Northern Lights

A dramamentary of the forming of the Non-Partisan League in North Dakota -- this stark, loving film portrays the struggle of the local NoDaks versus the railroads, banks and granaries controlled by distant Minnesotans. This is a classic that reaches toward the level of "Salt of the Earth."

In Northern Lights, events which threatened to supplant the 19th century Mid Western Scandinavian immigrants from their farms are inextricably wound around images of light, cold and bleak yet rich landscape in a hostile world. The film effectively transplants the cozy viewer onto a frigid plain that makes him shiver and gasp at the audacity and courage of a people determined to survive under the worst conditions. And yet not only do they survive, they develop a kind of weed-like tenacity that finds sustenance in the most unlikely places and makes us wonder wide-eyed at their ability to prosper. Theirs is a community threatened by powerful interests who would ride on the backs of those men and women who already bear the burden of an almost unbelievably heavy load. Through it all, we admire the beauty they have found, the simplicity of their tenacity, the magnificence of the Northern Lights in an already deep and mysterious sky. The people in this drama are themselves the Northern Lights who settled a region. This is film-making and storytelling at its best.

If ever a film deserved a DVD release, it is this small overlooked gem! Set in a small Scandanavian North Dakota farming community in the early 19th century, the film portrays the dignity of a tightly knit/culturally rich community of family farmers attempting to fight back/resist losing their farms (and indeed the community itself) to the insidious powers of unregulated banking, undercut prices/profit usurpation, and distant corporate takeovers from businesses that have no investment/interest in the survival of the rich tapestry that forms the basis of this community and the unbroken spirits of the strong-willed individuals that compose it. Within this superstructure of plot, we get a very unique glimpse into the Scandanavian language, character, customs, culture, family traditions, songs, and stories whose collective strength permitted this strong-willed/"no-nonsense" group of people to transplant their entire lives and families from the old-country to the new and eek out a way of life (indeed) survive the harsh conditions of frontier life on the Great Northern Plains of North America. As if that wasn't enough, the beautifully artistic camera work was purposefully shot in black-and-white, whose vivid contrasts of light and shadow very effectively conveys the sharp oppositions of this world and its characters as a superior means of etching its metaphors into our consciousness. People familiar with Luchino Visconti's 1948 masterpiece, "La Terra Trema" will find the themes and neorealistic approach here to be very similar and equivalent to the strength of a Visconti, Rossellini, or DeSica film. In fact, (on that note) this film very deservedly won the Camera D'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. And yet most people have never even heard of it? Why?!?!?!...this is TRULY A LANDMARK in American independent film and American cultural legacy!!! PLEASE RELEASE THIS GEM ON DVD FOR THE WORLD TO SEE!!! Thank You.

... in the middle of a community. the images, the dialogues, the landscapes, the gestures. more powerful than the story itself. because it is a well known fight for justice. because the sadness and the enthusiasm for a fragile cause are familiar from neo-realism. and the events are good reference to " Terra tremula". but it is more than a chronicle . or hommage. or remember. it is one of films who you expect. as a sort of refuge. as the meet with old fashion cinema and its virtues. a film about survive. and love. and friendship and brotherhood and solitude, challenges and justice. poetic, profound, superb, salted.

I am a descendant of Norwegian farmer immigrants to Minnesota, from the late 1800's, and loved Northern Lights. I just watched another movie called "Sweet Land" from 2005, that is more than similar to Northern Lights, and equally as good! Sure wish my grandpa was still alive to see them both,as they were a mirror of his life. He was born in 1883 and passed away in 1983 at 100.

Socialism was very popular back then as the farmers were often cheated out of a fair price for their crops. As a result many desperate farmers went on to participate in the fledgling communist party of the day, as did an uncle of mine, who moved to Canada and held the number 2 spot there in the 1940's.