The film, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, is told in flashback by a woman who at the time was a six-year-old girl named Cecilia. She is a whimsical child who is unaware of the dangers and – like some kids – seems to be having the time of her life running away from home with the adults; until things get serious.

The film deals with the failures, triumphs, and personal foibles of the villagers as they travel across the countyside hiding from the Fascists. And it is easy to associate with them because each of the characters are presented as real people trying to survive in difficult times. And too the longer they travel the more that they become the same; after a while it doesn't matter who is rich or who is poor.

The film's primary focus is that of fratricide and the unbelievable way that Italian fascists killed their own people. And at times the film becomes compelling and violent like a wheat field massacre (Chapter 13) that has peasants fighting soldiers - showing us the despairing depths that men can stoop to during times of war.

The Night of the Shooting Stars was made in 1982 but has echoes of the Italian neorealist movement of the 1950's especially it its seeming use of non-professional actors and a down-to-earth visual style. But it is also leavened with a tough romantic edge and awkward comedic moments.

The one minor criticism I have with the film is that at times it has some clumsy scenes and some of the actors earnestly overact. At times too, perhaps because of the small budget, the film has an ersatz feel. But its overall theme of the complex humanism of citizens on the run during wartime is effective.

Audio:
Many Italian films have bad dubbing. This one is slightly better but the dubbing is noticeable. The audio is presented in mono and sounds somewhat flat. There is not much of a dynamic range to the sound and the film suffers a bit when there is gunfire and explosions, which are sharp but not loud.

Video:
The film is presented in 1.66:1 has received no restoration work and has numerous scratches and spots. Still the images look fairly clean and markedly better than the VHS. Much of the film is shot outdoors and shows off the burnt yellow and green- earth tone landscape of Northern Italy but unlike promotional videos the environment is much more grubby.

Extras:
The only extra is a short trailer, which is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

Overall:
The Night of the Shooting Stars is a good film about villagers on the run during World War II. At once harrowing and sweet, suspenseful and redeeming the film features a multitude of characters and touches a humanitarian cord. The DVD features the bare minimum but looks good.