Historically it's an interesting movie, and the cast is top class of the era. However the movie was filmed during very bad relationship with Soviet Union and released when Winter War was being fought. Hence it was trying to rally patriotic feelings.
B-rapunSaario had some mistakes in his review to this movie. Finland was not a province of Russia, but an autonomic grand duchy of the Czar 1809-1917 that enjoyed many privileges. Also, Lenin didn't give Finland independence: independence was declared by the parliament of Finland. After that foreign countries were asked for recognition. Neighboring countries were careful and suggested Finns should first feel recognition from Russia. The descendant of the imperial Russia, the Russian White Movement, was however hostile to the independence declaration, so instead Finns feeled the recognition from the rebellious bolshevik government, who recognized the independence. There was really nothing they could do against Finnish independence anyway: their hands were tied with the internal conflict. The Russian bolshevik government already had tried to back up Finnish reds in the Finnish Civil War, but failed. The bolshevik government was protected by Finnish Red Army men who had escaped into Russia, and the commander of Finnish White Army even considered an attack into St Petersburg against the bolshevik government, but the Finnish government didn't support him. The bolshevik government at the time was very vulnerable.
