338 WINTER WAR, THE [FInnIsH: TALVISOTA]
started (30 November 1939). Lt. Col. Matti Laurila (Esko Salminen) addresses the
men of Ostrobothnia six days later (6 December, i.e., Finland’s In de pen dence Day)
and emphasizes that the Finns did not want war but vows that they will “not yield
an inch” of ground to the invaders. The Finns come under Rus sian artillery bom-
bardment, and “Ylli” Alanen is killed by shrapnel. After more shelling, the Soviets
attack the Finnish lines across an open field with infantry, tanks, and air support.
Ahti Saari (Ari- Kyösti) is shot dead but the attack is repelled. The next morning
the Rus sians attack again, this time digging their way into the Finnish trenches.
Hand- to- hand combat with bayonets ensues as the Finns retake the trenches. The
Soviets launch another massed attack and drive the Finns back, but they soon
mount a successful counterattack. During a night artillery barrage, Vilho Erkkilä
panics and abandons his post— but returns to action after getting a placebo that
calms his nerves. Paavo, slightly wounded, is given leave to Ostrobothnia. He tells
his mother that “none of us will come back alive.” After returning to the front, Paavo
is blown to bits by a direct hit from an artillery shell as Martii looks on. The Finns
repel more massed Soviet frontal assaults. At Christmas (1939), the men gather
round a campfire and sing the “Angel of Heaven.” At this point, Lt. Jaakko Rajala
(Ville Virtanen) has become the new com pany commander, replacing Lt. Yrjö
Haavisto (Vesa Mäkelä), who has been killed in combat. War- loving soldier Aatos
Laitila (Markku Huhtamo) dies from a grenade explosion. After more attacks the
Soviets have begun to occupy the Finnish lines. Rajala sends Martii to battalion
headquarters to request reinforcements. The Soviets continue their assaults and
Huhtala is killed. On 27 December the Rus sians halt their attacks on the Taipale
front, and the Finns go to Yläjärvi for rest and recuperation. Martti goes on leave
in Ostrobothnia and tells the family about Paul’s death. When Martti returns to the
front, the unit goes to Vuosalmi on the Vuoksi River near the village of Äyräpää.
There the men fend off more Rus sian human- wave attacks. The film shows the
ill- fated attack by the Men of Nurmo (5 March 1940). The fighting abruptly stops
at eleven o’clock on the morning of 13 March 1940, when the armistice takes
effect.Reception
Released in Finland on 20 November 1989— the 50th anniversary of the start of
The Winter War— Talv i sota proved to be a major box office hit in its own country,
posting 628,767 admissions in a nation of just 5 million people. It fared less well
in other countries, where Finnish films have minimal profile. For example, although
National- Filmi Oy lobbied hard with lots of advertisements in the American print
media at Oscar time, the film did not receive a hoped- for Acad emy Award nomi-
nation for Best Foreign Film. Reviews, though scant, tended to be highly comple-
mentary. Film critic Kevin Thomas called the movie “a grueling, superb and
altogether rewarding achievement, with glorious cinematography and exceptional
sound. It has a tremendous, agonizing immediacy yet preserves a detached per-
spective throughout. It has a whopping 196- minute running time, yet is so absorb-
ing that it does not seem overly long” (Thomas, 1989).