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.

utgard14 Good cast turns in some of the weakest performances of their careers in this notoriously pro-Soviet propaganda film made at the height of World War II. Franklin Roosevelt urged Hollywood to make films to support our then-ally Russia. I doubt he had to urge very hard as most of those involved in the making of this film had well-known political sympathies. In particular Walter Huston, who made Mission to Moscow the same year. The film was nominated for six Oscars, as well. Clearly this was motivated by something other than an accurate assessment of the film's merits. Objectively speaking, it's a forgettable war drama with some nice action scenes but a terrible script and several embarrassing performances. Just because you're a poor villager doesn't mean you speak like you've been hit in the head too much. But that's exactly the way Anne Baxter, Farley Granger, Jane Withers, and Dana Andrews play their characters. Child actor Eric Roberts is also very annoying. I defended his precocious character in Watch on the Rhine because that was written into the story. Here he just grates on the nerves. Vets Walter Huston, Walter Brennan, and Erich Von Stroheim comport themselves best. Only of interest today as a historical curio and for devoted classic film fans. The washed-out print I saw on TCM wasn't very good. I can't say I'm surprised nobody has paid to clean this one up.

mark.waltz So says Anne Baxter as a Russian peasant girl fighting the Germans in this 1943 war drama. The sentiment is nice, and while the propaganda at that time was necessary, time has proved this line to be false. Like dozens of other war dramas made at the same time, it made a promise that was impossible to keep. In this small Russian village, it appears everybody is content, gets along, and lives their life without major strife. But with the Germans looming in the background, already have invaded other sections of Russia, their days of a peaceful life are numbered. After a horrific sky attack, the peasants get together and plot their response to the carnage.Poor doctor's wife Ann Harding is the first to feel the affect of the Nazi's cruelty. When she is questioned about her husband Walter Huston's whereabouts, she refuses to divulge the information and is brutally beaten to the point of incapacitation. The young people (including Baxter, Jane Withers and Farley Granger) take to the woods, and in the case of pilot Dana Andrews, he takes to the sky where they plot attacks on advancing German troops. They all have the same goal, to preserve their way of life and not fall prey to the Nazi's terrorism. All of the battles are excellently filmed, and some of the scenes are quite horrific.The most evil figures in the film are not the soldiers or German officers, but two Nazi doctors (Erich Von Stroheim and Martin Kosleck) who use the peasants for their blood to cure wounded German soldiers. As these vampire doctors do their thing, we learn that they have two different motives for their actions. Von Stroheim, who would wear officer stripes as German General Rommel in several films, hates the Nazi way of life but for the purpose of self-preservation and his own agenda. Kosleck, a veteran of roles documenting Nazi evil, truly believes in the Nazi agenda. This makes Von Stroheim the more dangerous of the two. I also wonder if using Russian blood would make the German soldiers not be considered 100% Arian, thus defeating the Nazi agenda. If so, then this film has a flawed detail that they greatly overlooked.Overall, this film is an episodic look at what these peasant lives are like. It's a film pretty much without plot, and definitely without a traditional conclusion. It's a series of various attacks between the Russians and the Germans without real exploration as to each of these characters are. The actors really don't have much to do. Some are in for maybe a few minutes, or a few seconds here and there. The peasants are dressed appropriately in country clothes and babushkas, all seem realistic in their setting with one exception. Jane Withers seems too all-American with her bobby soxer mentality and seems like she would be more comfortable in poodle skirts and saddle shoes rather than peasant couture. For a better film on the German invasion of normal people who must become instant defenders of their homeland, see "Edge of Darkness" with Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan and Walter Huston again playing the town doctor.

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