Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

MartinHafer This is an early Technicolor film made by Vitaphone just before the Warner Brothers (the parent studio) began making full-length color films. In other words, this short was sort of an experiment to work on technique and enabled these same folks to later make such gorgeous color classics as "The Adventures of Robin Hood".This film is set during the US Civil War and concerns the last days of General Stonewall Jackson. If you are looking for an accurate history lesson, it's a mixed bag--some quite factual and some very fanciful. But what you are much more likely to notice is the silly and VERY syrupy dialog as well as the fact that Warner/Vitaphone often portrayed the Confederacy very sympathetically during this era. It also has some unnecessary singing at the beginning and end--and it makes little sense. Overall, it makes for an odd sort of curio but nothing more. But, it does have some very pretty color.

bkoganbing This short subject film chronicles the last day in the life of General Thomas Jonathan Jackson better known as Stonewall. The fate of the southern cause may very well have died with him that day in Chancellorsville in 1863.He got the nickname of Stonewall at that first major battle of the Civil War, Bull Run. So named because the brigade he commanded stood against the charging Union army and turned it back. But his finest hour was Chancellorsville.Jackson was a man of deep religious faith who never doubted the rightness of his cause. That's usually the problem with those who think God is on their side, there were some folks like Oliver O. Howard on the Union side who prayed as much for their troops as Jackson is shown here.That he was a military genius is unmistakable. He devises the strategy with Robert E. Lee which brings victory at Chancellorsville which you will see here in Under Southern Stars. Fritz Lieber is impressive as Jackson as is Pierre Watkin as Robert E. Lee. A pair of young lovers played by Fred Lawrence and Jane Bryan get more in the way of the main story, attractive though they are.A nice thumbnail history of Chancellorsville.

martin lane This is one of the more bizarre of Warner Brothes' surprisingly lavish "Historical" two reeler's. This is part biopic (which tries to reclaim "Stonewall" Jackson as an all American hero ...and glorify General Lee as most films of this period do), part musical romance (though the theme song is totally anachronistic... and pretty bad...and the "Romance" is truncated to the point of anemia). This is, nonetheless, fascinating for the large scale production values, lavish action scenes, and interesting use of talent (why is wonderful Harry Davenport in the opening scene only? And why didn't handsome and appealing Wayne Morriss ever move from early bits like the one he has here to super-stardom like he should have?). As history lesson...weird and wacky...as curio of the Studio moving toward the Technicolor glories of "The Adventures Of Robin Hood"...invaluable.

Christopher jones In an age when the appearance of the confederate battle flag is offensive to so many, it follows that a film glorifying the Confederate cause and its leaders may one day merit a viewer advisory. If not that, then maybe an advisory for the unquestionably 1930's sounding song performed at the film's opening. What were they thinking? Thank heavens there was no Busby Berkely number at the opening of Gone with The Wind!Aside from the above, this is a splendid example of Technicolor; a process that I wish would be revived. The startling saturation of color might liven up some of today's 'dogs.' Civil War buffs will certainly find authentic-looking costumes and the portrayal of Generals Lee and Jackson more than a little interesting. In many regards it is more convincing than Selznick's 1939 masterpiece.