Bette Davis plays Alicia Hull, a small-town old-maid librarian. She is the focal point of "Storm Center," a movie ostensibly about censorship. Ms. Hull has managed and cared for the library and its patrons over the years to make it a valuable fixture in the community. So much so, the city council grants her wish to add a children's wing to the building. There is one hitch, though. Lately, a book entitled "Communist Dream" has caused come citizens to complain about its inclusion on the library's shelves. The councilmen want her to remove the book for fear it will put the wrong ideas into the minds of the town's youngsters, not to mention possibly cost them their seats next election.
Davis speaks softly and eloquently about why it is wrong to remove the book, invoking "Mein Kampf" as an example of the ability of readers to discern propaganda. After all, paraphrasing her, "America won the War." World War II that is.
Despite the polite debate that takes place between the council and Ms. Hull, the council does not change its mind. She, however, acquiesces and reluctantly decides to remove the book, pleased the library will have a special addition for the children.
Ms. Hull swiftly has second thoughts, though. She refuses to get rid of the book after all. Unfortunately, the council also acts fast and summarily fires her from her post. And the townspeople and their children turn ugly on her and themselves as a series of events unravel the close-knit town.
"Storm Center" was released just a few years after McCarthyism tore through Hollywood leaving a trail of on-screen and off-screen talent unemployed for years to come and a heavy trace of suspicion about political allegiances hanging in the sunlit aura of Tinseltown.
Shot in the standard black and white for its time, the movie is a stark allegory about the importance of intellectual freedom that has no subtlety yet drives its point home. The town could be Anytown, USA. The people look like any Jane or John Doe you might find on any main street in Middle America in the 1950s. Even Davis' dowdy character is a type played without nuance. But with a legitimate script that sometimes turns into a high-school civics lecture and supporting players who occasionally bring a human touch, the movie should sway present-day viewers that banning books is probably not a good a thing, whether it sacrifices an individual, corrupts another, or results in expensive vandalism.
Davis speaks softly and eloquently about why it is wrong to remove the book, invoking "Mein Kampf" as an example of the ability of readers to discern propaganda. After all, paraphrasing her, "America won the War." World War II that is.
Despite the polite debate that takes place between the council and Ms. Hull, the council does not change its mind. She, however, acquiesces and reluctantly decides to remove the book, pleased the library will have a special addition for the children.
Ms. Hull swiftly has second thoughts, though. She refuses to get rid of the book after all. Unfortunately, the council also acts fast and summarily fires her from her post. And the townspeople and their children turn ugly on her and themselves as a series of events unravel the close-knit town.
"Storm Center" was released just a few years after McCarthyism tore through Hollywood leaving a trail of on-screen and off-screen talent unemployed for years to come and a heavy trace of suspicion about political allegiances hanging in the sunlit aura of Tinseltown.
Shot in the standard black and white for its time, the movie is a stark allegory about the importance of intellectual freedom that has no subtlety yet drives its point home. The town could be Anytown, USA. The people look like any Jane or John Doe you might find on any main street in Middle America in the 1950s. Even Davis' dowdy character is a type played without nuance. But with a legitimate script that sometimes turns into a high-school civics lecture and supporting players who occasionally bring a human touch, the movie should sway present-day viewers that banning books is probably not a good a thing, whether it sacrifices an individual, corrupts another, or results in expensive vandalism.