I had looked forward to seeing Summer Storm (1943) for many months, in part because the story was drawn from Chekov's only novel, "The Shooting Party," and because of perceptive reviews that had seen something special in George Sanders' performance as well as Linda Darnell's blossoming sensuality on screen. Being fond of Sirk's films before he threw himself into the subtly satirical yet colorful melodramatic stories of his years at Universal, this movie offered neglected actors such as Edward Everett Horton and Anna Lee some decent screen time for a change, almost overshadowing Sander's excellent portrait of a weakling whose despair and self-awareness are deftly portrayed by the actor (even though the production code demanded his punishment for his sins, in the original story, his character had more fun being bad). I was a bit disappointed by the sultry characterization of Darnell, who--at least to me--was at her best working with Joseph Mankiewicz in A Letter to Three Wives and No Way Out. Without much real charm once her girlish demeanor is overwhelmed by her lush beauty and the reaction of men to her, Darnell's character is an ambitious peasant who is ruled by her vanity and a materialistic streak that even Horton's dense but likable aristocrat would have seen through quite easily. I suspect that this film was significant for the actress since it allowed her to develop beyond the innocents she had previously played at her home studio of 20th Century Fox.Ann Harding wrote:Yesterday I watched again Summer Storm (1943, D. Sirk) with E. Everett Horton, G. Sanders & L. Darnell. We are in Russia, a few years after the Revolution. The impoverished Count Volsky (E.E. Horton) sells a manuscript to get hold of some money. The publisher Nadina Kalenine (A. Lee) reads the story of her former suitor, Petroff (G. Sanders) who was a judge in small city in 1912...
I had seen this Chekhov adaptation before on a big screen, but on a very nasty 16mm print completely out-of-focus. I loved the film nevertheless, so it's a real pleasure to be able to see it again on DVD. The VCI print is OK, not brilliantly contrasted, but still of good quality. This is Douglas Sirk's second film in the US. The film was an independent production released by UA. It's a far cry from the glossy Technicolored Universal melodramas he was going to make a few years later. I must admit that I have a soft spot for his earlier features when he was able to choose his subjets and scripts rather than remake some old Universal melodramas of the 30s. Here, he adapts Checkhov's The Hunting Party. We are in the last years before the Revolution when the decadent aristocrats are still having fun doing absolutely nothing like Count Volsky, brilliantly performed by Edward Everett Horton (for once he has a lead role!) and the corrupt Judge Petroff played by G. Sanders. Sanders was Russian-born and he knew the customs and time better than anybody. I find his portrayal of Petroff among his best performances. He is spellbound by the peasant girl played by Darnell and will become a murderer such is his fear of losing her. There is a mixture of lust, cowardice and despair in his Petroff which seems to ring a bell inside him. Linda Darnell is the perfect temptress who will stop at nothing to rise in the social ladder. The British actress Anna Lee, who often performed small parts in Ford features, is here the good girl who found her way in the social order after the Revolution. A Sirk feature worth investigating. (Thanks Ollie!)
I wish that VCI Entertainment would issue Douglas Sirk's The First Legion (1951) on DVD too!