The North Star

Watch: The North Star

11/4/19431h 48m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ A rolling wall of hell that couldn't be stopped... A handful of men who had to stop it! ~

Overview:

A Ukrainian village must suddenly contend with the Nazi invasion of June 1941. Later re-edited and released as "Armored Attack."

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

nazi
village
world war ii
soviet union
doctor
air raid
resistance fighter
anti-nazi resistance
nazi occupation
ukrainian village
nazi invasion
ukraine
ukrainian resistance

Cast

Dana Andrews

~ as ~

Kolya Simonov

Anne Baxter

~ as ~

Marina Pavlov

Walter Huston

~ as ~

Dr. Kurin

Walter Brennan

~ as ~

Karp

Ann Harding

~ as ~

Sophia Pavlov

Jane Withers

~ as ~

Clavdia Kurin

Farley Granger

~ as ~

Damian Simonov

Erich von Stroheim

~ as ~

Dr. von Harden

Dean Jagger

~ as ~

Rodion Pavlov

Eric Roberts

~ as ~

Grisha Kurin

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
6
I'm not sure I've ever seen a film like this before. An agrarian community in the Ukraine are facing impending invasion from the Nazis so must rally their resources; flee to the hills or stay behind as potential saboteurs. It was made in the middle of WWII and features quite a formidable cast of stars - Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, Walter's Huston and Brennan (the latter always seems to end up driving a wagon, whichever film he is in!), Dean Jagger, Farley Granger and an excellent Erich von Stroheim all advancing the cause of the freedom from a Soviet perspective; something completely unimaginable from an Hollywood studio just five years later. It is a pretty shameless piece of propaganda. The young, innocent youth under the jackboot of their tyrannical oppressors, using what limited resources they have to try to thwart the overwhelmingly powerful war machine rolling, relentlessly, through their country - bravely sacrificing life and limb along the way. The dialogue is suitably jingoistic, and there are plenty of rousing, anthemic, songs to keep the comrades motivated. As a wartime depiction, it has an earthiness to it, though - there are some scenes that genuinely and plausibly appal and the youth of Baxter (only 20) and Granger (18) plays well to Lewis Milstone's overall intention. Sometimes when you see films like this you wonder how the brutal Nazis ever lost...