The Winter War (film)

On 13 October 1939, reservists of the Finnish army are called for active duty. Two farmers, Martti Hakala and his younger brother Paavo, join other men from the municipality of Kauhava in a fictional half-platoon under the command of Second Lieutenant Jussi Kantola. After mustering at the local school, the men ride the train to Seinäjoki to join the rest of the Finnish Army's 23rd Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Matti Laurila. After some practice, the regiment goes to the Karelian Isthmus, where Kantola's men help civilians in the potential war zone evacuate their village.

After marching to the Taipale River, Kantola's men help in building defenses in preparation for the anticipated Soviet attack. On 6 December, the Battle of Taipale begins and rages on for three weeks. Several times, the Russians get into the Finnish trenches, but the Finns always push them back. On 27, December the Russians halt their attack on the Taipale front and Kantola's men go to Yläjärvi for rest and recuperation. Martti manages to get home leave.

When Martti returns from home, the unit goes to Vuosalmi on the Vuoksi River near the village of Äyräpää. There the men fend off Russian human-wave attacks. The film shows the ill-fated counter-attack by the men of Nurmo on 5 March. The fighting stops at eleven o’clock in the morning of 13 March 1940, when the armistice takes effect.

Source:[1]

• Taneli Mäkelä - Private Martti Hakala, a farmer and a competent soldier. While the regiment is waiting near Taipale he plows the fields of a farmer who has gone to Rautu to build fortifications.
• Vesa Vierikko - 2nd Lieutenant Jussi Kantola, Martti's immediate superior. He puts Paavo into Martti's squad at Martti's request.
• Timo Torikka - Private Pentti Saari. He is usually eating something or playing his mandolin. He often complains about the lack of food.
• Heikki Paavilainen - Private Vilho Erkkilä. Looking like a college student, he quotes patriotic poetry on the train. He is Martti and Paavo's half brother.
• Antti Raivio - Corporal Erkki Somppi. The shortest man and leader of the 1st Squad in Kantola's half-platoon, he first appears issuing belts and cockades to the men at Kauhava School.
• Esko Kovero - Medical Corporal Juho “Jussi” Pernaa, the half-platoon's medic.
• Martti Suosalo - Private Arvi Huhtala, a skirt-chaser who smokes cigarettes with built-in holders and combs his hair when he's nervous.
• Markku Huhtamo - Private Aatos Laitila. An older and pious man, he finds humor in taking Soviet propaganda leaflets for “a little wipe”.
• Matti Onnismaa - Corporal Veikko Korpela. A skilled machine-gunner, he gets blasted by a flamethrower tank, but survives, only mildly singed.
• Konsta Mäkelä - Private Paavo Hakala, Martti's younger brother.
• Tomi Salmela - Private Matti Ylinen, Anna Ylinen's older brother. On the train, he drinks liquor from a bottle Pentti claims is his. He carries a blue wind-up clock, whose ticking seems to calm his nerves.
• Samuli Edelmann - Private Mauri Haapaluoma, a replacement who is so unprepared that Aatos gives him his gloves.
• Vesa Mäkelä - Lieutenant Yrjö Haavisto, aide-de-camp to Col. Laurila.
• Aarno Sulkanen - Captain Kaarlo Sihvo. He comes to the dugout to chew Kantola out when Russians take an unattended bunker.
• Kari Kihlström - Lieutenant Jorma Potila. He stands with Colonel Laurila as Laurila inspires the troops.
• Esko Salminen - Lieutenant-Colonel Matti Laurila, commanding officer of the 23rd Regiment of the Finnish Army.
• Ari-Kyösti Seppo - Private Ahti Saari, Pentti Saari's younger brother. He is naive and inexperienced, so the act of killing Russians distresses him.
• Kari Sorvali - Sergeant-Major Hannu Jutila. As a logistics officer, his first act is to find a field kitchen that has gone missing.
• Esko Nikkari - Private Yrjö “Ylli” Alanen, an older, experienced soldier who is almost always whittling a piece of wood. His participation in Finland's Civil War of 1918 gives him an insouciance regarding combat.
• Ville Virtanen - 2nd Lieutenant Jaakko Rajala, an arrogant officer who bears a grudge against Martti for a minor act of insubordination. He becomes more humble as he witnesses the true nature of war.
• Pirkko Hämäläinen - Marjatta Hakala, Martti's wife.
• Leena Suomu - Liisa Hakala, Martti and Paavo's mother. She has asked Martti to watch over Paavo.
• Tarja Heinula - Anna Ylinen, Paavo's fiancée and Matti Ylinen's sister.

Pekka Parikka was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival in 1990.[4]

At the Jussi Awards (Finland's premier film awards) the same year, Talvisota received six awards:

• Best Actor: Taneli Mäkelä
• Best Co-ordinator: Raimo Mikkola
• Best Direction: Pekka Parikka
• Best Music: Juha Tikka
• Best Sound Recording: Paul Jyrälä and team
• Best Supporting Actor: Vesa Vierikko

Taneli Mäkelä also won Best Actor, for his role in the film, at the Rouen Nordic Film Festival.[5]

An extended TV version was also made, consisting of five episodes, each with a running time of around 55 minutes. The series has been aired four times on Finnish TV, in 1991, 1999, 2009 and 2015.

There are three cuts of the film:

• International theatrical version (127 min at 24 fps)
• Original Finnish theatrical version (197 min at 24 fps)
• Extended Finnish TV series version (275 min at 24 fps)

The abridged international cut was released on DVD in various non-Finnish countries and Blu-ray in Germany. The original Finnish theatrical version had a 4K digital restoration in 2013[6] as well as various DVDs, has been released on Blu-ray in Finland, Germany and Japan. As of June 2018, the extended TV version has only been released on a basic 2-DVD set in Finland. It is non-anamorphic, has only 2.0 stereo audio and no subtitles or extras.[7][8]

• Rukajärven tie, a 1999 film adapted from another Antti Tuuri novel, about Finland's Continuation War
• The Unknown Soldier, 1955 film
  • The Unknown Soldier, 1985 film
  • The Unknown Soldier, 2017 film
• List of submissions to the 63rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Finnish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• Tuuri, Antti: Talvisota: kertomus (The Winter War: A Report), Otava (Helsinki), 1984. ISBN 978-951-1-23866-9

• The Winter War on IMDb