Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Leofwine_draca THE SOUTHERN STAR is a somewhat middling African adventure yarn and an adaptation of a Jules Verne story that you've never previously heard of. It was made at the tail-end of the 1960s and mixes in a bit of adventure, a bit of derring-do, some violent action, and a lot of comedy and romance into a not altogether satisfying mix. George Segal is somewhat insipid as the lead and Ursula Andress only seems to be around so that she can go skinny dipping. Oh, and Orson Welles turns up in a supporting role and goes for a high camp approach which isn't entirely successful. The film has some nice scenery and encounters with wildlife, but the stock plot and overlong running time make it a slog to sit through.

ksf-2 Part of the Orson Welles Collection from Mill Creek DVD, this one opens with Dan (George Segal , the boss on "Just Shoot Me") sleeping on a cot, at a diamond mine; the book he was reading says "Geology for Beginners", so clearly he can't be trusted. The workers have found a giant diamond, and Dan arbitrarily decides that it is a genuine, valuable diamond. The beautiful Ursula Andress, famous for the James Bond films, and of course posing in Playboy, is in here. She is Erica, the daughter of the local rich man "Kramer", who has purchased or taken the diamond. Everybody is after the diamond, and wacky hyjinx follow. A hokey bar-room brawl. Ian Hendry seems to be the local deputy, but also seems to be involved in the shenanigans, as well as being Erica's ex. All rather confusing. Lots of old, faded, stock animal footage from old Africa, although it looks like some of the critters might be from Australia. or not. They end all up at the compound of "Plankett", a smaller role for Orson Welles. Good performance from Johnny Sekka.Much female frontal nudity at the native dance scene. Jules Verne gets writing credit, but apparently it is a rewrite of an earlier novel. Directed by Sidney Hayers, who had worked on some films and whole lot of TV. A good watch... not anything spectacular, but it does have a comical flair to it. With the upbeat music, it's more of a madcap caper than a serious manhunt to the death.

Oslo Jargo (Bartok Kinski) (Contains spoilers) The Southern Star (1968) starts out sluggish and it doesn't even pick up steam. It is unsure whether it wants to be a violent jungle manhunt flick or just a lazy adolescent comedy. I don't mind a little humour, but The Southern Star is so lackluster even in that, that nothing seems to work.The plot is about a native Negro from French West Africa, who is friends with a white man who is engaged to Ursula Andress (as Erica Kramer), whose father, Kramer (English film actor Harry Andrews), does not like the arrangement. He's a ruthless diamond mine owner. George Segal doesn't do much either. He is the friend of the native Negro who may have stolen a diamond. Now I like George Segal (King Rat (1965), The Bridge at Remagen (1969)) but he doesn't have a good script and can't show us his prowess. Ursula Andress is eye candy and nothing else.To bring in some conflict in the "story", they have a jealous rival to George Segal. Ian Hendry as Capt. Karl Ludwig doesn't like George Segal so he attempts to kill him and is following him. The whole film is about the chase through the jungle. In one stupid scene, George Segal starts a stampede with a few matches. The film is peppered with excessive stock footage of African animals. Orson Welles, as usual, drinks his way lazily through the film. In another scene, Ursula Andress, falls near a Cobra, again, stock footage is used and the scene looks so preposterous because the "dimension" of the Cobra stock footage is too big.The characters don't really appear to be French at all, but more like Boers (Dutch and Afrikaners) or English blokes. Every jungle cliché is thrown in for good measure, quicksand, snake attacks, wooden bridge over river, soldiers who can't shoot, etc.This is an average, dull affair, which doesn't really engage the viewer. It won't hurt to look at it, but don't expect much.

John Seal Yes, The Southern Star features a pretty forgettable title tune sung by that heavy set crooner Matt Monro. It pretty much establishes the tone for this bloated and rather dull feature, stunningly miscast with George Segal and Ursula Andress as an adventurous couple in search of a large diamond. Add in Harry Andrews (with a strange accent, no less) chasing an ostrich, tons of stock footage of wildlife, and poorly composed and dull photography by Raoul Coutard, and you end up with a thoroughly unexciting romp through the jungles of Senegal.