STORM CENTRE

US, 1956, 86 Minutes, Black and white.
Bette Davis, Brian Keith, Kim Hunter, Paul Kelly.
Directed by Daniel Taradash.

Storm Centre is the only film directed by writer-director Daniel Taradash. He wrote many films including the Oscar-winning From Here to Eternity. He was later to become president of the American Motion Picture Academy. The 40s and 50s reflected the cold war in the films coming from Hollywood.

This project, originally designed for Mary Pickford's return from retirement, was shelved for several years, especially during the difficult years of McCarthyism?. It was probably quite daring to make this film in the mid-50s and for Bette Davis at this point of her career to make the film. It was not popular at the box office. Bette Davis was moving at this stage of her career from being a heroine to taking character roles. She gives an interesting performance - a mixture of brittleness and charm. She is supported by a young Brian Keith and the boy Kevin Coughlan who was to have parts in many films in his young adulthood. Storm Centre could be compared with such films of the 70s as The Front.

1. The political background of the 50s in the United States, the cold war, un-American activities and investigations, McCarthyism? The impact of the film in the middle 50s? Its being made, released, lack of popularity at the box office? Impact now?

2. The quality of the intentions of the film-makers, freedom and civil liberties, the attack on fascism? How well were the intentions matched by the execution of the film? How well presented as dram , melodrama, character study? The film as the directing work of a screen-writer?

3. The impact of the credits, the visual impact, the boy and his reading, the flames and their consuming of the book? How well was this a summary of the film, how well was it reprised visually at the end, especially with the long burning of the books in the library moving from section to section?

4. The film's initial focus on Alicia Hull? The quality and style of Bette Davis' performance, Robert's explanation of her background in a town as a young girl, widow, librarian of 25 years? Her charm and her place in the library, especially her influence on the children? Her living for the library and the children? The way she helped the children, especially Freddie? The relationship between Alicia and Freddie as a symbol of her work? The children's wing and her dedication to this? The atmosphere of the lunch at Morrisey's, her reaction to the grant for the library and the taking the book from the shelf? The reasons for her decision to go against this? The smear campaign? The meeting and the interview and her answers to the council? Her distinguishing of the issues about the individual book and its going further and the banning of freedoms? Her being sacked? Her reaction, the sadness of her leaving the library and Susie and Martha seeing her go? The meeting of protest and the few people who turned up, the minister and his support, the discussion of what the people in the town could do to support her? Her decision to retire and not interfere in people's lives? The bitterness and the passing of time? Her being shunned especially by Bert and the other children? Freddie and his turning away? The atmosphere of gossip in the town, the newspaper campaign? The presumption of all kinds of guilt? The smear of her being a communist, red affiliations? The townspeople reacting to this? Freddie and his imagination with stories about her being a communist? Her being tired, the decision to leave? How right was she to go to the opening? The climax of the confrontation with Freddie and his shouts and her slapping him? The burning of the library and her decision to stay and fight? The melodramatics of her final statement about opposition over her dead body? How rounded a character? How symbolic of a librarian fighting for freedom?

5. Alicia Hull as an ordinary citizen, the quality of her principles, American freedom and the Constitution, the radical nature of basic freedom, her suffering, being victimized, her decision not to fight, the changing of her decision?

6. The children of the town, an ordinary American town in the 50s, ordinary people, their basic reaction of what was safe, their fears, whispering, victimizing, e.g. staring at her in the restaurant, spreading stories about her? The magnifying of smear campaigns and prejudice? How accurate an indictment of ordinary people and their attitudes?

7. The alternate focus of the film in Freddie? As a precocious young boy, his reading and becoming involved imaginatively in his books, Alicia and her help and explanation, his reading at home? His mother's support and her background of culture and the piano? His father's wisecracks, not understanding his son, wanting him to be a sportsman? The tearing of the book and Freddie’s mending it and returning it to Mrs. Hull? The father and his discussion with Mrs. Hull and her advice - and the irony of his taking her advice later and turning Freddie against her? Freddie's imagination, his cleverness, competitions and winning the town's competition for the library? His disappointment in Alicia's being sacked. his visiting her and his disbelief? His shunning her and his love turning into hate for the books and for her? The talk at home, the influence of his father? The build-up with the boys and his making up stories and wanting to prove something against them? The scenes with his father at the workshop and his mental disintegration? The climax and his shouting at Alicia and her slapping him? Sitting on the stands and then the burning of the library - as a bad dream? Martha's comments on the lunatic's setting fire to buildings?

8. How accurate a portrait of the parents and their American attitudes -sensitive mother and support of her son, giving him permission to do things, the father's distance? The clash between the parents at the end? How true a portrait of such a clash?

9. The presentation of Robert and the council? Robert's taking of the book, his cowardice in not standing up for Alicia and voting against her? His trying to remedy this at the club in his speech about her. inviting her to the opening? The contrast with Paul Duncan and his ambitions. his research about her affiliations his accusations and continually using these as a platform? Martha and her work at the library her promotion, love for Paul, gradual realization of what he was doing and her leaving him?

10. The other members of the council - the "yes" men, the fearful men.. the hesitant men? The council meeting, their tactics, their fear of one book. the repercussions? The interview with Mrs. Hull? The strange consequences of the banning of one book and the limiting of freedom?

11. The library scenes and the ordinariness compared with what was to come?

12. The particular sequences in the life of the town. the protest meeting. the Slater home. the club and the discussion about Mrs. Hull's influence etc.?

13. The opening of the library, the atmosphere of American patriotism, the slogans of American patriotism and freedom?

14. The themes of the freedom of ideas civil liberties the attack on fascism? Robert's final speech against fascism?

15. American attitudes towards communism in the 40s and the allying with Russia during the war. the cold war and Un-American? activities the fear of communism and the attitudes for instance of Robert and Mrs. Hull? Her assertion that the communist repression of books was the same as American repression? There was nothing to fear from the exposition of ideas and systems?

16. What did America learn from the experience of the 50s and civil liberties?