User reviews

My only exposure to Sampo (aka The Day the Earth Froze) comes by way of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I have an extensive collection of MST3K movies (almost 200) and of those the Russo-Finnish movies (Sampo, The Sword and Dragon, Jack Frost, et al) are among my favorites. They lend themselves to Mystification but are entertaining and, (dare I say it?) absorbing in and of themselves. They contain a quaint charm and stark moral values and despite their quirkiness, are entertaining. In a day and age in which we find serial killer 'good guys' and ambiguous moral lessons the old Russo-Finnish fairy tales are the preferred entertainment for this century's jaded child. This review is not about The Day the Earth Froze SPECIFICALLY but is merely a comment on the simple moral tales of the good-old-days. R.I.P.

This is a ok yarn of a Finland fairytale what else to say

In the 1960s, some idiots bought this Finnish-Soviet production and brought it to the screen. The problem is that the plot involving a Finnish folk tale was confusing to Western audiences, so the film was chopped to pieces--and almost 30% of the original film was thrown on the cutting room floor. As a result, it's very dull and confusing--and not worth your time. There is LOTS of narration to fill in the gaps but the film never is interesting or coherent. HOWEVER, I am not maligning the original film--just this terrible dubbed mess seen in the States.

While bastardizing a movie like this seems odd today, American-International did this a lot--buying up Russian and Japanese films and creatively editing them into American films. Sometimes they inserted down-on-their-luck actors into the films (such as Basil Rathbone) and I sure would rather see the original movie--which MIGHT actually be pretty good. But, in the 60s, they rarely trusted foreign subtitled films--and sloppily dubbed them. Sad...and stupid.

Directed by Russian fantasy film maker Alexander Ptushko, so you can count on striking visuals and lots of in-camera effects (lots of dissolves, split screens etc.) Despite cheesy dubbing this film still holds much of its fantastical charm. It has a look similar to German expressionist works like Fritz Lang's 'Siegfried' or Murnau's 'Faust'. It also strikes me as possibly inspirational to Guy Madden's films such as 'Tales of the Gimli Hospital' or 'Careful'. (Its antiquated appearance is only enhanced by the poor faded color present in the prints I've seen. Definitely worthy of a Ruscico DVD restoration/release) After watching my non MST3K'O'd copy, I just can't get that crazy harp theme from the film's climax out of my head. One of the most persistent tunes since "In Heaven" from Eraserhead. "SAMPO...SAMPO...SAMPO!"

I saw the international version of Aleksandr Ptushko's "Sampo", re-titled "The Day the Earth Froze". I understand that the original Finnish version was longer and more coherent. I would like to see the original version. In the mean time, I only know the muddled international version. And as is probably the case with a lot of people, I learned it from "Mystery Science Theater 3000". The re-edited version with the names of the cast and crew changed was one of the many crummy movies that Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank forced Joel, Servo and Crow to watch. Among the famous people whom they reference are Caligula, Farrah Fawcett and David McCullough. The pop culture references include Rocky & Bullwinkle, Disco Inferno, and "The Shining". There's also a comment that retroactively has become a pop culture reference: one of the guys says "Let it go, Sven."

So, the international version by itself is a zero, but MST3K's version is a ten. Those people who butchered the original movie never imagined their mangled version getting related to Ron Wood and "The Princess Bride".

Conclusion: Attica!

It's interesting to find out that this movie was made by the Soviet Union right after the Cold War started. I guess as communism was taking over, the movie quality was going down. Anyway, I admit that it's hard for me to really judge this. It's apparently based on Finnish folklore which I'm not familiar with. The dubbing is really bad, but that can't be blamed on the actual people who made it. I still find it to be bad because it makes little sense. It features a witch who kidnaps a girl. When she's saved, she steals the Sun instead.

Yeah, maybe it made more sense in the original fairy tale. It's pretty anti-climatic, especially with how the witch's army is just sung to sleep! The costumes are really gaudy and look too ridiculous. It's a very slow moving film now that I think about it. The story made little sense and even for a film barely over an hour long, it seemed padded. I guess if you're more familiar with the mythology, you might enjoy it, but otherwise, it's bad. *1/2

To answer the previous reviewer, as far as I know this film is not "officially" available on DVD, though you can get it from a source or two I know; the catch is its not going to the plain film. This and two other films by Aleksandr Ptushko have been goofed on by the MST3K team (Ep. 422 for The Day the Earth Froze, the other two I'm not sure) headed by Joel Hodgeson and the other original cast members. To each his own, but even as a fantastic epic its, well, I don't think this film did very well in its American release. This film is much better as a gag piece for the MST3K team. Eve Kivi (Vallatud Kurvid), the actress who played Annikki, was a beautiful woman at the time this film was produced, I happened upon this site searching her name on the net to see what became of her. A Sampo, btw, is a Finnish version of our Horn of Plenty myth, except it also supplies gold, not just food.

This Soviet-Finnish co-production was condemned by Finnish critics and other nationalists even before it was made, on the grounds that only Finns could and should ever make a film about the Kalevala. When it was released, their reviews mainly listed things about it that were "un-Finnish". This was most unfair - visually "Sampo" is far more impressive than anything Finnish film-makers could have achieved at the time with their meagre resources. They haven't achieved anything comparable later either.

The digitally restored 2014 Finnish-language version is a pleasure to watch, but torment to hear because of the poorly dubbed verse dialogue and Igor Morozov's totally boring music. I would like to see the Russian-language version, which is probably better - hopefully the dialogue is not in verse. The butchered American version should be ignored.

I stumbled upon this movie thanks to Mystery Science Theater and I can safely say I could never sit through this movie without the MST3K guys riffing on it left and right. Other reviewers have mentioned the American version (what??) is worse than the Finnish-Russian version. What's the difference? It's the same movie! Even if the dubbing was bad, having better dubbing would not make the movie better. I couldn't even tell what the plot was. This movie was about as confusing as another Russian toilet creation called Jack Frost, which I also stumbled upon thanks to Mystery Science Theater. If some people call this a classic, I'd love to know what they consider a bad movie.

Warning! The original version of "Sampo" lasts over 90 minutes, and is a beautiful, atmospheric and awe-inspiring retelling of the Finnish legend of the Sampo, from their national epic, "The Kalevala". In many ways it was the great director Alexander Ptushko's most ambitious film: the idea of the Sampo itself goes far beyond the search for a mere object, touching on the mainsprings of desire and humanity's questing spirit (in much the same way as does the Holy Grail in Arthurian literature).

Sadly, the American release as "The Day the Earth Froze" more or less destroyed the director's structure, his epic time scale, and the sense of mystery to the plot itself, sacrificing everything subtle in a brainless attempt to turn the film into helter-skelter action and swashbuckling excitement. Almost one third of the original film disappeared, and much of the rest was barbarically recut.

The result is a travesty - please, if you watch and rightly condemn "The Day the Earth Froze", do not confuse this farago with the beautiful and profound original film which is (or was) "Sampo"!

This movie is based on our national epic called Kalevala. I think I saw this movie when I was a teenager and didn't really appreciate it, but now I absolutely love it.

By the way... the language in this movie is not Russian...it's Finnish... and I should know.

I'm sure that this movie is on video, but it might be only in Finnish.

I would also recommend Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki and his excellent movies; I hired a contract killer, tulitikkutehtaan tytto and a man without a past.

Hyvia elokuvakokemuksia kaikille!

I can only remember seeing this movie once, back in my schooldays in the early 70's. The tile being "The Day the Earth Froze". What most comes to mind was the fantastic atmosphere it had, very dark, gloomy almost surreal. It was about a Sampo (as far as I could make out or remember, it was a machine for making either money or gold). Everyone in the movie seemed old, dirty and poor. I think it was their quest to find the sampo or retrieve it or something like that. I would love to know if the movie ever made it to video.

the Day the Earth Froze is one of the worst pieces of cinematic garbage I've ever seen.

Don't get me wrong I like the fantasies of director Aleksandr Ptushko. I Love The Sword and the Dragon, I like the Magic Voyage of Sinbad and some of his Ruslan and Ludmila is gorgeous. His films are cinematic storybooks and the ethereal storybook quality that Ptushko puts into his work is here in spades. The plot is basically the tale of a witch causing the world to freeze but it is so stoically told and acted in the stick up the back manner that I wanted to slit my wrists rather than finish it. I'm certain that part of the problem is that the American version is missing a third of the film, but allowing for that its a horrible piece with all of Ptushko's worst mannerisms in full view.

This is one weird mama jama of a movie. It's based on some Russo-Finnish tale and involves some blonde hero, a damsel, an old crone witch and other people. Although strange, it has a very fantasy-like effect and was done back in 1959. Most films today try this and fail horribly (computer enhanced special EFX do not make a movie). My favorite part is when the witch chants SAMPO! SAMPO! SAMPO! Joel and the rest at Best Brains must've had the strangest looks on their faces when they covered this one.

I think this movie has been unfairly maligned, having been spoofed on MST3K. Despite the low production values and the bad dubbing (as well as the difference in cultures), the movie is quite watchable, and even decently entertaining. The worst part of the film, I felt, was the "witch" Loki. "She" came off as being more irritable than sinister.

Like with Sadko/The Magic Voyage of Sinbad and Ilya Muromets/The Sword and the Dragon, Sampo (or The Day the Earth Froze for its American version) is an Aleksandr Ptushko film spoilt by bad dubbing that wasn't even necessary in the first place. The American version is incoherent and unbearably goofy, but the original Soviet-Finnish film is just lovely and it is this version that I'll be talking about now. Maybe the dialogue doesn't always flow and the middle's pacing is on the stoic side. However, it is a beautiful-looking film, the costumes and sets are in equal measure beautiful and eerie, the film is nicely shot with techniques that scream of Ptushko(and in a good way) and the special effects are simple but awe-inspriring and some are wonderfully weird. The music score positively sweeps, with the fantasy-adventure themes and folk-song-like melodies wholly appropriate. The story is also simple, but coherent and mostly attention-grabbing, giving us time to breathe and admire everything. While the tone is on the most part suitably eerie and profound, there are also some nice oddball touches that don't feel out of place(if there was anything at all like that it certainly wasn't as bad as it was in its American version). The characters are very like the characters that you'll find in a fantasy/fairy-tale and they are engaging. There seems to be a mixed reception on the Witch here, depends on the version seen I think, she is irritating in the dub but in Ptushko's original she is very sinister. The acting is solid and fitting for their characters. All in all, a lovely film but sadly it has a really bad dub that because of MST3K more people will be familiar with. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Finns have some problem with fantasy films. There are hardly any, and few that do exist are usually crappy. Even today most new movies are set in everyday reality. That's boring! I can't understand how our country that makes a lot of heavy metal music fails so hard in making cool movies.

Sampo has great source material - the national epic Kalevala. But even with great material like that the movie didn't happen until a Russian director grabbed the project. I've heard it caused controversy that a very Finnish theme was used by foreign filmmakers but I'm glad somebody - anybody - dared to make the movie in the first place.

The movie takes some liberties and is a bit disappointing if you know the Kalevala tales. But it's still a cool movie. It's visually stunning, many of the scenes are such pieces of art that I'd put them on my wall as still images. Not a perfect film by any means but definitely better than average Finnish movie.

Finns wake up now, grab your swords and grow your Väinämöinen-beards. This is what movies are about!

This is a smashingly well-made epic about a Finnish mythological tale. I found the movie via MST3K (which I love!) and even with their joshing in the background the whole time and the terrible dubbing, I could tell this is an incredibly well-done film. In addition, I wouldn't expect most Americans to understand this, but as someone with Scandinavian ancestry who loves mythology of every culture, these kinds of stories are really tough to grok and appreciate. What seems hokey to glib folks from the 20th & 21st century US with no appreciation for culture or history is actually fascinating to people who give a hoot about something other than themselves / being flippant jerks.

The cinematography of this film is absolutely outstanding. The musical score is Oscar-worthy. (John Williams himself would kill to write a soundtrack this good.) The acting is a bit over the top, but *it all was when this came out.* The filming locations are gorgeous, and fitting for the scope of the plot. The sets are remarkable for the time and the costuming is amazing.

Bottom line, this is a ***really*** great movie and anyone who thinks otherwise wasn't paying attention. I'd give my eye teeth to get my hands on the original, undubbed version.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Aleksandr Ptushko; Produced by Gleb Kuznetzov; a Finnish-Soviet co-production for Suomi-Filmi and Mosfilm, released as 'The Day the Earth Froze" in America by Renaissance Films, then TV syndication by American-International TV. Screenplay by Viktor Vitkovich and Grigori Yagdfeld; Photography by Gennadi Tsekvyj and Viktor Yakushev; Music by Igor Morozov. Starring: Urho Spmersalmi, Anna Orochko, Ivan Voronov and Ada Voytsik.

Taken from a story in Elias Lonnrot's classic "The Kalevala", the great poetic cycle of classic Finnish folktales, this prettily photographed period fantasy is incredibly childish. Nominally, the title is truthful, since herein the witch of the shadowy land, with the aid of the enchanted one -Sampo, changes the sun's course and causes the world to freeze.