7 reviews
Annals of history are a long story of a sea of blood... It is difficult to argue. There is virtually not a single remote corner of Europe where nobody has ever spilled someone's blood. No surprise that today, there are so many relatively small countries on this small continent with fancifully indented coasts. And all these states were always at loggerheads with each other, time and again recarving the map, taking neighbours up, conquering them, decaying themselves as a result of civil dissension
Heaven knows how many world wars (Pan-European at least!) Europe, that cradle of nationalism, has suffered historically! But there were considered to be just 2 world wars: the most monstrous ones, both having wiped away from the face of the earth tens of millions of people and a few empires as well!
When thinking about all this, one is willy-nilly likely to become filled with a holy terror; as one tries to imagine oneself were among those 'cogs in the machine' whom POWERS THAT BE dispatch with one dread glance to that dead waste which is called war. And war has almost nothing to do with anything humanistic; 'almost' – because some people do try by-passing the martial laws and helping neighbour, but are usually exposed and executed And war is normally a survival-of-the-fittest (or, appreciably less likely, a survival-of-the-sliest) environment. It is unlikely that a feeble, meek one would survive the war
All these conspicuous facts have been shown in the said Russian-Finnish film. Such films are useful. They cynically break the rose-coloured specs people see through and wipe false smiles away from the faces of the of diplomats. Even such a tiny and seemingly odd land as Finland had to suffer world wars to suit its own ends and at least repeated its lesson of hatred according to the high (not the highest though) standards. Constrained between Scylla and Charybdis, i.e. Russia and Sweden, this nation has suffered centuries-old confused state, in terms of language as well: whether to speak own autochthonal Finnish tongue, or Russian, or Swedish. Partly, lingual situation is still in a turmoil in Finland, but how awful it was then, in 1918, when one might be even shot and killed for improper accent! The most frantic daredevils in the Finnish society would go to work and discriminate 'aliens' against; and even set a shining example to those hesitant about whether to destroy 'aliens' or not. He that is not with his nation is against it, said the daredevils to those who did not mind the existing priorities – thus making them to participate in giving short shrift to Russians (representatives of Finland's former 'parent state') and to their local Finnish sidekicks. Little Finland suffered its own Civil War simultaneously with Russia, and just like in Russia, it was fought between the "Whites" (anti-Soviet forces, which were backed by several Western powers) and the "Reds" (Communist forces), but the result was quite the opposite. The German-backed "Whites" beat the "Reds" all to ribands and the White Terror beat the Red one to nothing.
I am quite confused to describe how much I was impressed by this film It is fearful simply because it touches upon relatively little-known events which are difficult to be grasped with mind and which unsheathe just one conjecture. That is, no nation on earth boasts clean hands. Some always die so that others live. You would not wish living "in the wrong place at the wrong time" on your worst enemy.
I was petrified of this film
When thinking about all this, one is willy-nilly likely to become filled with a holy terror; as one tries to imagine oneself were among those 'cogs in the machine' whom POWERS THAT BE dispatch with one dread glance to that dead waste which is called war. And war has almost nothing to do with anything humanistic; 'almost' – because some people do try by-passing the martial laws and helping neighbour, but are usually exposed and executed And war is normally a survival-of-the-fittest (or, appreciably less likely, a survival-of-the-sliest) environment. It is unlikely that a feeble, meek one would survive the war
All these conspicuous facts have been shown in the said Russian-Finnish film. Such films are useful. They cynically break the rose-coloured specs people see through and wipe false smiles away from the faces of the of diplomats. Even such a tiny and seemingly odd land as Finland had to suffer world wars to suit its own ends and at least repeated its lesson of hatred according to the high (not the highest though) standards. Constrained between Scylla and Charybdis, i.e. Russia and Sweden, this nation has suffered centuries-old confused state, in terms of language as well: whether to speak own autochthonal Finnish tongue, or Russian, or Swedish. Partly, lingual situation is still in a turmoil in Finland, but how awful it was then, in 1918, when one might be even shot and killed for improper accent! The most frantic daredevils in the Finnish society would go to work and discriminate 'aliens' against; and even set a shining example to those hesitant about whether to destroy 'aliens' or not. He that is not with his nation is against it, said the daredevils to those who did not mind the existing priorities – thus making them to participate in giving short shrift to Russians (representatives of Finland's former 'parent state') and to their local Finnish sidekicks. Little Finland suffered its own Civil War simultaneously with Russia, and just like in Russia, it was fought between the "Whites" (anti-Soviet forces, which were backed by several Western powers) and the "Reds" (Communist forces), but the result was quite the opposite. The German-backed "Whites" beat the "Reds" all to ribands and the White Terror beat the Red one to nothing.
I am quite confused to describe how much I was impressed by this film It is fearful simply because it touches upon relatively little-known events which are difficult to be grasped with mind and which unsheathe just one conjecture. That is, no nation on earth boasts clean hands. Some always die so that others live. You would not wish living "in the wrong place at the wrong time" on your worst enemy.
I was petrified of this film
- papasergey
- Jul 29, 2015
- Permalink
This is a refreshing drama taking on issues "off the beaten track" of the main stream Finnish historical dramas.
It is spring of 1918. The Finnish war of independence is over. The war had turned into a bloody civil war between whites and reds. A young scientist and officer, captain von Munck, is sent to close the border between the newly independent Finland and Russia under Bolshevik revolution. St. Petersbourg is close, only 40 km away and foreign, Russian and Finnish refugees, spies and revolutionaries try to cross the border to Finland.
The young man must set up a clear border between Finland and Russia, white and red, enemy and friend, us and them. While the task seems clear he finds out the execution of his command in concrete situations is very difficult. Right choices turn out to be wrong ones and correcting them make things worse.
This historical war movie is the border that most other war movies take for granted. There is a border, there is us and them. This is clear - also in this movie - but where is the border, where is the "thin red line" right here and now? In the story the border, us and them ,is moving from situation to another, from place to another.
The movie has some technical flaw but the script and editing work well. As a description of the situation after 1918 civil war this is a rare filmatisation. I would recommend movie makers to look slightly of the beaten track when choosing historical war and drama topics.
It is spring of 1918. The Finnish war of independence is over. The war had turned into a bloody civil war between whites and reds. A young scientist and officer, captain von Munck, is sent to close the border between the newly independent Finland and Russia under Bolshevik revolution. St. Petersbourg is close, only 40 km away and foreign, Russian and Finnish refugees, spies and revolutionaries try to cross the border to Finland.
The young man must set up a clear border between Finland and Russia, white and red, enemy and friend, us and them. While the task seems clear he finds out the execution of his command in concrete situations is very difficult. Right choices turn out to be wrong ones and correcting them make things worse.
This historical war movie is the border that most other war movies take for granted. There is a border, there is us and them. This is clear - also in this movie - but where is the border, where is the "thin red line" right here and now? In the story the border, us and them ,is moving from situation to another, from place to another.
The movie has some technical flaw but the script and editing work well. As a description of the situation after 1918 civil war this is a rare filmatisation. I would recommend movie makers to look slightly of the beaten track when choosing historical war and drama topics.
- native_girl333
- Mar 22, 2008
- Permalink
This is no drama made up to contain enough of action, romance and intrigue to suit any common audience, but actually a story out of a very cruel reality, which was one of the bloodiest civil wars that ever occurred in Europe, the traumatic consequences of the Finnish liberation from Russia after the Russian revolution in 1917 when a large part of Finland fought for communism in Finland while the legal democratic government had to fight for its life not to become enslaved by Russia again under the yoke of brutal atrocious communism. The civil war that lasted the entire spring of 1918 cost 35,000 lives on both sides, and the post traumatic effects are still felt in Finland today. A young captain (Martin Bahne) is commissioned to establish a definite border between Finland and Russia and to guard it against communist infiltration. The chaos after the revolution in Russia however triggers a flood of emigrants from Russia who all want to save their lives from the mass executions and persecutions of former aristocrats and academicians by the bolsheviks, while Finland just can't accept them all. There has to be a severe sorting out of the rabble, Russians who don't know Finnish, which terrible work proves quite an ordeal for the young officer, who has to deal with many tragic fates. One of them is the local school teacher (Minna Haapkylä) who protects her wounded lover, who is a communist wanted by the Finnish authorities. Another is the doctor Yevgeni Perret, a Russian, who successfully treats the wanted communist under cover. But the most important and interesting part is the Russian commandant on the Russian side, Major Gentsh, (Leonid Mozgovoy) who is a former aristocrat who has been obliged to serve the communists and who develops a friendship with Bahne. They play chess together and enjoy some brandy, while they try to sort out the human problems of the Russian refugees. His position is very uncertain though, and he finally has to try to escape himself to the Finnish side. Here a formidable mess of traumas coincide. The final scenes are apocalyptic in their tremendous pathetic tragedies. It is a brilliant film, perhaps the best Finnish film ever made, and its multiple problems of cultural and political clashes and intricate relationships gather together in a universal drama of the loss of humanity in the storms of a civil war.