Zvezda

Just a very good movie about WW II. A true story about a small scout group with radio sign "The Star" (Zvezda) which got a task to find place of German tanks concentration. Two previous groups were lost and nobody knew where and how. The third group is completed by scouts from different fronts. "The Star" goes in both dark of night and obscurity understanding that enemy waits them leaving no chances to return. The movie stays in line with famous US movies like "Private Ryane" and "Thin Red Line". Very good battle scenes and music.

Russians always knew how to make a film about the World War II. This war is a large and deep scar on the hearts of all Russians, they suffered that war and they won it with the sacrifice of a whole nation.

In the former USSR and now Russian Federation there is a lot of young filmmakers who probably have grandfathers or fathers who are war veterans or lost their lives in the most fierce battles in 1941-1943...

That's why the memories are still alive and the pain is still fresh... It is needful to feel all this pain if you'd like to produce a film, which is able to make you understand even with just a tiny bit of your heart the meaning of the word "war" and what it's like to have no way back...

Hi!

Zvezda got two golden eagle (zolotoi oryol) prize for best cinematography and best music for Russian movies of 2002.

Theme music by guitar solo or strings orchestra portrays romantic love feeling of Katya, a young female soldier in front head quarter communication unit who loves "Zvezda" scout team leader lieutenant Trabkin.

Beside this is a serious and precise war combat story, this is romantic love story with lovely music.

Properly marketed, may be with a dubbed option, for english and french,this movie has great box office potential. Specially in the wake of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, BAND OF BROTHERS, THIN RED LINE and WINDTALKER, this movie has in no way to hide behind those titles. The script is excellent, kept me right in the seat, the cinematagrophy stunning, and I was amazed with the historical details of the uniforms and military hardware. I would give it a 9+ rating, or two thumbs way up, as Siskel and Ebert used to do. The russians know how to craft the best war pictures, why are they not releasing them via box office, or at least for the north american homme video and DVD market ? I'm very impressed, and I would like to point out, that you can get this movie on VHS, in it's russian only version. Some of my friends watched it without any knowledge of the russian language, and loved it. The action is so intense in this movie, that it explains itself.

This movie is about soldiers who didn't try to be heroes. In contrast to Private Ryan they didn't question their orders. They believed in their mission, and they had to complete it whatever the cost is. Heroes it's what we call them after watching this movie.

Visually, Zvezda is very decently made, though far from high budget movies like Saving Private Ryan or Enemy At The Gates. But on the other hand it wasn't the movie's goal. The director didn't try to lure us with stunning explosions, or great angle shots of a battle. He just tried to touch our feelings, which he did outstandingly.

There are some minor drawbacks in the plot(like of Vorobej remembering the way back) but except of these the movie is very tense, and the last minutes bring really heart-breaking, tear-dropping moments, that can't leave anyone indifferent. I wanted to scream but I couldn't let the words out, tears ready to go.

This movie is in memory of those, to whom we owe our lives, leaving our flowers over the grave-stone of the unknown soldier.