User Reviews

If ever a film deserved a DVD release, it is this small overlooked gem! Set in a small Scandanavian North Dakota farming community in the early 19th century, the film portrays the dignity of a tightly knit/culturally rich community of family farmers attempting to fight back/resist losing their farms (and indeed the community itself) to the insidious powers of unregulated banking, undercut prices/profit usurpation, and distant corporate takeovers from businesses that have no investment/interest in the survival of the rich tapestry that forms the basis of this community and the unbroken spirits of the strong-willed individuals that compose it. Within this superstructure of plot, we get a very unique glimpse into the Scandanavian language, character, customs, culture, family traditions, songs, and stories whose collective strength permitted this strong-willed/"no-nonsense" group of people to transplant their entire lives and families from the old-country to the new and eek out a way of life (indeed) survive the harsh conditions of frontier life on the Great Northern Plains of North America. As if that wasn't enough, the beautifully artistic camera work was purposefully shot in black-and-white, whose vivid contrasts of light and shadow very effectively conveys the sharp oppositions of this world and its characters as a superior means of etching its metaphors into our consciousness. People familiar with Luchino Visconti's 1948 masterpiece, "La Terra Trema" will find the themes and neorealistic approach here to be very similar and equivalent to the strength of a Visconti, Rossellini, or DeSica film. In fact, (on that note) this film very deservedly won the Camera D'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. And yet most people have never even heard of it? Why?!?!?!...this is TRULY A LANDMARK in American independent film and American cultural legacy!!! PLEASE RELEASE THIS GEM ON DVD FOR THE WORLD TO SEE!!! Thank You.

A dramamentary of the forming of the Non-Partisan League in North Dakota -- this stark, loving film portrays the struggle of the local NoDaks versus the railroads, banks and granaries controlled by distant Minnesotans. This is a classic that reaches toward the level of "Salt of the Earth."

In Northern Lights, events which threatened to supplant the 19th century Mid Western Scandinavian immigrants from their farms are inextricably wound around images of light, cold and bleak yet rich landscape in a hostile world. The film effectively transplants the cozy viewer onto a frigid plain that makes him shiver and gasp at the audacity and courage of a people determined to survive under the worst conditions. And yet not only do they survive, they develop a kind of weed-like tenacity that finds sustenance in the most unlikely places and makes us wonder wide-eyed at their ability to prosper. Theirs is a community threatened by powerful interests who would ride on the backs of those men and women who already bear the burden of an almost unbelievably heavy load. Through it all, we admire the beauty they have found, the simplicity of their tenacity, the magnificence of the Northern Lights in an already deep and mysterious sky. The people in this drama are themselves the Northern Lights who settled a region. This is film-making and storytelling at its best.

My wife and I saw _Northern Lights_ on its release in a movie theater in the ante-VHS/DVD/Web era, and both share the view that this is a great film. It brings to mind Howard Zinn's _People's History of the United States_ in that it immerses us in an authentic American narrative that has generally not appeared in the mainstream, either historical or cinematic. It's over thirty years since I've seen it, so I can only report the memory of my feelings, and I recall being stirred and drawn in, emotionally engaged, feeling that this movie was a real work of art. It came up recently when we were discussing a visiting friend's ancestry. I'm bummed that it's apparently unavailable? On Amazon, the VHS tape is selling for a low of $74 and a high of $132.09. Doesn't this price suggest that there's a market for this film out there, so WOULDN'T IT MAKE BUSINESS SENSE to put it out on DVD? If anyone reading this knows how this works, maybe they could pursue it. Yoo-hoo, Criterion Collection?

Yes, this is a fantastic film, an excellent piece of historical narrative (by the way, it is set in the early 20th century, not 19th as chadport put it). I saw it when it first came out and I've been looking for this ever since I got a DVD player but to no avail. This is a forgotten piece of history about what amounted to a popular take-over of government in the northern plains. This movie explains, for example, why North (or maybe it's South) Dakota is the only state with a state bank, and the Democratic Party in Minnesota is the Democratic-Farm-Labor Party. If ever there was a time when European-style social democratic ideas were put in practice in America, this was it. Another way of putting it: if we wonder what would happen if government were truly controlled by the people, this movie shows it well. There are lots of reasons why powerful people would not want this to be a popular movie -- which is precisely why it needs to be in wide distribution!

I am a descendant of Norwegian farmer immigrants to Minnesota, from the late 1800's, and loved Northern Lights. I just watched another movie called "Sweet Land" from 2005, that is more than similar to Northern Lights, and equally as good! Sure wish my grandpa was still alive to see them both,as they were a mirror of his life. He was born in 1883 and passed away in 1983 at 100.

Socialism was very popular back then as the farmers were often cheated out of a fair price for their crops. As a result many desperate farmers went on to participate in the fledgling communist party of the day, as did an uncle of mine, who moved to Canada and held the number 2 spot there in the 1940's.

I saw Northern Lights years ago on VHS. I was extremely pleased with its gritty reality, sensitivity to Norwegian immigrants, and awareness that something very important happened in the frigid north lands in the early 20th Century. There is a certain realistic world view among North Dakotans. Add to that a sense that people can work together to survive. Since the film is not available, I'm forgetting the look of the photography. But do remember how striking the black, white and gray seemed. It suited my memory of childhood farm life on the plains. I have looked for a DVD source of this movie for a long time, and am glad a friend recommended IMDb.com to me as a way to find someone who knew about it. It is unknown to most people whom I ask about it. As a North Dakota native, I want this work released on DVD.

... in the middle of a community. the images, the dialogues, the landscapes, the gestures. more powerful than the story itself. because it is a well known fight for justice. because the sadness and the enthusiasm for a fragile cause are familiar from neo-realism. and the events are good reference to " Terra tremula". but it is more than a chronicle . or hommage. or remember. it is one of films who you expect. as a sort of refuge. as the meet with old fashion cinema and its virtues. a film about survive. and love. and friendship and brotherhood and solitude, challenges and justice. poetic, profound, superb, salted.

Northern Lights (1978) was written and directed by John Hanson and Rob Nilsson. The setting is rural North Dakota about a century ago.

The film stars Robert Behling as Ray Sorensen, a young farmer who works on his father's farm with his brother John, portrayed by Joe Spano. Susan Lynch plays the woman Ray loves, Inga Olsness. The rest of the cast are non-professionals. They're local people in North Dakota.

This is a powerful film about the hardships of crushing poverty, despite the strong work ethic of the farmers. Big business interests and conservative politicians conspired to bring the farmers into debt, which ultimately lead to the foreclosure of their farms.

As the movie progressives, we follow Ray Sorensen as he recognizes the injustices around him, and becomes an organizer for the liberal Nonpartisan League (NPL). In the early 20th Century, many NPL candidates were elected to government offices. The party enacted its progressive programs, including establishing state-owned banks, mills, and a railroad.

The film was amazingly effective in making us feel--not just see--the cold weather and the terrible predicament in which good people found themselves.

The absolutely brilliant b/w cinematography was the work of Judy Irola. Almost every frame could be enlarged into a great still photo.

If you can't see this film, you obviously can't appreciate it, and that's the problem. We found an unused VHS, which hadn't deteriorated too badly.

Previous reviewers have lamented the lack of this movie in DVD. No copies are available in DVD or VHS on Amazon or eBay. Some colleges own copies, so maybe you could get the film via interlibrary loan.

Northern Lights has an anemic 7.0 IMDb rating. I'm not sure why it's so low. It's much better than that.

This is a great movie. It would surely work better on a large screen, but it worked well enough for us on VHS. If you can find it, see it!