hiskih

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.

This film about a famous British pornographer has to be compared with the late Milos Forman's masterpiece "The People vs. Larry Flynt" and it loses in every way. Throughout watching it, I kept thinking: why do the filmmakers want us to be interested about Paul Raymond and the other drug-addicted lowlifes? The film provides no answer, Mr. Raymond is left a shallow character who seems to have no opinion about anything except his business empire.

The drug aspect is vastly over-emphasized. Every second scene has someone snorting cocaine, among other substances. It was a big dramatical mistake to reveal in the beginning that PR's daughter will die in a self-inflicted way, after which we have to wait a hour and a half for her totally predictable demise. I almost fell asleep after the first hour.

The only thing well done is period look. After gloriously black-and white 1950s, the 1960s and 1970s scenes look like actual Sixties and Seventies color films. My respect to the photographer, but none to the scriptwriters or the editor - the pace manages to be at the same time hurried and very boring.

I was born in 1968, and watching the 1970s episode was like revisiting parts of my childhood. Everything was _exactly_ accurate: the ghastly decor, the dishes (both the artificial ones and the rise of health food), even the power cuts caused by strikes - not only a British phenomenon. I wonder if the fondue scene was inspired by the comic book "Asterix in Switzerland".

The 1950s and 60s episodes were most interesting too, but obviously not personal experiences for me. I'm looking forward for the 1980s episode next week. A glimpse of the Rubik triangle looked promising...

The family who volunteered for the time travel deserve a medal for their sacrifice to science.