The North Star – 1943
The special effects for The North Star were nearly perfect. That is to say, they were used perfectly. I was completely surprised by the heavy emotional content of the film, that of a peaceful Russian village, when the Nazis attack. The first half-hour of the film is devoted to character development. When the visual effects began, they only there to enhance the emotional drama of the characters.
When the Nazis attack, the lives of the gentle villagers are torn into bloody ruins. Usually filmmakers used bombs as a visually shocking effect. They cause a lot of damage, and the sight of exploding shells are big and flashy on the screen. But this film was unique in that the effects concentrated more on machinegun fire.
We are shown barrages of rapid-fire bullets dotting the ground, the buildings, and even the people. We see horses and riders crashing to the ground as the tiny projectiles mow them down. The effects artists really did a phenomenal job of setting up charges in the walls that exploded into little bullet holes as the composited airplanes flew overhead.
There was one fantastic shot in the attack, where a Nazi plane is flying over a bridge, firing its guns at a horse and cart. We can actually see the severe lines of the deadly bullets as they streak through the air, and we see the little eruptions in the water as they disrupt its surface. It was an awesome shot! And to the movie’s credit, they didn’t shy away from showing blood, even the blood of murdered children. The effect packed an emotional wallop for the little propaganda film.
Then there was the final climactic battle scene, as the men of the village return and attack the Nazis. They set the lake, and several enemy soldiers, on fire before charging in on horseback like the charge of the light brigade! Unfortunately, they tried using a trick that rarely works for me. There were a few shots where they sped the film up to make the action seem faster and more intense. The problem is that any time that effect is used, it just looks so different from the rest of the action, that it stands out like a sore thumb.
And there was one other tiny little effect that caught my attention. At one point, in the first part of the movie, they were trying to create a mood that would contrast the coming chaos and carnage. As a group of youngsters are traveling to Kiev, they bed down by the side of the road. We are given a shot of a bird on a branch, silhouetted against the night sky. It was clearly a hand drawn animation. However, it stood out, and not necessarily in a good way. It looked very much like a cartoon. I wouldn’t usually like such an obvious effect, but I’ll give this one a pass. It was short, sweet, and innocuous, and it had the proper effect of enhancing the emotional mood of the moment. Just don’t do it again, Louis Milestone.