CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

arfdawg-1 The Plot.In a peaceful Ukrainian village, the school year is just ending in June 1941. Five young friends set out for a walking trip to Kiev, but their travels are brutally interrupted when they are suddenly attacked by German planes, in the first wave of the Nazi assault on the Soviet Union. When the village itself is attacked and occupied, most of the men flee to the hills to form a guerrilla unit. The others resist the Nazis as well as possible, but soon the village is placed under the command of a Nazi doctor who begins using the town's children as a source of constant blood transfusions for wounded German soldiers. Meanwhile, the small group of young persons tries desperately to take a supply of firearms to the guerrillas.WW2 propaganda with lots of heavy hitters in front AND behind the camera. But it doesn't gel. It's slow and heavy on an American message even though this is supposed to be the Ukraine. (AND BTW, why are they all speaking American?)There is an inordinate amount of filler and rear screen projection. ZZZzzz.I found myself bored beyond belief and wound up waiting for Von Stroheim. Keep waiting. He shows up nearly an hour into this movie and by then, you'll be bailing.

mandapanda1219-723-885632 In discussing Communist influences in Hollywood and HUAC you must also remember the time in which this film was made. The Soviet Union was our ally during WWII and why would we want to portray our ally poorly? While I do not disagree with you that this film is slippery with the truth in terms of life on collective farms you also have to remember that there were movie theaters all over the world. You wouldn't want an enemy like Germany to see that the Soviet Union was in such poor condition when they were attacking Soviet land. I think one thing we forget when watching old films especially those that came out of this time is that we must put ourselves in the context of what was happening in the world at the time.

Robert J. Maxwell Lewis Milestone directed this ham-handed propaganda piece and it shows. He was a good director, fond of using cross-tracking shots during battle scenes. It was written by Lillian Hellman and that shows too. She was never one for subtlety, either in portraying the good (Ukrainian peasants) or the evil (the Nazis). The musical score is by Aaron Copland, but I wouldn't have known it because it's one long calcified cliché. I'd have guessed it was by a FAMOUS composer.For the first 35 minutes, we see nothing but an expression of what might be called "the happy peasant meme." The men of the little village -- the Air Force officer Dana Andrews, the young farmer Farley Granger, the avuncular doctor Walter Huston, and the somewhat traumatized old Walter Brennan -- are seen working happily in the fields. The women -- mostly Anne Baxter and Jane Withers -- are colorfully dressed while picking flowers and rolling the dough.But, above all, for the first 35 minutes, we see dancing and hear singing as Copland's music rolls on and on. If you ever want to see Dana Andrews playing the balalaika and singing lyrics like "today, we work, and tonight we play, for tomorrow we work, and sing another day," this is the place -- the only place -- you will ever see and hear it, and thank God for small favors. These happy peasants are ubiquitous in these kinds of movies. They work, sing, dance, joke, love, eat big meals, and don't mind a drink or two.Enter the Germans. They invade Russia, occupy the village, and win the hearts and minds of the people by strafing and bombing them, and by bleeding their children to death to add to the blood supply for wounded Nazi soldiers. Erich von Stroheim is a doctor (!) who dribbles humanisms while breaking arms and legs. "Zometimes vee heff to do sings vee doan't necessarily appwove of." In Act III, the men and women of the village, although ill-armed, decide the time has come to fight back. They form a guerrilla band led by Dean Jagger with a full head of hair.And I'm compelled to say that Lewis Milestone ("All Quiet on the Western Front," "A Walk in the Sun") handles the combat scenes quite well. They could almost be called subdued in the context of battle scenes of the period -- and now. The first violent scene is especially impressive. A column of happy Russians plodding along in their horse-drawn carts are strafed and bombed by Stukas.The formulaic way of handling such a scene is this: a dozen Stukas come down and smother the column in bullets and bombs all at once, perhaps unexpectedly. But not here. Andrews has the peaceful column stopped because he hears something. What he hears are a multitude of airplanes. He orders everyone out of the carts and into the roadside ditch but many passengers scoff. Then a single bomb explodes a mile away. Andrews rushes along the column, shouting and tugging. Another bomb, much closer. With agonizing slowness the civilians clamber down from their perches and tumble ditchward. The next two or three bombs are on target. It's a beautifully directed scene.The later battles are less imaginative but still effective, akin to a similar scene in the Errol Flynn vehicle, "Edge of Darkness." Hellman's story is pitiless. The Germans, even those who believe themselves to be less evil than the rest, are executed while unarmed.In the end, if the combat scenes are well handled, the first half hour is so silly that one major flaw cancels out the undeniable virtue and we're left with a film that, on balance, is routine.

wes-connors The peace-loving Ukrainian town called "North Star" celebrates the Communist lifestyle by singing and dancing, unaware blood-thirsty barbarians are lurching at the gate. Yup, it's June 1941, and Nazis are about to attack our dear friends in the Soviet Union. It begins after a group of young "Russians" - handsome teenager Farley Granger (as Damian Simonov), pretty girlfriend Anne Baxter (as Marina Pavlova), older brother Dana Andrews (as Kolya Simonov), chubby Jane Withers (as Clavdia Kurina), and cute Eric Roberts (as Grisha Kurin) - go on a merry frolic to holiday in Kiev.The singing quintet seems to need only Julie Andrews as a leader, but Dana Andrews (no relation) skips out in front. Then, pig farmer Walter Brennan (as Karp) meets them on the road, and leads them in another chorus. He seems grumpier singing than Mr. Andrews did dancing. Yet, this film is NOT a musical comedy - and, the Germans attack. Suddenly, the happy hikers aren't so cheerful; in fact, they will have a difficult time getting back to "North Star" alive. Back in town, kindly doctor Walter Huston (Pavel Grigorich Kurin) will confront Nazi doctor Erich von Stroheim (as Von Harden).This is not one of the best World War II propaganda films produced in Hollywood, because the joyousness of the opening sequence is entirely too strained (not to mention painfully unbelievable). Yet, there is no denying "The North Star" is a good effort, overall. On advise from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Samuel Goldwyn and William Cameron Menzies assembled a remarkable team, ably led by director Lewis Milestone. The six "Academy Award" nominations reflect the impressive crew, which included writer Lillian Hellman, photographer James Wong Howe, and composer Aaron Copland.Once you get past the ridiculousness of the situation, the movie gets stronger. While not entirely impressive as Ukrainian Communists, the ensemble cast is very good. Ms. Baxter, in an early role, and Mr. Granger, in his first appearance, are a lovely young couple. Mr. Huston is excellent; especially, watch his final confrontation with Mr. Stroheim, who continues to build upon the role he began in D.W. Griffith's World War I opus "Hearts of the World" (1918) - from clicking his heels (there) to draining the blood out of innocent children (here). Also shining are Ms. Withers and the dependable Mr. Brennan.****** The North Star (11/4/43) Lewis Milestone ~ Anne Baxter, Farley Granger, Walter Huston, Jane Withers