Don Gibson Theater: Film Weekend - Stormy Monday

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH AT 2:00PM

In 2001 Stormy Weather was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, recognized for "being culturally, historically and aesthetically significant."

The first all-Black contemporary musical produced by Hollywood, Stormy Weather was a genuinely revolutionary, risky and groundbreaking film - even though produced for purely commercial reasons after the major studios finally woke up to the success of the "Colored" movie industry - the "Separate Cinema..." But it would be a sad mistake to think of Stormy Weather only in racial terms, for it's a film that explodes with extraordinary talent and very special moments... Lena Horne's iconic and heartbreaking rendition of the title song... the dance sequences featuring the legendary Katherine Dunham (founder of this country's first African-American dance company...,) the last appearances on film by Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Fats Waller... the joyously outrageous energy of Cab Calloway...

And of course the Nicholas Brothers, later described by Mikhail Baryshnikov as "Probably the most amazing dancers I've ever seen - these guys are perfect examples of pure genius." Their concluding dance sequence in Stormy Weather is a landmark moment in cinema history, and hailed by none other than Fred Astaire as being "The greatest dance number ever put on film."

Stormy Weather isn't a great Black musical... It's a great musical, period.

DVD TALK says...
Just like a hundred other Hollywood musicals it's mainly a series of great numbers linked together by a light comedy and romance plot. But the performances are nothing less than amazing - a solid gold succession of great artists at their very best... The Nicholas Brothers provide the show stopping zowie spectacle with their high leaping and radical splits... Seen today, Stormy Weather retains only the talent, the glory and the fun... When the camera tracks through rows of zoot-suited dancers past Cab Calloway happily jamming away and up to Lena Horne and Bill Robinson beaming on the stage, it's a case of starpower that flattens racial barriers."

DIGITAL FIX (UK) says...
Bursting with fine performances... The likes of Lena Horne were often edited out of or relegated to minor roles in the studios' more mainstream efforts, yet here they're allowed to breathe more freely and take lead roles for a change... While the artists onscreen may have been deemed second rate by the studios, and indeed the film along with them, this isn't a case of second rate filmmaking on any level... Director Harry Stone infuses the proceeds with terrific energy... Stormy Weather is a joy to experience.

BBC RADIO (LONDON) said...
Withheld from home video distribution for decades due in part to what must have been Hollywood's profound embarrassment at how they'd treated such amazing artists in the early days, Stormy Weather is a revelation... Lena Horne's turn on what was to become her signature tune may bring a lump to the throat, and the Nicholas Brothers dancing... well, the English language sometimes fails...