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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Great entertainment
I first saw "Stormy Weather" in the early 70's in a weekly program of "Race Movies". I used to get my kids on weekends back then and I took them to lots of events like this.
The film is loaded with great music and dancing and manages to hang a slim plot in there somewhere. Don't watch it for the story, just the music. There is music from Lena Horne, Cab Callaway and the great Fats Waller, and possibly the greatest dance performance ever filmed. I had never seen an early Lena Horne film and when she first came on screen I almost hyperventilated. "Extraordinary beauty" falls very short of what I saw. Whew! She delivers a fine rendition of "Stormy Weather"
Fats Waller co-king of stride piano along with the venerable James P Johnson, just tears up the screen. He was one of the truly great performers of the 20th century. I just sit in awe whenever I get to see him on film. Cab Calloway seemed to have more energy than the rest of his band and everyone in the room. Harnessing his energy might have lit an entire city. His band really puts out the sound.
The biggest treat of the film comes when the Nicholas Brothers do a dance performance that is simply unbelievable. And when you think it might be over it just keeps going. They were light on their feet and beautifully physical. It was as if each brother possessed the talent of both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. At the end of the routine there was a lot of spontaneous applause, something I had never witnessed in a theater.
Fayard and Harold Nicholas appeared in many "Race Films" and finally made it to the "big Screen" in a Gene Kelly film, "The Pirate". They were good, but deferred to Kelly. They were not going to get a shot at the mainstream because the movie industry already had its' stars and knew the brothers might well show them up. They went to Europe for many years, where the public flocked to see them. I think they returned to the States because of Harold's health problems.
The dedication of the National WWII Memorial in April, 2004 included a WWII reunion. People who had proudly served the USA came by the thousands. That also included USO performers. As you might suspect, blacks entertained only blacks and whites only whites. At the entertainment stage there were many USO films, which often included the Nicholas Brothers. AS I was watching, a Smithsonian escort was helping a small black man to a seat and somehow I recognized him as Fayard Nicholas. I went over and chatted with him for a while. It was one of the great moments in my life. I can now point to my right hand and say, "Shook hands with both Fayard Nicholas and Ted Williams"(note the order).
Go watch "Stormy Weather" and other films with the Nicholas Brothers and celebrate seeing two American Masters -- and Treasures.
Rating: 
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Let's be truthful
Let's be frank: This is a terrible movie. Racial stereotypes, as one might expect from 1943, abound, and they are demeaning to say the least. The plot is so weak it barely exists. The acting is dreadful. The choreography is lousy. And the heart of the love story is between a 65 year old man and a 25 year old woman. As for Robinson's dancing, well, the Nicholas Brothers are the stars in this regard. And what exactly were Cab Calloway's talents? There is a positive side to the movie: It is Lena Horne. She's a delight, and there are three standard songs in this film. Horne deserved better, and in time her great talents would be recognized. Stormy Weather should be seen in its historical context: Blacks were needed in the war effort, and this was a very rare nod to some of their entertainers by a major studio.
Rating: 
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An important record of the best of black performers
The merits and limitations of this famous film are well documented. The positives include the list of legendary performers, all at their peak with the exception of an elderly Bill Robinson, the excellent black and white photography and that great Fox sound. The negatives include the generous display of stereotypes, the poor screenplay, unimaginative direction and non-existent acting (everyone "smiles" their role which given the absurd dialogue, may have been the only solution).
What really makes this DVD special beyond the acts themselves and the excellent print is that it contains a superb low key commentary which explains the context of the performers and the roots of their performances - an invaluable history lesson. By the way, was Lena Horne at her peak the sexiest woman alive? Wow.
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The full dimensions of that era's black talent on film
Yeah, there's not much to the plot. But who needs that when you have that era's largest array of the dimensions of Black talent on film?
To deal with some controversy head-on-the Blackface scene that only one reviewer alluded to. These were oldschool comedians Johnny Lee (Calhoun from Amos & Andy) and veteran comic Flournoy Miller (who appeared in the legendary "Shuffle Along" in 1922 and wrote for A&A) doing a classic old black comedy routine called "Indefinite talk." People today don't know that in those days, Black comedians in Blackface appearing in Black theaters was as common as profanity is today (which is why I often say that profanity is the blackface of the millennium). So view it in that context.
We even get a rare (if unbilled) look at Stump and stumpy, the comedy team that was said to have inspired Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. They're the ones clowing with Bojangles during the boat scene.
Speaking of Bojangles, his dancing is somewhat reserved compared to his earlier films (he was in his sixtes at the time). Lena Horne is as pretty and classy as ever, but her songs are a tad dragging by modern standards. (BTW-I met Lena's daughter Gail a few years back. She told me that Lena could not stand working with the gun-toting Bojangles).
Fats Waller is also restrained here, but quite funny in his few scenes. However, Cab Calloway is at full throttle at his prime, Hidehoing and dancing away-ALMOST stealing the show (we'll get to who does that in a minute). The "Jumping Jive" is much fun. The Katherine Dunham dancers was probably the classiest black dance act of its era, so this folk art was quite rare for films of that time.
NOW ON TO THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS-as everyone knows, this is the highlight of the film (and perhaps their career). The legandary stair dance scene makes me ache as a man to watch it-watch these hard splits and you'll see what I mean!
SIDENOTE-This is loosely based on some real people. Only hardcore jazz and black history fans know that there WAS a Jim Europe who led the 15 Infantry Jazz Band in World War I that the first part of this film is based on.
With that said, watch this and enjoy a full dimension of the era's black talent. The zoot suit scene at the end is a hoot!
Rating: -
fine extravaganza with a feast for the eyes and ears
Stormy Weather gives us magical performance after magical performance after magical performance. The plot may be loosely based on the life of Bill Robinson; but the plot nevertheless remains rather thin--you watch this movie for the more than twenty musical song and dance numbers it contains. We see some of the greatest performances on film by Fats Waller, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Bill Robinson, Dooley Wilson and the Nicholas Brothers. WOW!
The story begins when Bill Williamson (Bill Robinson) tells his life story in flashback to a group of children on the front porch of his home. Bill starts his story when he and his friends were much younger soldiers just back from World War I service overseas. Immediately Bill falls for Selina Rogers (Lena Horne) and although Selena likes Bill she certainly doesn't want to settle down. We also meet Bill's fast-talking friend Gabe, so ably played by Dooley Wilson.
Selina continues in New York City show business as Bill goes down to New Orleans where he works in a club on Beale Street. It is in this club that we get such special moments: Fats Waller performs "Ain't Misbehavin'" and Ada Brown sings beautifully, too. Just by chance in walks Selina with her manager Chick Bailey (Emmett 'Babe' Wallace) and Selina convinces Chick to give Bill a part in their show opening in Chicago. Well, Bill gets the job all right--but it doesn't exactly last.
The story moves along, telling how Bill and Selina go their different ways in show business. The remarkably thin plot, even for a 1940s Hollywood musical, gives the producers of this movie just enough reason to showcase incredible, stunning performances by Cab Calloway and his band. We also get Lena Horne singing "Stormy Weather;" and the Nicholas Brothers dance up a storm with a dance number the likes of which I simply never saw before in my life. Lena also sings "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and we get so much more, too.
Of course, the ending is somewhat predictable. However, even the happy ending is subordinate to the way they deliver the happy ending. There is so much levity with Cab Calloway, Bill Robinson and Lena Horne that you just couldn't be blue watching THIS ending!
The stunning choreography never stops nor do the dancers ever miss a beat. The cinematography works wonders in the numerous scenes in which dozens of dancers on the stage are all pictured in one screen. Excellent!
Stormy Weather was filmed in glorious black and white. I think it enhances the artistic quality of this motion picture.
The main DVD extra is an optional audio commentary by Dr. Todd Boyd, Professor of Critical Studies at USC. You get a couple of previews for other films on DVD as well.
Stormy Weather remains one of the greatest musicals of the entire twentieth century. No matter how many times I watch this film something new always pops out at me that I never noticed before. I could watch the Nicholas Brothers dance a million times over and never be bored. Moreover, Bill Robinson and Lena Horne turn in flawless performances.
I highly recommend this film for fans of classic musicals from Hollywood's golden era; and people who are fond of African American cinema will be delighted with this masterpiece. It is extremely rare that so much talent is packed into a single film; and any film student would do well to study this piece as a prime example of a fine motion picture.
Enjoy!
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