Storm Fear

The outdoor scenes in Storm Fear were filmed near Sun Valley, Idaho. A local fellow named Eddie Bennett donned a fur coat and a blonde wig, and played "Edna" when she was pushed off the rock formation (which is located about 3/4 of the way from Ketchum NW to Galena Lodge). Eddie later gave the wig to my father, who gave it to me. Mr. Wilde was kind to a young girl eager to become a writer, and gave me one of the working scripts of Storm Fear. My little sister and I (in our serious moments) read the lines and acted out the script very seriously. In our silly moments, we took turns wearing the wig while the other shouted "Die, Edna, die!" and pushed "Edna" off the roof of our grandparents' house into deep snow.

I first noticed Mr. Wilde in "Naked Prey" - although it's now a bit dated in some ways, much like that better known film, "Storm Fear" is a gripping tale when viewed with the appropriate 'Fifties mindset.

Cornel plays "Uncle Charlie", a ne'erdowell prodigal son returned to his brother's home while on the run from a capital crime with his gang of gruesomes. As its plot unfolds, we learn many disturbing lessons about Charlie and his brother and his brother's wife.

Akin to cinematographic pulp fiction, this is a memorable effort perhaps due to its depiction of universal, timeless human flaws. You'll love to hate Uncle Charlie, but I think you'll enjoy the rest of the cast even more.

A struggling writer and his family are visited at their remote mountain farm by his brother -- a wounded bank robber on the lam. Cornel Wilde directed eight films in his lifetime (seven of them, like this one, starring himself) and this was his first. And a superior first film it is, one I liked much more than NAKED PREY. Elevated far above the usual hostage drama by the strained familial relations and internal strife within each group. The interactions between the players are leaden with sorrow, failure and the ghosts of past regrets. Every character occupies a gray area, conflicted and/or damaged. Even the young boy plays a crucial role beyond being just an adorable moppet in jeopardy. The exception is the sidekick character who is pretty much your standard bad guy, but even he is given life with an engaging performance by Steven Hill. The whole cast is great: Lee Grant as the shabby dame, Jean Wallace as the wife with some secrets of her own, Dan Duryea again impressing me with a role outside his usual mold, Dennis Weaver as the hired hand, and of course Wilde. He makes an interesting choice to play the character with a slight stammer, hinting at the doubts that gnaw at him. The script is thoughtful and gripping, with a few great hard-boiled zingers for Grant and Hill. I also have to mention the music, yet another sublime score by Elmer Bernstein. This is an outstanding picture that takes unexpected turns and is heavy with melancholy and desperation. It needs a restoration and DVD release immediately.

Gem from the BLACK SERIES with Cornel Wilde

This "film noir", which is not very well known in German-speaking countries, premiered on December 16, 1955 in New York City and is a representative of the so-called Black Series of American films that impressed in the 1940s and 1950s with their darkness and resounding cynicism. The Hungarian-born American leading actor Cornel Wilde (1915-1989), who made his first contacts with the film business in 1940 as Laurence Olivier's fencing coach on Broadway, also acts as a producer with his Theodora Productions and also directs. What a self-made man!

It tells the dark story of three bank robbers, Charlie Blake (Cornel Wilde) and his cronies (Steven Hill, Lee Grant), who have to hide from the police in the snowy mountain hut of Charlie's brother Fred (Dan Duryea). Old family conflicts break out because Fred is married to the beautiful Elizabeth (Jean Wallace, married to Cornel Wilde from 1951 to 1981), who was actually Charlie's girlfriend in her youth. The couple's ten-year-old son (David Stollery) hardly knows his Uncle Charlie and suffers greatly from his parents' alienation. Due to the seemingly hopeless situation, the situation for those who are virtually trapped becomes more and more dire until the intruders finally lose their nerve...

Here, an exciting, dark crime story is skilfully combined with a heart-touching family drama. The unity of place, time and plot is almost classically maintained and increases the intensity of this film gem immensely.

Cornel Wilde, who was particularly noticeable for his impressive physique in films such as "The Greatest Show in the World" (1952) and "Constantine the Great" (1961), proves to be an accomplished film craftsman who understands a lot about the structure of a drama and the The requirements of the genre are met almost perfectly.

In her rather small role as nightclub singer Edna Rogers, Lee Grant, born in 1925, creates a truly magical moment when she sings the song about "Loch Lomond" in a wonderfully off-key way. Twenty years later, Lee Grant was awarded an Oscar for best supporting actor for her role as a bored housewife in "Shampoo" (1975), who likes to bring her strong-armed hairdresser (Warren Beatty) into the house for special treatments.

Former decathlete Dennis Weaver (1924-2006), who was supposed to play a very special role in Steven Spielberg's directorial debut "Duel" (1971), can be seen as Hank, the helping hand of the Blake family.

A very exciting film that is still little known! It's worth it!

...and appreciate them; when drama and acting were more important than special effects. cornel wilde was an underrated director, and gives an impressive performance . It's really an ordinary film, made almost hypnotically watchable by excellent acting, filming and direction. the actor playing the boy is totally believable. and I can't resist noting that I recognized dennis weaver without knowing he was in it.