Product Review

IMPORTED FROM S. KOREA *** "The Winter War" (Talvisota) is the gritty chronicle of the heroic resistance of a platoon of Osttrobottnian Finns, when Russia attacked Finland in November of '39. Director Pekka Parikka based it on a novel by Antti Tuuri, and also co-wrote the script. The Finns fought tooth and nail, with pitifully meager supplies, and the movie faithfully presents their incredible action in the forbidding snowy lanscape. Nominated in 1990 for Best Director (Berlin Internat. Film Festival), winner Best Actor at the 1990 Nordic Film Festival, and winner of 5 top 1990 Finnish awards, it is the most expensive Finnish film ever created, with many wide-angle battle scenes and numerous extras. This rare imported 2-Disc edition from S. Korea is 3 1/4 hours long (the U.S release is 70 minutes shorter), with excellent picture, color, and audio, in the original Finnish language, with optional excellent English subtitles.