The Star

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.

I seen this movie about 10 times, its always damn nice 2 see it. Its the favourite movie of my cousin and in the way 4 people who likes seeing war movies its a pure god's gift 4 them, cause with this movie the russians could shows the world that there are always even exist good regiseurs and actors who can make such a hearttouching and interesting good movie. This movie has a typical russian movie-end like movies in the perestroika time(1986-1991).Because typical is the tragic end without happy end. Other russian movies like avaria-doch menta(1989), pomiluj i prosti(1988), katala(1989), kamyshovyj raj(1989), igla(1988)....have such a typical end, too.But it means not that the movie is bad, the movies are still good movies.

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.

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 film is intense! throughout the film it grasps the audience's concentration. the way that some scenes are shot are very clever too. i wont elaborate as it may spoil the film for other people. war and the resultant deaths are portrayed to be cruel and brutal, and yet realistic. there are scenes that are so powerful, that only images are needed to convey the idea. no words needed at all, and yet we get to know what happened and we totally understand how the actors in the film feel. in summary this is such a powerful film that will move anyone to tears