray debut courtesy of Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p master from a 4K scan of the best surviving elements. This presentation is a top notch effort from one of the greatest labels in the business. This presentation is stunning as the new transfer shows off a robust amount of depth and enhanced detail within this morally decaying nation. The amount of detail present earns top marks with rich textures on the clothing and within the production design. 

The black-and-white photography shot by William H. Daniels impresses in high definition with natural grain intact. There are only fleeting reminders that we are not working from the Original Camera Negative, but any downturns in quality are short lived. Black levels are deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts in sight. This is notable since a large portion of the movie seems to take place at night or within shadowy environments. The contrast is beyond reproach, and there is not even a trace of damage. Warner Archive has done very well with this. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a newly restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that mostly matches the excellence of the video side of the equation. This track shows virtually nothing in the way of obvious age related wear and tear such as humming, distortion or drop outs. The Edward Kane score sounds full and stable with no real strain even in the higher registers. The dialogue and environmental noises are balanced with all competing elements for a consistent sonic experience. Warner Archive has provided a five-star audio experience for audiences. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

• Meet The Fleet: A nearly 21-minute live-action Technicolor short in which Navy recruits played by Robert Armstrong, William T. Orr, and George Reeves go through training. This is presented in HD and looks quite nice overall. 

• Peace On Earth: A seven-minute Oscar-nominated MGM short featuring a family of squirrels celebrating the holiday season by recounting the story of how the human race was wiped out by war efforts. This short is presented in gorgeous HD. 

• Theatrical Trailer: The nearly three-minute trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

The Mortal Storm is an admirable early rebuke of the Nazi uprising in Germany which breaks your heart while exposing the dangers of the movement. Frank Borzage does a really tremendous job of balancing all of the narrative elements and keeping a pace that is engrossing and effective. The performances from the ensemble are top tier, especially from the wonderful Margaret Sullavan. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that presents a fantastic A/V presentation and a good array of supplemental features. If you are open to the subject matter, you should definitely not pass it up. Recommended 

The Mortal Storm 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.