THE WINTER WAR (Talvisota)

However, the DVD edition from a company or label "Belle and Blade" is one of the worst I have ever seen. The picture quality is sub-VHS Standard, the sound in a flat stereo, the english subtitles are totally oversized and not removable, there are no extras at all - in one word, you'll get pure... for your hard-earned Euros (or Dollars). What a pity, the picture has deserved a decent relaese.

So, for the movie itself, I would say 4 out of 5 stars, for the DVD: None at all and a beating for the guys who are responsible for this mess...


The Winter War   January 22, 2003
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Finn power to the extreme. Nobody can defeat the Finns not even the Russian Juggernaut. One of the greatest Finnish movies of all time! This is a must buy! Do yourself a favor and buy this film! I love the Finnish spoken in the film! SISU! What the other reveiwers fail to mention is that this is a true story! The Russians started the war and the Finns ended it.

Jason Hepokoski


Talvisota   January 14, 2003
 2 out of 4 found this review helpful

This movie is a must see for any WWII buff. It shows how the Soviet Union forced Finland into WWII and the brave defense of Finland by a small poorly outfitted force. See how Finland managed to rout the Soviet army and retain its independence, unlike its baltic neighbors.


A very interesting account of a little known subject.   January 13, 2003
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

The Soviet Invasion of Finland is a part of World War 2 that most people outside of Finland know very little about. Most history books give little more than one or two paragraphs to the subject and perhaps a photo of white clad ski troops. Although the ski troops fought courageosly, their action took place mainly in the central and northern parts of Finland near the Soviet-Finnish border and involved small units who took on much larger (and much more heavily armed) Soviet units, trapped and then systematically destroyed them.

This film does not deal with the ski troops but rather focuses on actions that took place in the south on the Karelian Isthmus. This is where the bulk of the Finnish Army was deployed and the battles that took place in many cases were reminiscent of World War 1 style massed infantry attacks. The film focuses mainly on the experiences of a small group of Finnish Army reservists. Being part time soldiers from the same geographic region they display an easy and informal familiarity with their officers and senior NCOs. This movie starts out a bit slow but the tension builds as the political situation deteriorates and the reservists (now mobilised) are left to wonder about what is to come, discussing rumours, worried but determined to stand up to the Soviets despite being vastly outnumbered.

The film is in Finnish with English sub titles which sometimes are not totally accurate but are still understandable.

Don't expect a big budget Hollywood production similar to "Saving Private Ryan", but watch this movie with an open mind. It's well worth it.


Great story but not quite a masterpiece.   November 22, 2002
 2 out of 4 found this review helpful

I bought this DVD after stumbling across the glowing reviews of the movie. I'm not Finnish but my wife is of Finnish descent so I thought it would make a nice addition to our DVD collection.
The DVD itself is pretty much barren of any extras. There are no trailers, no commentary, no different sound tracks...no anything but the movie itself and scene selections. The disc is only in Stereo, so if you're looking for Dolby Digital 5.1, you're out of luck with this release. Additionally, the film transfer is fairly grainy. Considering the movie only 13 years old, they could've done a better job.
On to to the movie itself - It's a classic example of a David and Goliath story. A handful of Finnish soldiers defend their country against a horde of tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands - they never really say) of Russian troops.
The disappointing thing about this movie is that the tacticts of how the Finnish defended against such incredible odds are never really shown. It was a simply a matter of holding position as long as possible against the advancing Russian soldiers. I would like to have seen more of what strategy was involved in holding off the Russians. Matter of fact, if I didn't know it was a true story I would have a hard time believing it. One thing to note, as others have noted - Talvisota is not for the squeamish. The depiction of what can happen to a human body during a war is, I would guess, fairly realistic and might even be a little disturbing to those with a weak stomach.
All-in-all, I give the movie 3 out of 5. It was good...but it wasn't great.