Up until WWII, most Americans (and particularly Hollywood) looked to Soviet Russia with, at best, fear. While the true extent of the brutality and human rights violations of the Stalinist regime were still not fully comprehended, there was great fear that the Russians were bent on world domination. BUT, with the entry of the United States into WWII, the Russians, our previous enemy, was now our ally. And, to engender support for this new ally, Hollywood created a fictionalized version of the Russians--portraying them as brave and loyal and almost super-human. While some of these qualities were no doubt true of those who heroically fought the Nazis, many simply fought for survival and chose to protect their own evil regime because it seemed less evil than the Germans--or because they were murdered by their own KGB troops if they did not fight. However, in The North Star, none of this is apparent. Instead, the Hollywoodized version of the Russians is given and their government, it seems, is freedom-loving and decent! What a lie. Because of this, the movie ONLY has value as a historical curiosity as propaganda. I would be very afraid someone might view it today and take it for fact instead of complete fiction. Despite this movie's attempts to portray it otherwise, Stalinism ranks as one of the greatest evils in human history.
While this is essentially the same review I gave to another pro-Russian propaganda film of this era, MISSION TO MOSCOW, The North Star is a little better as far as entertainment value is concerned. You'll rarely see the Nazis portrayed in as evil a light in any American film of the time. But it is nonetheless a lie from start to finish in regard to its portrayal of the Russians. While the people were brave and decent, its leader was the epitome of evil.
While this is essentially the same review I gave to another pro-Russian propaganda film of this era, MISSION TO MOSCOW, The North Star is a little better as far as entertainment value is concerned. You'll rarely see the Nazis portrayed in as evil a light in any American film of the time. But it is nonetheless a lie from start to finish in regard to its portrayal of the Russians. While the people were brave and decent, its leader was the epitome of evil.