Under Southern Stars

This is an early Technicolor film made by Vitaphone just before the Warner Brothers (the parent studio) began making full-length color films. In other words, this short was sort of an experiment to work on technique and enabled these same folks to later make such gorgeous color classics as "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

This film is set during the US Civil War and concerns the last days of General Stonewall Jackson. If you are looking for an accurate history lesson, it's a mixed bag--some quite factual and some very fanciful. But what you are much more likely to notice is the silly and VERY syrupy dialog as well as the fact that Warner/Vitaphone often portrayed the Confederacy very sympathetically during this era. It also has some unnecessary singing at the beginning and end--and it makes little sense. Overall, it makes for an odd sort of curio but nothing more. But, it does have some very pretty color.

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.

This is one of the more bizarre of Warner Brothes' surprisingly lavish "Historical" two reeler's. This is part biopic (which tries to reclaim "Stonewall" Jackson as an all American hero ...and glorify General Lee as most films of this period do), part musical romance (though the theme song is totally anachronistic... and pretty bad...and the "Romance" is truncated to the point of anemia). This is, nonetheless, fascinating for the large scale production values, lavish action scenes, and interesting use of talent (why is wonderful Harry Davenport in the opening scene only? And why didn't handsome and appealing Wayne Morriss ever move from early bits like the one he has here to super-stardom like he should have?). As history lesson...weird and wacky...as curio of the Studio moving toward the Technicolor glories of "The Adventures Of Robin Hood"...invaluable.

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.

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.