• Home
  • About
  • Links
  • Calendar

Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World

Libertarian Movies, Films & Documentaries

  • News
  • Film
  • Documentary
  • Shorts
  • Blog
  • Top Picks
    • Movies & Films: The Top 25
    • Documentaries: The Top 25
    • Music Videos: The Top 10
    • Films for Students: Top Ten
  • Netflix

The Mortal Storm (1940)

Tagged: Anti-socialism, Individualism, Power worship

The rise of National Socialism in prewar Germany divides family and friends, as each must choose sides according to personal convictions. [Dir: Frank Borzage/ Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Robert Young/ 100 min/ Drama/ Power Worship, Individualism & Independence, Anti-Socialism]

What makes this film particularly interesting is its dramatization of the social domino effect that takes place once authoritarian rule reaches a certain critical mass, as ordinary people align themselves with even the most malignant power for fear of incurring its wrath. In such an environment, tolerance and the truth are the first casualties.

This story takes place in a small university town in early 1930s Germany. A popular university professor is celebrating his birthday, surrounded by family and admiring students. Suddenly it’s announced over the radio that Hitler has been made Chancellor. Half of the birthday party guests are in a frenzy of delight at the change in power, and half have misgivings. However, the “one nation, one language, one people” vision of the Hitler supporters doesn’t allow for friendly differences of opinion. Before you know it the party has broken up, as the Hitler supporters leave to attend a rally.

The youngest son of the professor remarks that the remaining guests shouldn’t mind, because as he learned in school, “the individual must be sacrificed to the welfare of the state.” Little does anyone know that, in one way or another, they will all soon be sacrificed to the state. For, by the end, most of the principal characters have either joined the Nazis, died, or left the country. Likewise, the ordinarily friendly relations between people have been destroyed and replaced with loyalty only to government. Some individuals resist the pressure to conform, but these efforts are almost quixotic given the context. As all this makes clear, the nature of political power is such that once it reaches a certain degree of concentration, it builds with little resistance.

The setting of this film, a rural university town, may seem an unlikely place to witness the rise of the Nazis; but in fact German universities were the original hotbeds of National Socialism, as American universities were later to become hotbeds of international, environmental, and democratic socialism.

In artistic terms, this is a quality production typical of its day. James Stewart is likable as always in the role of the stalwart but vulnerable hero, one of the few who resist the pressure to join the ranks of the Nazis. Fans of Marcus Welby, M.D. may be amused to see the youthful Robert Young in the role of arch-Nazi. Incidentally, when this film was released in 1940, Hitler was so offended by it that he banned it in all territories occupied by Germany, rather a lot of territory at the time.

How to See The Mortal Storm

Amazon (DVD)   YouTube Video Search   Google Video Search

Films With Related Themes

Power Worship
Individualism & Independence
Anti-Socialism

Related Films

Related Books

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)

Related

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Featured Films

2017 Libertarian Films: Year in Review

2017 Libertarian Films: Year in Review

In 2017 libertarian films were relatively few in number and none scored particularly well at the box office (unlike last year's stellar performance, when a libertarian film was the biggest blockbuster of 2016); but some 2017 libertarian films did earn significant critical acclaim, and 2018 is already looking … Continue Reading

Themes

Abuse of power American revolution Anti-draft Anti-regulation Anti-slavery Anti-socialism Anti-taxation Anti-war Ayn Rand Corrupt government Creator as hero Democide Econ 101 Eminent domain Equality & law Escape from socialism Freedom of speech Free press as hero Government as bigot Government as torturer Government enforced morality Government healthcare Government schools Incompetent government Individualism John Stossel Law & liberty Legalize Drugs Libertarian heroes Libertarianism 101 Power corrupts Power worship Pro-capitalism Pro-immigration Propaganda Psychiatric coercion Resistance to tyranny Right to secede Search & seizure Second amendment Sexual liberty Social tolerance Unions & monopolies Voluntarism Working for government

Genres/Categories

Action-Adventure Animated Biography Blog Comedy Documentary Drama Family Featured Film Foreign History Horror Music-Dance Netflix News Romance SciFi-Fantasy Shorts Thriller Western

About Miss Liberty

This site is a collection of films and documentaries of particular interest to libertarians (and those interested in libertarianism). It began as a book, Miss Liberty’s Guide to Film: Movies for the Libertarian Millennium, where many of the recommended films were first reviewed. The current collection has grown to now more than double the number in that original list, and it’s growing still.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

© 2018 Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World. All Rights Reserved