The Star DVD

A modern war epic steeped in the long history of the Russian war film, Zvezda (The Star) is the third film from 36 year-old writer-director Nikolai Lebedev.
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A modern war epic steeped in the long history of the Russian war film, Zvezda (The Star) is the third film from 36 year-old writer-director Nikolai Lebedev.
Based on the eponymous 1947 short story by Emmanuil G Kazakavich, the film follows the activities of a group of scouts as they assemble for a reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines. The team uncover preparations for a massive German offensive but lose their radio, their only means of communicating with their base. A frantic search ensues as the Germans close in.

The film gives star billing to Alexei Kravchenko who delivered an unforgettable performance as teenage partisan Flor in Elem Klimov’s 1985 masterpiece Come and See. Indeed, Lebedev’s film makes much of links with Klimov’s film (along with the subject matter and the presence of Kravchenko, the film, like Come and See was made by Mosfilm). The Star however, despite its undoubted technical virtuosity and visual effects, lacks the visceral power of a film like Come and See or indeed Shepitko’s shattering The Ascent.
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