Under Southern Stars (1937)

Why so much hype?

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Better Late Then Never

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

. . . if not for such widely admired Traitors to Civilization as Hitler's Nazi Field Marshal Erwin "The Desert Fox" Rommel, whose initial World War Two "successes" prolonged that conflict by several years, costing Humanity at least 30 million more horrible deaths, including that of Dutch teen diarist Frank. In a similar vein, a rogue element within Warner Bros. uses UNDER SOUTHERN SKIES to subvert Common Sense in an illogical attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of American Rebel Mass Murderer Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Historians concur that Jackson's "success" cost the lives of at least 100,000 Union Heroes fighting against Racist Lazy Southern Tyranny, and that American Blacks such as Kanye, Denzel, LeBron, and Oprah STILL would be toiling as Slaves in the Cotton Fields Today when they were not stripped naked and lashed to the flogging post, had not Jackson been gunned down by his own men. Demographers also agree that Designated Survivor President Andrew Johnson's decision NOT to at least hang all the Confederate Traitor Officers, coupled with Jackson's carnage against the Northern Gene Pool, allowed enough Rumpsters to infiltrate Posterity and the American Electorate of 2016 to steal a Rigged Election they LOST by 2.7 million votes through the Racist "Electoral College" Loophole. As America teeters on the brink of Constitutional Annihilation, you can bet that "Stonewall" is Whistling Dixie somewhere Down There right now.

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.

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.

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.