The Worst Film Ever

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Absolutely brilliant

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a story of German invasion towards the East during World War II, and the civilian guerrilla forces that came of it.As such, it must be compared to COME AND SEE, a pretty well made film, but with a touch too much obvious Hollywood "rationalization".The rationalization of COME AND SEE is that it is obviously told from a perspective of freedom fighters who want to "rationalize" their desertion and abandonment of other civilians to horrible fates. In such guerrilla activity, one doesn't have to see modern films to know that their warfare will cause counter terror upon the women, children, and sick left behind. One doesn't have to be "educated" to know this. Any child knows the repercussions.So COME AND SEE is very obvious in this, as freedom fighters try to justify their cowardice in abandoning others, by demonetizing the enemy.Trouble is, the Nazis don't have to be demonetized. They do a good job of that themselves.And we get a much more realistic demonstration in THE NORTH STAR of the demon Nazi machine. True, there are a few wackos who laugh while they kill as in COME AND SEE, but THE NORTH STAR gives us the true picture. Two German doctors, who act as leaders of the invasion force, are given total focus of the enemy motives. They are very different, and cruel in different respects. They are three dimensional characters, unlike the caricatures of COME AND SEE.Likewise, the leaders of the resistance admit they are leaving the population behind to face the worst of consequences. Unlike COME AND SEE, they don't try to rationalize their desertion. They confess it, and in doing so, are characters we can actually care about. They know they have a huge responsibility, and they do what they can.And being made closer to the source, in the midst of the action, THE NORTH STAR is logically going to be more realistic.The movie flows very well, beginning with the "status quo", as films like this are the model for such modern classics at "Fellowship of the Ring", in which we begin with the status quo of the shire (after a preliminary introduction of high octane action, but that is a prologue).And the status quo beginning is well done. There is no gun play for almost half the film, yet it still flows, because we have constant movement, some singing, some scenery, and it helps us to follow the characters.Don't get me wrong. I'm not, by any means, one who likes lull, and my attention deficit disorder will rival anyone's, but I was never lulled to sleep by this film, and over 80% of the movies made after 1965 lull me to sleep with slow pacing. This is well paced. There may not be "killings" and "throat cuttings" abounding in the first half, but there is movement and animation.This is smartly directed, and justifies itself as art.

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.

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

The picture is set during Nazi invasion, on June 22, 1941, the Fuehrer sent his war machine crashing across the frontiers of the USSR , unleashing a furious Bltzkrieg. The Fuehrer,-known his hatred for Bolshevism-, described the assault on Russia as a crusade against communism, but he obviously was motived by a need for wheat, oil, and mineral supplies to enable him to defy the British blockade. This is flag-waving and propaganda film but at the time US and USSR were allied, it deals about an idyllic Soviet village. The first part describes life of a little town, a pacific village with good people, singing, dancing and living happily. When Nokya(Dana Andrews) and young villagers(Anne Baxter, Farley Granger, Jane Withers) go to Kiev are picked up by an old countryman(Walter Brennan). While they're singing and amusing themselves, then happen a Nazi invasion and they're bombed.The second part is quite starkly moving developing account of deeds that befall about the villagers and when they go into action.The interesting film is a gripping war story with valiant villagers facing on Nazis.This unnerving epic depicts the horror war as Nazi atrocities and as the resistance fighters roam the Russian countryside attacking during the invasion. Although melodramatic moments in overall effects, also has moments of astounding power with some overwhelming sequences. Thought-provoking screenplay amid much feuding writer Lillian Hellman and producer/director , and Hellman told her disappointment on the adaptation. The credits are extraordinaries, prestigious actors, Walter Huston as the village medic, Dana Andrews, Farley Granger in his first role along with Anne Baxter, Erich Von Stroheim as usual official Nazi, Dean Jagger, among them.Cinematography supplied by the master James Wong Howe and score by the classic Aaron Copland with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.The motion picture is well directed by Lewis Milestone, he was born in the Ukraine(where is set the movie), but emigrated to America at 18 and he served in WWI. He often made chronicles of wartime conflicts and persisted in showing horror war from the point of view of the ordinary soldier. As he showed WWI(All quiet on the western front), WWII(A walk in the sun,Purple heart, Halls of Motzuma,Edge and darkness) and Korean war(Pork Chop Hill); and directed several other excellent movies in different fields, drama(Of mice and men, Strange love of Martha Ivers), adventures(Mutiny on the Bounty) and heist-comedy(Ocean's eleven), among others.