Stormy Weather

Released by: Twilight Time
Released on: February 10, 2015
Director: Andrew Stone
Cast: Lena Horne, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Cab Calloway and His Band, Katherine Dunham, Fats Waller, Fayard Nicholas, Harold Nicholas, Ada Brown, Dooley Wilson, The Tramp Band
Year: 1943
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The Movie:

Bill Williamson (Robinson) has just returned from fighting in World War I. He's a talented dancer with dreams of performing on stage. Along the way to fulfilling his dreams, he meets an equally talented singer, Selina Rogers (Horne), with whom he falls in love.

That may read like a simple description of the film's plot, but that's because the plot itself is simplistic. The film's entire reason for being is its song and dance routines. Stormy Weather takes as its basis a semi-autobiographical account of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson's life, adds a fictional love story for extra spice, and lays on the music thick and loud. It's a recipe for success; the film is a great deal of fun, helped along by performers who are clearly having the time of their lives. While there's the requisite man-against-man conflict, such conflict is a relatively small part of the proceedings, taking a backseat to actors who are more interested in wowing the audience with their ample talent than with melodramatic hijinks. Rarely do the stars lose their smiles as they sing, tap, and dance their way to the film's climactic final numbers involving Robinson, Lena Horne, and Cab Calloway.

At the time of the film's release in 1943, it was a veritable who's who of the African American music scene. In addition to Robinson, Horne, and Calloway, Fats Waller puts his fingers to work as a pianist; Ada Brown sings a few lines; Katherine Dunham and the Nicholas Brothers strut their stuff; and both The Cab Colloway Orchestra and The Tramp Band provide plenty of superlative orchestration. Sadly, the film proved to be the last for both Robinson and Waller. Waller died at the age of 39 in December 1943, while Robinson passed away at the age of 71 in November 1949. Horne, on the other hand, went on to great success in Hollywood, playing important roles in MGM films aimed at the masses for years to come.

The film may have been produced primarily for African American audiences in the mid-1940s, but it's a feel-good affair that should please anyone interested in the era's music. The performances are solid and the performers likeable; Richardson, Horne, and Calloway in particular make great company for an evening of breezy entertainment.

Video/Audio/Extras:

To say that Stormy Weather looks fantastic might just be an understatement. While Twilight Time has chosen to release the film on a 25GB disc, the film runs a relatively short 78 minutes, and there are no extras outside the aural. The film is presented in 1080p with an MPEG-4 AVC encode. The aspect ratio is 1.33:1 per the film's original theatrical distribution. There really are no complaints to make about the visual aspect of the BD. The detail is stunning! One can practically count the threads in the clothes, the beads of sweat on people's faces, and the hairs on the performers' heads. The image isn't just crystal clear, it practically sparkles. The black levels are deep and rich, and there is absolutely no crush. Grain is natural and never oppressive. Blu-ray has always done well with black and white films (when attention is paid to their transfers), but rarely have even the best of them looked this good!

Some reviewers have zeroed in on less-than-pristine elements and occasional speckling, which reveals just how little they know about the transfer process. The only shots that come close to looking less-than-pristine are a couple of stock-footage inserts, and these are both brief and rare. In fact, the stock footage here looks better than it does in most films, and the minor speckling is relegated entirely to these shots. Surprisingly, even the transition shots look superb, with none of the brief digression of quality one so often sees in older movies that were shot on film rather than on digital video. On a purely visual level, there is simply no reason to complain about this release; it's perfect, and that's a rarity in the format.

If there's any issue to be had with the disc (and it's a minor one), it's that the primary track is in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Visuals might be important, but music is even more important for a film such as Stormy Weather. But even here, there are no serious problems with the track: no dropout, fuzz, or other severe issues. The track is crystal clear, whether its focus is on dialogue or song--and there's plenty of song here. (For those who are deaf or hearing impaired, Twilight Time has wisely provided English subtitles.) Most of the story is told through performance, and while purists will appreciate that the central track is presented in mono, those with a strong surround system will lament the lack of 5.1 or even 2.0 sound. Yet, even in this respect, there's a saving grace: One of the film's special features is an isolated track that showcases the terrific songs and music, from Lena Horne's beautiful voice to Fats Waller's phenomenal piano-playing. The score is recorded in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and is more robust than the sound on the primary track. And thanks to this track, you can pop the film in and listen to it as background noise without being distracted by the dialogue.

Apart from the isolated score, the only other extra is an audio commentary by Dr. Todd Boyd, Professor of Critical Studies at the University of Southern California. It's a wonderful track; Boyd knows his stuff and is just as comfortable discussing socio-historical issues relevant to the world in which the film existed as he is the film and its performers. He expresses a knowledge of music and Hollywood that adds a level of richness to what otherwise would have been a fairly dry, academic commentary. There are a few occasions in which he appears to have gotten caught up in the music; when this happens, the film's original track is raised to fill the void. In one instance, he even acknowledges that he's going to let the audience be impressed by Horne's beautifully impressive rendition of the title song.

The disc comes with liner notes written by TT's resident film historian, Julie Kirgo, which are both insightful (her observation that Robinson and Horne's filmic “romance as portrayed here seems to have more to do with reverent regard than with physical attraction” is dead-on) and entertaining (she correctly notes that the Nicholas Brothers' dance routine will leave the viewer screaming, “That's not possible!”).

Twilight Time also includes an on-screen catalogue of its current releases, noting when individual releases have gone into moratorium.

The Final Word:

Stormy Weather is a fun film that looks terrific and sounds almost as good. The only extras are related to the film's soundtracks, but ultimately that's a good thing, for it saves space; the result is a BD with a higher-than-usual bitrate, and it shows. The presentation should win over more than a few new fans to one of the 1940s' most charming musicals.

Note: At least one reviewer has observed a stutter around the 28-minute mark. We here at R!S!P!, however, experienced no such issue.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!