Under Southern Stars (1937)

Simply A Masterpiece

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

. . . if not for such widely admired Traitors to Civilization as Hitler's Nazi Field Marshal Erwin "The Desert Fox" Rommel, whose initial World War Two "successes" prolonged that conflict by several years, costing Humanity at least 30 million more horrible deaths, including that of Dutch teen diarist Frank. In a similar vein, a rogue element within Warner Bros. uses UNDER SOUTHERN SKIES to subvert Common Sense in an illogical attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of American Rebel Mass Murderer Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Historians concur that Jackson's "success" cost the lives of at least 100,000 Union Heroes fighting against Racist Lazy Southern Tyranny, and that American Blacks such as Kanye, Denzel, LeBron, and Oprah STILL would be toiling as Slaves in the Cotton Fields Today when they were not stripped naked and lashed to the flogging post, had not Jackson been gunned down by his own men. Demographers also agree that Designated Survivor President Andrew Johnson's decision NOT to at least hang all the Confederate Traitor Officers, coupled with Jackson's carnage against the Northern Gene Pool, allowed enough Rumpsters to infiltrate Posterity and the American Electorate of 2016 to steal a Rigged Election they LOST by 2.7 million votes through the Racist "Electoral College" Loophole. As America teeters on the brink of Constitutional Annihilation, you can bet that "Stonewall" is Whistling Dixie somewhere Down There right now.

Under Southern Stars (1937) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Mildly entertaining, if rather confused docu-drama about "Stonewall" Jackson (Fritz Leiber) and his final battle, which cost him his life. The film also centers on a young man in love with his daughter who must prove that he has no more feelings for the North, which is where he comes from. This is a pretty strange film because the thing is all over the map in terms of one trying to understand what it's trying to do. We start off with what appears to be a musical because we have some fancy singing at a party. Things then take a turn when the "hero" General Lee shows up and a battle is going to follow. We then learn that Stonewall has a great sense of humor. We then see the battle finally happened but Stonewall is injured. Things switch again back to the good singer who just happens to need to prove himself to the dying man. The movie never knows if it wants to focus on the war, the young man or Stonewall. On that level the movie is all over the place but the production values are high enough to keep on entertained throughout the 16-minute running time. The performances are pretty good as are the brief battle scenes. The music isn't too bad either but it's the beautiful Technicolor that steals the film.

In an age when the appearance of the confederate battle flag is offensive to so many, it follows that a film glorifying the Confederate cause and its leaders may one day merit a viewer advisory. If not that, then maybe an advisory for the unquestionably 1930's sounding song performed at the film's opening. What were they thinking? Thank heavens there was no Busby Berkely number at the opening of Gone with The Wind!Aside from the above, this is a splendid example of Technicolor; a process that I wish would be revived. The startling saturation of color might liven up some of today's 'dogs.' Civil War buffs will certainly find authentic-looking costumes and the portrayal of Generals Lee and Jackson more than a little interesting. In many regards it is more convincing than Selznick's 1939 masterpiece.

A really dopey and inappropriate title song crooned by a tenor and a sappy and perfunctory love story have been tacked on to this tale of the death of Confederate General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson. However it does have unexpected moments of power and sentiment very much in the D.W. Griifith tradition. Strong words indeed for what is a Warner's short subject used mainly to show off the three strip Technicolor process and train technicians in its use. There are shots of General Lee with his artillery battery with the land dropping off and rising up beyond that seems very much a Griffisonian composition and the handing of Jackson on his deathbed wallows in exactly the type of emotionalism that Griffith openly courted. The Turner Classic copy runs at only 16 1/2 minutes and there seems to be a somewhat jarring cut after Jackson dies but whether this is responsible for the short running time or it is mislisted is a subject for further research.