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      Northern Lights

      1979 1h 30m Drama List
      Reviews 100% 50+ Ratings Audience Score In rural North Dakota during World War I, struggling farmer Ray Sorenson (Robert Behling) decides to become an activist for the burgeoning Nonpartisan League, a labor union attempting to organize the region's farmers against the railroads and banks which are consistently undercutting their livelihood with unfair payments. But many of the farmers don't trust the union either, fearing that it's too socialistic, and afraid that the banks and railroads will retaliate harshly. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The filmmakers, John Hanson and Rob Nilsson, use the documentary springboard of Martinson's memories to move into a film that also looks like a documentary. Rated: 3/4 Nov 6, 2018 Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath seems like the obvious inspiration here, in both its proletarian sentiment and its primal arrangement of characters against the harsh landscape. Nov 14, 2013 Full Review Time Out The pseudo-documentary tone is maddeningly naive, but the stubborn, passionate images survive Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jun 30, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      william k Great committed independent production with beautiful b&w cinematography illustrates a lesser-known historical political struggle. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review walter m In the winter of 1915 in North Dakota, Ray Sorensen(Robert Behling) gets engaged to Inga(Susan Lynch). But as John(Joe Spano) puts it, there are more important things to worry about like the low prices and high shipping costs of their grain, along with the banks always threatening to foreclose on their family farms. That's why the Nonpartisan League has been formed, to give the power to the farmers to let them govern themselves. Even after all that, Ray has reservations about hitting the trail for them which are eventually overcome. "Northern Lights" is an endearing and inspiring forgotten piece of American history; one that also goes to show that there is nothing fundamentally un-American about socialism. The black and white cinematography covers the sparse landscape well which matches the minimal dialogue. So, while we are informed as to what happens historically, the same could not be said for the chracters which is not an insignificant fault. In any case, there is Henry Martinson who appears in the prologue and epilogue and was there when these events were going down and at the time of filming, 94 years old and still kicking and doing push-ups. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Música escocesa secuencia tras secuencia, paisajes de la campiña norteamericana que quitan el habla, todo filmado con una bellísima fotografía en blanco y negro, logra el registro de un acontecimiento en apariencia minúsculo e insignificante en Northern Lights (1978), dirigida por John Hanson, Martin Lavut y Rob Nilsson. Este pequeño pero bello trabajo, empieza con un tono documental ligero y agradable, en el que un anciano, Ray Sorensen, quien murió en 1977, poco después de terminada la producción, empieza su narración en off mientras realiza actividades de lo más cotidianas. Nos contará cómo fue, en su juventud, uno de los acontecimientos más importantes en su vida. La formación de la Liga Independiente, complicada y conflictiva por el desánimo y pesimismo de muchos granjeros, trabajosamente pudo lograrse. Toda la película gira casi exclusivamente en torno a la formación de La Liga Independiente, pero las imágenes finales del anciano Sorensen, con su semblante nostálgico, triste, pero haciendo ejercicio en el suelo como alma joven en plena efervescencia, son conmovedoras y ayudan a comprender que el amor hacia su esposa y la formación de la Liga, fueron las dos únicas cosas que dieron sentido a su longeva existencia. Más en http://pantallanueve.blogspot.com Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Northern Lights

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis In rural North Dakota during World War I, struggling farmer Ray Sorenson (Robert Behling) decides to become an activist for the burgeoning Nonpartisan League, a labor union attempting to organize the region's farmers against the railroads and banks which are consistently undercutting their livelihood with unfair payments. But many of the farmers don't trust the union either, fearing that it's too socialistic, and afraid that the banks and railroads will retaliate harshly.
      Director
      John Hanson, Rob Nilsson
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Runtime
      1h 30m