“I think peace is better than war.” So spoke actor James Stewart, quietly and earnestly, in the 1940 film The Mortal Storm.[i]
Increasingly, people today—including nominal conservatives—are making allowances for uncompromisable issues, especially on subjects such as the vaccine, the current administration’s draconian measures, and the federal government’s overstepping (or should we say, gallivanting outside) the limits and responsibilities of constitutional government.
The Nazi takeover, and Hitler’s transformation of Germany, was one that subtly reached into every aspect of the lives of German citizens. They were treated well only if they saluted Hitler and abided by the Nazi’s rules, turning in their friends, neighbors, and family who were against the idea of a “New Germany.”
In our nation today, the federal government is taking over in a similar way. We are given preferential treatment if we have taken the vaccine, or vote for the liberal candidates. We are forced to succumb to the notorious “Fact Check”, as well as live in fear that if we speak out on certain subjects, we will be “suspended” or “blocked” by what is called “Big Tech.” (Note the key words “force” and “fear”, synonymous with Nazism, which are also becoming synonymous with our government today.)
This is why The Mortal Storm, a film about the Nazi takeover of Germany, should be watched today. (To read movie synopsis, click here.) The situation in this film is strikingly parallel to the changing way of life in the United States. On Amazon.com, the movie has been reviewed many times, with most people awarding it five stars. One person comments, “This, I believe, is simply one of the best ten films ever made.”[ii]
A second reviewer describes the main premise of the movie as showing how the characters “are forced to choose between family and the new thoughts and ideas suddenly affecting them.”[iii] This is especially true of one scene in The Mortal Storm, when a Nazi-turned student bluntly asks his friend, “I want to know right now—are you a pacifist?” Up to this point in the movie, these two characters were struggling to maintain their friendship in spite of the politically-charged atmosphere. They soon come to realize it will not work.
As several Amazon reviewers realize, this is not just a film for 1940, but applicable to today as well. One writes, “Sometimes the passage of time leads to a different evaluation, but not in this case.”[iv] Someone else has this thought-provoking comment: “No one who has lived in this century should avoid conducting a serious reflection on whether or not he or she would have had the courage to recognize and oppose trends of profound evilness. . . had they lived in Nazi Germany prior to World War II. The Mortal Storm provides one with such an opportunity.”[v] Another adds in a philosophical vein, “We must remember the past to protect the future.”[vi]
So, in a way, the United States is enduring a war, as it were. Not physical, but psychological—the worst sort because it fights our ideas, theories, decisions, and convictions. It does battle with our beliefs and ideals and moral courage. It may not kill the body but it harms to mind. Can we win this war? Well, Americans are always good fighters; when they work together they accomplish great things. First we must realize what is happening to our country; then we must not hesitate to stand up and confirm what we believe in. We cannot let fear rule us, or force control us. We must be victorious because we must keep our country free.
[i] The Mortal Storm. Dir. Frank Borzage. With James Stewart, Robert Young, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan, and Robert Stack. MGM, 1940.
[ii] Amazon.com reviews for The Mortal Storm, accessed 2/2/23. Reviewed in the United Kingdom by “malcom taylor” on May 6, 2013.
[iii] Amazon.com reviews for The Mortal Storm, accessed 2/2/23. Reviewed in the United States by “Priscilla B.” on June 26, 2022.
[iv] Amazon.com reviews for The Mortal Storm, accessed 2/2/23. Reviewed in the United Kingdom by “R. Wright” on May 29, 2014.
[v] Amazon.com reviews for The Mortal Storm, accessed 2/2/23. Reviewed in the United States by “Edward J. Baker” on February 2, 1999.
[vi] Amazon.com reviews for The Mortal Storm, accessed 2/2/23. Reviewed in the United Sates by “Lucifersmom” on March 3, 2022.
