best ever Finnish war movie now available to acg folks!!!

17poundr

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Yep, some of you might remember me talking about the film called 'The road to lake ruka' loosely translated, I got it and it has english subtitles...
its the best one from finland about ww2 in the 41 advance to karelia...

Good sounds, individual gun reports recorded. beautful music, and great scenery of eastern finland, (thats the area of the thousands of lakes)
and on the cover it says covers six zones, which means that us, canada are ok for this dvd...
Now, hush, send me a private mail, and I will burn a copy and send it, i leave it to you if you want to send a symbolic return gift... 'hint' I love ww documentaries' plus i needs info on the vietnam war, if a good second hand book or documentary you can copy should be in your reach. also mil tech is welcome.
Oh yes, and from america, a beautiful jewish brunette who works at the library seems quiet, but when she takes her glasses off, lets her hair hang down, she transforms into afrodite, astarte, venus...
So, if you know her, an adress is good payment... ;)
Canada, give one of those dark haired Quebec beautys address, and I'll send my video collection! I know plenty of blonds...Scandinavian, independent women... and they all love to talk in english with a foreign guy...ok ok. but, i recommend this film... true stroy of a platoon of men who are assigned on a recon mission into the wilderness on the empty flank of their attacking division, and in the end they have to support the attack from the rear!
True, they had the real vets to see that it went right.
 
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Dicke Bertha

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Is it the one where they get ambushed on a little forest bridge? Would you know the title in Swedish for the film, what is it in Finnish?
 

Dicke Bertha

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Found it! Called "Ambush" in English. I have seen it before, it was good - just ordered the DVD! Got carried away and also ordered Tuntematon sotilas (Unknown Soldier)! :cheeky:
 

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The movie got some quite mixed reviews at IMDB:

Summary: A Disappointment.

I had high hopes for this movie and indeed, this film shows that it is possible to make films that can be more popular then American films, at least in Finland. I think that this is a pretty good film although I do not agree with many things about it. To mix a love story with a war story is in my opinion a big mistake, a blatant attempt to bring in the female movie goers. And to show that even if the lieutenant is out of control he really does not have to pay for it, except by loosing a couple of his men. I'm glad that they showed that even prisoners were shot but somehow the final message of the film is very mixed up. What are they trying to say? An officer can lose control on the battle field and that is good? Religion made the difference between the Russkies and the Finns? Russkies were mere bystanders in the war? A good film but somehow it is just a collection of things that were quite rare in the war but are displayed here as if these things happened all the time. Could have been a lot better.




Summary: Not great but good.
I agree with many of the other reviewers here that the film was trying to be a Hollywood film in some scenes but nevertheless, I thought it was a good film with excellent cast.

However, there are things that really bothered me. Like the final heroic battle and the whole love story thing between Björklund and Franzén. I don't know, for some reason the whole scene where they were lying on the bed naked made me think of Levottomat (that's a baaaad image to have) And yes, the final heroic slow-mo fight scene

Supporting characters were great, I just love Kari Väänänen - he was excellent as the caring father of Ville - both father and son were in the same platoon. He gets to deliver one of the most heart-breaking of lines : "There are no sons here, only Finnish soldiers."

But yeah, I'm partial to all stuff originally written by Antti Tuuri and when adapted to screen starring Kari Väänänen, so I think this was a good film. DVD release is excellent and it has English subtitles and few extras.





Summary: This isn't the Finnish war movie to see

It's a shame they made a "Hollywood" movie out of it. Even though it does tell something about the situation Finland was in during that time, the movie looks like one made in Hollywood.

The battle scenes were unrealistic with the characters heroically running in the forest even though the air is full of bullets and kill many of the Russians while at it (pretty much like a Rambo or Commando but not that far out). Also, the love story plays too big a role in the movie.

I don't mean it's a bad movie but if you want to really get an idea of the Winter War or the Continuation War, try to see The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas, 1955) or The Winter War (Talvisota) or read the books.

Of the American depictions of war (in films), only Band of Brothers comes close to what The Unknown Soldier and The Winter War deliver.
Seems tio be the finnish version of Pearl Harbor, only slightly better ;)
 

Dicke Bertha

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Kaki

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Tuntematon sotilas beats Rukajarventie not by points it´s a KO in furst round. Even tho made in 1955, it´s very professional. The language in TS is impossible to translate, and I think a lot of it´s glamour is lost with it if you don´t speak finnish. It´s hard to explain. It´s legendary it has become somekind of national epoch in form of film. When I look it one time I´m laughing my guts out and the next scene brings tears to my eyes.
 

17poundr

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Seriously, It has beautiful music. Scenery. The love story is more on the lines of the soldier having memories of his wife in the Thin red line, which has sometimes a similar atmosphere.
It has nothing similar with pearl harbour.
The cinematography is great only natural light is used.
The sound work is great. individual gun report's recorded separately.
The story is true.
And the scenery is very beautiful, Eastern Karelia.
Also there are symbolic references to christianity, that are there in a very subtle way.
I and many people including my English father think it is an art film and a war film in one piece.
The end secuence has a certain homage to a prominent Finnish war fiction writer who is a vet called Reino Lehväslaiho, his books frequently end in the group having to come back through enemy lines, and only a handful make it.
What makes the difference to rambo, is that from the platoon only five men make it back!
And in the end battle you see Russians better Finnish soldiers in hand to hand combat, and bayonet fighting...
And you see Russian Partisans utterly destroying a Finnish Truck collumn in the rear areas.
As to the love story the actors Irina Björkman, and Peter Franzen were in love while the movie was shot, and are married now, I think it adds depth, to the 'love story' which is not a strereotypical hollywood plot, but much more tragic, with the Björkman's character being raped by Russian soldiers.
Many Finnish adult men have said they cried when they saw the film.
I rest my case.
I can send a copy and u can be the judge.
 
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Marines

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So this is the one you were talking about. Is it available over the internet i.e. Amazon or others? The reason I ask is because Europe uses a different regional format.
 

17poundr

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Marines said:
So this is the one you were talking about. Is it available over the internet i.e. Amazon or others? The reason I ask is because Europe uses a different regional format.
on the back of the cover of the dvd it says, regions. all 1-6
I believe this means it's ok for the us region of dvd. if you dont want to support illegal copying, i will buy a copy it costs only 10 euro's now, and send it to you. If you like you could send me a good book of your choosing. but it's not necessary. then we can have an objective oppinon from a recent combat vet.
or you can look it up in amazon the english name is (inexplicably) Ambush.
pm me if interested. And if you dont want to give your address shurely you can do a post box?
Its all good. ;)
 

Marines

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17poundr said:
on the back of the cover of the dvd it says, regions. all 1-6
I believe this means it's ok for the us region of dvd. if you dont want to support illegal copying, i will buy a copy it costs only 10 euro's now, and send it to you. If you like you could send me a good book of your choosing. but it's not necessary. then we can have an objective oppinon from a recent combat vet.
or you can look it up in amazon the english name is (inexplicably) Ambush.
pm me if interested. And if you dont want to give your address shurely you can do a post box?
Its all good. ;)
Hmmm....Sounds like a deal. I have so many books on various subjects I wouldn't know where to begin. I used to have two signed copies of Oliver North's book 'Under Fire' but I may have given one away and both were singed "Semper Fi Bryan" so I doubt you would want one of those.

I used to collect British and German WWII memorabilia if that's your thing I'm sure we could come to some sort of agreement.
 

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JAMiAM said:
Sounds like a bad reaction to the vodka... ;)
Yeah, the first day of drinking. After a week there´s nothing. No joy no sorrow, just black darkness.
 

Siberian HEAT

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I've just ordered Ambush through Netflix to check it out. I'm always interested to check these types of films out. I'll post a mini review when I get done viewing it.

:smoke:
 

17poundr

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Siberian HEAT said:
I've just ordered Ambush through Netflix to check it out. I'm always interested to check these types of films out. I'll post a mini review when I get done viewing it.

:smoke:
Good, I'm waiting for 'Marines' oppinion of the film... ;)
 

Siberian HEAT

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OK, I've watched the movie and overall I enjoyed it. :D

Not really knowing much about the Finnish conflict except the basics, I feel like this movie gave me a new dimension of the conflict I didn't have before. I was really suprised the way religion was portrayed. The movie also did a good job showing just how much open space they had...with hundred mile gaps that were just unknown as to enemy dispositions.

As a person who rides mountain bikes a lot, I was fascinated by this platoon riding around on bikes in the forest. In fact, the scenery reminds me very much of certain parts of Colorado. :thumup:

The love story was OK, and to me seemed more of an allegory relating to the suffering of Finland during the war(she starts out strong, then brutalized, but in the end survives and shines brightly once again). Not really a "hollywood love story."

I expected more fighting to be honest, and the movie is more of a tense war-drama, rather than a "War" film per se (A Bridge Too Far is on the opposite spectrum). The fighting they did have was done pretty well. Most of the story is the platoon riding around, investigating empty villages, tyring to make sense of where their enemy was at.

It did serve one purpose for me however, in that I now want to learn more about the war in Finland while this movie is fresh in my mind! Thanks for pointing me to it!
 

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Siberian HEAT said:
OK, I've watched the movie and overall I enjoyed it. :D

Not really knowing much about the Finnish conflict except the basics, I feel like this movie gave me a new dimension of the conflict I didn't have before. I was really suprised the way religion was portrayed. The movie also did a good job showing just how much open space they had...with hundred mile gaps that were just unknown as to enemy dispositions.

As a person who rides mountain bikes a lot, I was fascinated by this platoon riding around on bikes in the forest. In fact, the scenery reminds me very much of certain parts of Colorado. :thumup:

The love story was OK, and to me seemed more of an allegory relating to the suffering of Finland during the war(she starts out strong, then brutalized, but in the end survives and shines brightly once again). Not really a "hollywood love story."

I expected more fighting to be honest, and the movie is more of a tense war-drama, rather than a "War" film per se (A Bridge Too Far is on the opposite spectrum). The fighting they did have was done pretty well. Most of the story is the platoon riding around, investigating empty villages, tyring to make sense of where their enemy was at.

It did serve one purpose for me however, in that I now want to learn more about the war in Finland while this movie is fresh in my mind! Thanks for pointing me to it!
Well thanks for the honest review Brian. :thumup:
 
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