Summer Storm

** Melodrama.

It's a great pity that the first use of our grading system should involve a low grading, but this is a film of such complete stupidity that it is unavoidable. The story is alleged to be by Tchekov, a statement this gentleman would indignantly deny. The setting is Russian; at least, I gathered so from the beards and ikons and throwings-of-glasses-over-shoulders-into-fireplaces. The acting, apart from that of George Sanders and one or two others, is bad, and. in the case of Edward Everett Horton, simply awful. Apart from all this the actual direction seems somehow wrong. I think this is because there are two climaxes at the end of a long film, and also the full threated passion which is supposed to pulsate through the story just doesn't come off. Keep away from this film.