Talvisota-The Winter War

[PanzerAbt.Zbv40]

hey all.
Anyone not seeing this movie, have missed one of the best war movies ever!
Finnish movie about the winter war.
No cheesy hollywood stories, just the pure horrors of wr, just like it was.

Anyone seen it? Opinions?

I had it on tape for year, and just managed to get it on DVD from Finland.

Tom

[Chap15]

Yes, a very good movie. I have it. I also saw it with a Finnish Chaplain when I was with a UN mission in Macedonia. We saw my version which I got from Bell and Blade. He almost jumped out of his seat towards to end. He said that the original version goes at great lengths when the Russians bombarded the Finns at the end. The original version is much longer than Bell and Blade...not sure what you have from Finland. It would be interesting to compare.

[PanzerAbt.Zbv40]

Yes, a very good movie. I have it. I also saw it with a Finnish Chaplain when I was with a UN mission in Macedonia. We saw my version which I got from Bell and Blade. He almost jumped out of his seat towards to end. He said that the original version goes at great lengths when the Russians bombarded the Finns at the end. The original version is much longer than Bell and Blade...not sure what you have from Finland. It would be interesting to compare.

Well I have the Finnish version alright. All the text is in finnish on teh cover, so maybe it is the long version?? With subtitles in English and Swedish languages. It runs 3 h 11 min.

A friend of mine who is a captain in the norwegian army, use to play this movie for all the recruits every year when he recieves a new company to train.

Btw, have no one else seen this great movie and have opinions????

Tom

[Vadim K]

Good movie, thanks for reminding us about it.

I remember Belle & Blade DVD being atrocious: poor video, flat sound, huge subtitles, much shorter version.

[Terry K.]

I have the VHS short version. Great movie!! Wish I had a the long DVD one.

Yours,

[Okrach]

Where can it be bought in Europe?

Amazon maybe?

[Larry L]

Yes, absolutely great movie

L

[Okrach]

Where Can I get an English version of this movie here in Europe? Anyone? (Finnland probably (do they have English subtitles?)

[Larry L]

I think from here:

http://www.filmifriikki.fi/
This place is a little bit pricey, but seems that they have that movie for 25.90€.

There is also another place:
http://www.discshop.fi/
Same film, 17.95€, but site is unfortunately only in Finnish.

I would suggest that you buy the twinpack which contains Winter War and Unknown Soldier (Talvisota and Tuntematon sotilas). Two of the best Finnish war movies. (seems that price for this twinpack is 28.95€).

L

[Okrach]

Hi Larry I will go for the Twin-Pack

Sent You PM...

[Okrach]

The Unknown Soldier in this double pack is the 1985 version, right? (there is another one available made in 1955)

[Marc Garlasco]

I thoroughly enjoyed Talvisota and was surprised at the high production values of the film. Here is a review of the book for The Forgotten Soldier - sounds riveting - where can I get the film in the US?
Marc

Although a formidable task for a non-native speaker of Finnish, Vaino Linna's "Unknown Soldier" is one of the most striking, if not entirely brutal, portrayls of the struggles of the Finnish people. The uniquely Finnish concept of "sisu," best translated as "unwavering courage and tenacity in the face of insurmountable odds" is at the core of this book, as Linna's ragtag cast of Finnish peasants fight the juggernaut of the Russian military. The richness of the characters' far-flung dialects is a nuance perhaps only accessable to native Finnish speakers, as are the various provincial stereotypes. However, Linna's mastery of narration is something appreciable to all. The book's heroic protagonists are created in painstaking detail; Linna affords the reader a long and intimate bond with these characters before they are snubbed by a bullet in the blink of an eye. The sudden and harsh void this creates is surely at the core of what is at once one a moving protestation of war and a celebration of Finnish tenacity.

[Larry L]

In this double pack it is that earlier 1955 version.
This 1955 version is much better than 1985 version. With quick check I wasn't able to found the dvd version of that 85 version for sale (it propably exists, but it is not even near so popular than the original 55 version).

L

The Unknown Soldier in this double pack is the 1985 version, right? (there is another one available made in 1955)

[Okrach]

Got the movies today I will have a Finnish Evening today I am sure about that. I got the double pack ('Unkbown Soldier' 1955 version and 'Talvisota').

YEAH!!! Damned work... I wanna go home and watch them asap..., Asap....ASap....ASAp....ASAP

[Okrach]

I saw it yesterday!!! The long (over 3 hours) original Finnish version

Well I can't place any Hollywood production which woiuld be even close to this Masterpiece Brilliant War movie

It can be compared only with Das Boot and Stalingrad, both of them were not Hollywood made