Summer Storm

George Sanders is the local magistrate "Petroff" in Czarist Russia in 1912. He is contentedly engaged to his rather uninspiring fiancée "Nadena" (Anna Lee) when he encounters the temptress peasant "Olga" (Linda Darnell). She quite literally knocks this otherwise pillar of the community figure off his feet much to the chagrin of "Nadena" who tells him to get lost. Turns out, "Olga" is a bit of a gold-digger, and when she has an affair with his close friend "Count Volsky" (Edward Everett Horton), "Petroff" is livid - and tragedy ensues. It's based on the Chekhov "Shooting Party" play and is a fair adaptation at that. Sanders and Darnell are well matched by director Douglas Sirk and the machinations of all concerned flow quite well. The produc...

Tragic Romance. Doomed Choices. When Fyodor tries to settle down with Natalia, he gets fatally attracted to Olga and his life falls apart. Linda Darnell (Olga) really is irresistible and I can see why George was led astray. His love for Anna Lee (Natalia) endures however, and the pining he must have done after the revolution...you can see it in his eyes. I really have to hand it to Edward Everett Horton, though. He delivers such a Fantastic performance as the Count. Sanders gets to show off his Russian (and his singing voice) also. We also get treated to some superb VO work by Sanders that is so romantic (and Romantic) that I challenge anyone not to fall for him.

Knowing some of George Sanders' backstory adds another layer to this pe...