THE HURRICANE'S CLOUDED EYE

...The abhorrence of Communism is reiterated, although only in speeches...

...Some critics in England were duly appreciative of American enlightenment...

...The true believers in its thesis rally to it as to an embattled standard, smoothing its faults and filling its vacancies with their passionate certainties of virtue...

...But surely, there is something strange about this film, on so vital an American theme, being exhibited in Britain a good four months sooner than in the United States...

...No one seeing the film can doubt the importance to all citizens of a community that the library be kept free of censorship...

...The Catholic Legion of Decency unlocks a special category, unused since Martin Luther, in which to place Storm Center as a "protection to the uninformed against wrong interpretations and false conclusions...

...Propaganda isn't only what the opposition promulgates...

...But the worst of it is that the super-patriots of the other extreme are made to appear so simple-minded, or obviously psychotic, that their attitudes are bizarre rather than dangerous...

...The language of the Legion's evaluation of the two films, in fact, is significantly different in temper...

...There ought to be no surprise that the Legion should be opposed—although it is possible to regret that the opposition is manifested with such abrasive effects upon the tissues of our national unity...

...Evaluation of its qualities is construed as sharp-shooting on one side or another of the issues it treats...

...Despite the liberal support that has rallied to Storm Center, there seems to have been a certain hesitation in bringing it out here...

...We may choose between good and evil forms of rhetoric just as we commit ourselves to this, rather than another doctrine to be expounded...

...Specifically, it does not confront the problem for democratic countries of the absolute obedience in Catholicism to the definition by constituted agencies of the Church of what may be read, seen, heard, or otherwise experienced without imperiling eternal salvation...

...Of course, the Legion had been expressing for Catholics in the community just such a "doubt" on the issue of censorship—which is, after all, a fundamental doctrine of the Church...

...A librarian quite as emphatically stated the case for opportunity to learn, think, and choose, citing the great voices lor freedom in our tradition: Milton, Jefferson, Lincoln, et al...

...It contains theological historical references and interpretations which are unacceptable to Catholics...

...Every character is obvious, and obviously contrived—from the ambitious young politician, seeking to foment a wrath of anti-communism against non-existent communists, to the hysterical boy who burns down the new library, having been unbalanced by seeing his beloved librarian branded a traitor, and hearing his anti-intellectual father denouncing books in general as unpatriotic and subversive of the true values of baseball...

...It is said that the original idea was to do a film on book burning, based on Ray Bradburg's novel Fahrenheit 451, but that this was somehow superseded...

...But the film pretended no spurious objectivity...

...The Legion's statement is additionally unfortunate in that the film's primary political concern is beclouded, and the real controversy about the issues of civil liberties which it attempts to treat is thereby considerably hindered...

...Made at a time when the erratic velocities of the McCarthy whirlwind were driving straws into the nation's timbers, Freedom to Read offered a look into the hurricane's eye, simply proposing a discussion of the issues of censorship of books in public libraries...

...Given an agency of the Church in this country which is obliged to make evaluation of all films, and to apply pressures upon communicants to abstain from seeing those adjudged harmful, it is curious only that the "Special" classification was invoked, rather than the "C" of outright condemnation...

...Maybe it was felt that the British, who were so concerned about McCarthyite extremism here, would be reassured to see that sufficient courage remained, at least, to make a movie in defense of civil liberties...

...Fundamentally, however, the film generalizes from particular political circumstances to an argument against censorship of any kind...

...Whatever the film is supposed to stand for, seen in this aspect or that, supervenes what the film is, judged for its quality, as art or argument...

...This approach lets all sides be heard...

...The surprise and anguish in the film industry at the Legion's classification may reveal a twofold ignorance of Catholic principles and of what Storm Center is really about...

...The American Civil Liberties Union announces that it is "cooperating" with Columbia Pictures "in publicizing an excellent civil liberties film...

...The format of the film intended that the audience —like college classes and community groups—talk over the issues raised, and the last part of the film summarized the opposing contentions and encouraged continued debate...

...The upshot almost invariably is a weary roundabout in which sense is sacrificed to sanctimony, and the fragile fabric of discussion is shot to shreds in the enthusiasts' crossfire...

...Of Storm Center, a film about a small town's persecution of a librarian who refused on grounds of civil liberty to remove a book favoring communism from public library shelves, the Legion asserted: "The highly propagandistic nature of this controversial film (book burning, anti-communism, civil liberties) offers a warped, over-simplified, and strongly emotional solution to a complex problem of American life...

...But if the Legion's judgment of the film were to be taken as an expression of private, critical opinion, for which the touchstone is the power of persuasion rather than ecclesiastical authority, it must be said that its language is generally apt and substantially accurate...

...The fiery climax is less a resolution than a smudge-pot of predictable melodrama—even to the shots of Shakespeare and the Bible burning, or the bit in which the young girl, the embattled librarian's successor, sees the light of decency in the library flames and repudiates her betrothal to the witch-hunting politician...

...Even inside, fluttering banners obstruct the screen, and the sound track must be heard through fanfares of slogans...

...It seems to have been conceived and written, by Daniel Taradash and Elick Moll, in that mood of righteous partisanship for a good cause that so sadly and so often produces no more than a self-righteous incoherence...

...There is a striking parallel here, speaking as 1 have been about the Church and films, between the support of Storm Center by liberals, as represented by the Civil Liberties Union, and the approval Catholic groups are wont to accord to any film, no matter how poor, in which priests or nuns are portrayed sympathetically...

...A revealing comparison may be made between this film and a modest two-reeler, Freedom to Read, produced two years ago by Columbia University in connection with its Bicentennial (and noted in this space in The Progressive of July, 1954...

...But Taradash's most unpardonable sin is his permission of a child actor, Kevin Coughlin, as the distraught incendiary, to become insufferable...

...Its specious arguments tend seriously to be misleading and misrepresenta-tive by reason of an inept and distorted presentation...

...Under such direction, Bette Davis, as the librarian, is allowed to reenact her entire repertoire of mannerisms, undoing her many excellent performances in once again providing night-club mimics with a wealth of shrugs, grimaces, and whispered shrieks...

...What Storm Center does, as propaganda, must be distinguished from the cause its liberal supporters think it is assisting...

...The story in Storm Center, however, is a kind of cartoon poster, held up by earnest cheer leaders to signal three yells and a tiger for good old liberty...

...A man representing the vigilante spirit vehemently argued the dangers of Communist infiltration and that "subversive" books be removed from libraries...

...Perhaps this same historical perspective may enable liberals here to experience a salutary embarrassment in watching the film, now that they are able to see it—although it may be hard to take, even for toleration's sake...

...The atmosphere of small-town politics in which the hysteria arises is never credible...

...It is not unusual for American films to be shown first abroad, particularly since the overseas box office has assumed so much importance in film industry finances...

...Others, however, said that Storm Center was already so far behind the march of events that even its faults were of merely academic interest...

...The American Library Association, as if in concurrence, from the viewpoint of the film itself, calls it " . . . strongly emotional, yet entirely substantial...

...The false, quotation-mark "controversies" which confuse our public life so frequently, when forms of entertainment are used to treat issues, develop more often than not out of an initial assumption that any overstatement or extremity of simplification is justified and suitable, so long as it is in the right cause...

...Storm Center is a poor film...

...In this case, far from eschewing passion about liberties so dearly won and so close to the heart, it is possible to become quite passionately disturbed at the masquerade in such a cause of sentiment for reason, and slogans for arguments...

...This may be a clear example of the reference of the Legion's "A," "B," "C," and intervening categories primarily to sex as the determinant of moral suitability in films...

...The basic situation, and even several scenes and dialogue exchanges in Storm Center, seem inspired directly by Freedom to Read—as if it had been decided that there was a story behind the different protagonists of the short discussion film, and that it would be a good work for freedom to tell it at feature length...

...In fact, it need not be a dirty word at all...

...The Motion Picture Industry Council, supporting Columbia Pictures' indignation at the Legion's step, states "that by implication and inference this action by the Legion goes beyond normal criticism and spiritual advice, and is a form of censorship with the purpose of dictating and controlling the content of motion pictures, contrary to American principles of freedom of thought and expression...

...The film, to be sure, does not raise any question of religious authority...

...The predicament of the maligned librarian is a wallow of bathos...

...That Storm Center has become "controversial" in the religious domain in a manner unlike Martin Luther is due largely to the Legion's impolitic language, which surely transcends any sufficient indication that the film is in disagreement with Catholic principles...

...Worthy organizations for the promotion of worthy causes tear up ideological paving stones for barricades, blocking the way to the theaters...

...Of Martin Luther, a dramatization of the career of the man whose defiance of Church authority precipitated the most serious schism in Christendom, the Legion remarked: "This picture offers a sympathetic and approving representation of the life and times of Martin Luther, the 16th Century figure of religious controversy...

...Storm Center takes as its text the general atmosphere of fanatical conformism associated with the era of McCarthy, focusing upon the subjects of book censorship in public libraries, and defamation of character by imputation of Communist leanings...

...a discussion film, treating civil liberties, is surely committed to a great deal...

...But there can be no question that the film is condemned, and not merely deplored, as was Martin Luther...

...Paul Kelly manages some almost credible feeling, but Kim Hunter and Brian Keith can do little more than read their lines...

...If the story is puerile, the direction by co-author Taradash is weak and ponderous, with little effective management of the actors, and a taking of pains to make the film's point that is painful to watch...