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.
30 Reviews
Earnest but odd film artifact from a long gone cinematic era
lemon_magic20 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Like most people, I only saw "Sampo"/"The Day The Earth Froze" as an episode on MST3K. Hopefully, though, that doesn't mean I am not qualified to comment on it, since I can distinguish the actual movie from the 'Bots good natured riffing on the subject. There are movies that MST3K covered because they were terrible, and there were movies that they covered because they were...odd and silly, at least to our sensibilities. "Sampo/TDTEF" falls into the latter school.
My feeling is, that you have to make allowances for something like this. It's based on a fairy tale, for one thing, and not one by any Western story teller I knew, but some obscure Finnish guy. (Well, that at least guarantees that the story will be relatively fresh, as opposed to using the Grimms or Hans Christian Anderson.) It's obviously aimed at a juvenile audience, and the story is from the 'magical logic' school of plotting, where stuff happens just because it made some sort of deranged sense in the mind of a tot. You know, witch kidnaps the hero's love interest so she can get a "Sampo", but the hero steals the Sampo back, so the witch steals the SUN (she already has the North Wind in a baggie in her cave, so I guess this is on the same scale). So the village starts to freeze, and the villagers attack the witch by playing autoharps "en masse" and the music causes her to turn to stone and...you can't help but fell that this Finnish story teller had hit the schnapps and Aquavit vodka pretty hard before he sat down with pen and paper.
And the dubbing is terrible; the heroes all talk in wooden monotones and the witch sounds like she suffers from throat nodule and hemorrhoids, and everything (including the music) is muffled and muddy. Some of this may have been due to a bad print.
I am pretty sure that some whatever nice poetic conceits and allusions the screenwriters attempted were lost in the translation, because the dialog and speeches are mannered and clunky and dead in the water. The lines just lay there. This isn't helped by the fact that whoever these filmmakers were, they weren't very concerned about their story being accessible to non-Russo/Finnish audiences. On top of that, the "Earth" version seems to missing some footage cut from it - that makes the plot look even more disjointed than it is in the original.
But still...there is some charm and quality here that speaks to the viewer's sympathy and attention if you can get past all the problems mentioned above. Someone took a lot of care and thought with the costumes, makeup and sets, and there are really nice shots and camera angles that please the eye in almost every scene. The 'special effects' are pretty laughable to our sensibilities, but they actually work in the context of the art direction. There's even a particularly memorable head shot of the "Immortal Blacksmith", glaring into the camera, framed from behind by a raging fire, which wouldn't be out of place in a much glossier, more expensive movie.
I can't rate this particular cinematic experience above a "four", because the dubbing made my ears bleed. But I am sure that the original version was probably a great treat for its intended audience many years ago and a continent away.
My feeling is, that you have to make allowances for something like this. It's based on a fairy tale, for one thing, and not one by any Western story teller I knew, but some obscure Finnish guy. (Well, that at least guarantees that the story will be relatively fresh, as opposed to using the Grimms or Hans Christian Anderson.) It's obviously aimed at a juvenile audience, and the story is from the 'magical logic' school of plotting, where stuff happens just because it made some sort of deranged sense in the mind of a tot. You know, witch kidnaps the hero's love interest so she can get a "Sampo", but the hero steals the Sampo back, so the witch steals the SUN (she already has the North Wind in a baggie in her cave, so I guess this is on the same scale). So the village starts to freeze, and the villagers attack the witch by playing autoharps "en masse" and the music causes her to turn to stone and...you can't help but fell that this Finnish story teller had hit the schnapps and Aquavit vodka pretty hard before he sat down with pen and paper.
And the dubbing is terrible; the heroes all talk in wooden monotones and the witch sounds like she suffers from throat nodule and hemorrhoids, and everything (including the music) is muffled and muddy. Some of this may have been due to a bad print.
I am pretty sure that some whatever nice poetic conceits and allusions the screenwriters attempted were lost in the translation, because the dialog and speeches are mannered and clunky and dead in the water. The lines just lay there. This isn't helped by the fact that whoever these filmmakers were, they weren't very concerned about their story being accessible to non-Russo/Finnish audiences. On top of that, the "Earth" version seems to missing some footage cut from it - that makes the plot look even more disjointed than it is in the original.
But still...there is some charm and quality here that speaks to the viewer's sympathy and attention if you can get past all the problems mentioned above. Someone took a lot of care and thought with the costumes, makeup and sets, and there are really nice shots and camera angles that please the eye in almost every scene. The 'special effects' are pretty laughable to our sensibilities, but they actually work in the context of the art direction. There's even a particularly memorable head shot of the "Immortal Blacksmith", glaring into the camera, framed from behind by a raging fire, which wouldn't be out of place in a much glossier, more expensive movie.
I can't rate this particular cinematic experience above a "four", because the dubbing made my ears bleed. But I am sure that the original version was probably a great treat for its intended audience many years ago and a continent away.
You can't judge this film by its American version...
planktonrules20 November 2011
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.
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.
Films that make you go "What th'..."
raymondo19606 June 2001
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!"
Penny Marshall, John Huston, Nastassja Kinski and Robert Mapplethorpe
lee_eisenberg28 October 2016
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!
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!
Yeah, not very good
ericstevenson9 December 2016
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
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
Not terrible, but...
bill-105627 September 2005
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.
Confusing and bad!
ncisabbyfan307 May 2017
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.
Mistreated almost-classic
hiskih13 January 2019
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.
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.
The Earth froze, only for a moment...
Aaron13754 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Saw this film as a MST3K episode and it was entitled, "The Day the Earth Froze". Its original title was Sampo, and that title works better even though I have no clue as to what a Sampo is, because this is the thing for which the movie revolves around. The whole freezing thing is but a mere plot point in the film. This film is another foreign film and thus, a lot of things are going to be lost in the translation. I can only review it based on what I saw, and what I saw for the most part was a rather strange film that really did not have the best of heroes within it.
The story has an evil witch who really wants a Sampo. Apparently this is a giant rock that spews forth both gold and salt...yes salt. Who knew that salt was something that was valuable and scarce at any point in history. Well, the witch kidnaps the sister of a blacksmith and the blacksmith and hero of the tale go to reclaim her on an island where the witch has an army of old men and she holds the winds of all direction captive or something. She does freeze part of the world at one point, but as I stated it is not really the main focus of the story.
This film made for a very funny episode of MST3K. It had to be as I laughed and enjoyed it, despite the fact I was suffering from a very intense migraine at the time. The hero of this film made for a good punching bag as his only skill seemed riding on a log down a river. He even gets beat up by a cloak at one point in the film! The blacksmith, too, was good for a laugh as the guy could make the most insane stuff with his blacksmith skills such as a live horse! So while I was not impressed with the film as they just really did not do enough as far as travel or deadly schemes, this movie was great for MST3K.
The movie just did not work well. The film looked as if it was about to do something remotely interesting, and then it would just stop. The sister is about to release the north wind, but then it stopped. The hero had to plow a field of snakes and he wrestles one snake and then over. The final battle consisted of people playing their harps and the witch just kind of dying. Just a strange movie that could have benefited from being even more strange.
The story has an evil witch who really wants a Sampo. Apparently this is a giant rock that spews forth both gold and salt...yes salt. Who knew that salt was something that was valuable and scarce at any point in history. Well, the witch kidnaps the sister of a blacksmith and the blacksmith and hero of the tale go to reclaim her on an island where the witch has an army of old men and she holds the winds of all direction captive or something. She does freeze part of the world at one point, but as I stated it is not really the main focus of the story.
This film made for a very funny episode of MST3K. It had to be as I laughed and enjoyed it, despite the fact I was suffering from a very intense migraine at the time. The hero of this film made for a good punching bag as his only skill seemed riding on a log down a river. He even gets beat up by a cloak at one point in the film! The blacksmith, too, was good for a laugh as the guy could make the most insane stuff with his blacksmith skills such as a live horse! So while I was not impressed with the film as they just really did not do enough as far as travel or deadly schemes, this movie was great for MST3K.
The movie just did not work well. The film looked as if it was about to do something remotely interesting, and then it would just stop. The sister is about to release the north wind, but then it stopped. The hero had to plow a field of snakes and he wrestles one snake and then over. The final battle consisted of people playing their harps and the witch just kind of dying. Just a strange movie that could have benefited from being even more strange.
A misrepresented Russian classic
Quotation-of-Dream15 May 2008
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"!
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"!
Kalevala
mlvalta13 February 2006
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!
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!
Not my cup of tea
bensonmum29 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is going to start to sound confusing because I feel exactly the same about The Day the Earth Froze as I do the other two movies I've seen directed by Aleksandr Ptushko. My comments for The Magic Voyage of Sinbad and The Sword and the Dragon are applicable here (and this is where it gets confusing) "'The Sword and the Dragon seemed to be filled with such broad overacting that it became absurd. I realize that the movie was made over 50 years ago in the Soviet Union. I understand that the movie is filled with messages and other pro-worker propaganda. And I appreciate the importance of the film as a relic of the communist system. But none of that means I have to actually like the movie.' If you change the title of the movie, this quote accurately reflects my feelings on The Magic Voyage of Sinbad." This time, substitute The Day the Earth Froze and you've got a quote that accurately reflects my feelings on the movie. Also, I'll add that, if anything, The Day the Earth Froze is actually duller than the other two movies. Even with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 commentary, I had to wake myself at lest two times before I made it through.
In the end, while these movies may appeal to some people, they're not my cup of tea. Just being honest here.
In the end, while these movies may appeal to some people, they're not my cup of tea. Just being honest here.
Eerie and atmospheric fantasy film
Pete-15628 April 1999
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 Dozed
Oosterhartbabe15 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Dull, confusing Finnish piece of crap about some obscure bit of Norse mythology involving a weird magical device called a Sampo? The gist of the story seems to be that an extremely mannish(who was actually played by a woman!)witch kidnaps the pretty sister of a legendary(at least locally)smith and forced him to create one of these odd machines so that she can use it to make salt, or gold, or streusel, or something. The main hero is not the smith but this guy named Lemon-Kynin(or at least that's what it sounded like). This useless idiot tries to retrieve the Sampo after they save the girl, and manages to wiz it thoroughly. He ends up destroying the thing, after which the whole village celebrates his failure happily.
There's some weird bits about the witch having the four winds in Hefty bags in her cavern/castle, and the 'hero's' Mom talking to a whiny complaining birch and an equally whiny bit of road about her idiot son. Then the witch 'steals' the sun in retaliation, don't ask me how she accomplished that. So everything gets really, really cold(so how is that any different from any other day in Finland?), and the villagers fashion harps(harps?!) and use them to defeat the witch and release the sun. That's what I call a Just Don't Ask situation. The color in the film is so washed out it looked like somebody spilled a can of 7-Up on it. The dubbing is atrocious, and the character names hysterical. While it isn't quite as naturally funny as Jack Frost, it's still pretty amusing.
There's some weird bits about the witch having the four winds in Hefty bags in her cavern/castle, and the 'hero's' Mom talking to a whiny complaining birch and an equally whiny bit of road about her idiot son. Then the witch 'steals' the sun in retaliation, don't ask me how she accomplished that. So everything gets really, really cold(so how is that any different from any other day in Finland?), and the villagers fashion harps(harps?!) and use them to defeat the witch and release the sun. That's what I call a Just Don't Ask situation. The color in the film is so washed out it looked like somebody spilled a can of 7-Up on it. The dubbing is atrocious, and the character names hysterical. While it isn't quite as naturally funny as Jack Frost, it's still pretty amusing.
Grabage
dbborroughs27 April 2008
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.
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.
InzyWimzy18 February 2001
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.
Fun
BandSAboutMovies13 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The Day the Earth Froze is a Russian-Finish film that goes by Sanpo. It was bought by American-International Pictures, cut by 24 minutes, the crew was renamed (Aleksandr Ptushko is Gregg Sebelious, Eve Kivi is Nina Anderson and Andris Oshin has the name Jon Powers) and it was a double feature with Conquered City. There's also the idea that this was shot in Vistascope, whatever that could be.
It's all about how Lemminkäinen tries to win the heart of Annikki and battles the evil witch Louhi, who wants to make a magic machine called a Sampo that can make salt, grain and gold. When our hero fails to get it for her, she steals the sun and the world freezes, just as you'd expect from the name of the movie.
Directed by the same man who made The Magic Voyage of Sinbad and The Sword and the Dragon, each scene was shot four times: once in Russian, once in Finnish and then in both standard and anamorphic widescreen.
It's all about how Lemminkäinen tries to win the heart of Annikki and battles the evil witch Louhi, who wants to make a magic machine called a Sampo that can make salt, grain and gold. When our hero fails to get it for her, she steals the sun and the world freezes, just as you'd expect from the name of the movie.
Directed by the same man who made The Magic Voyage of Sinbad and The Sword and the Dragon, each scene was shot four times: once in Russian, once in Finnish and then in both standard and anamorphic widescreen.
Charming, but low production values.
JGKsPSX15 July 2000
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.
Another beautiful Ptushko film spoilt by bad, unnecessary American dubbing
TheLittleSongbird11 May 2013
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
Awesomest Finnish movie...but it's half Russian
SkullScreamerReturns13 January 2020
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!
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!
A neat Russian fantasy outing
Woodyanders5 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Evil witch Louhi (wizened old crone Anna Orochko) kidnaps sweet fair maiden Annikki (lovely blonde Eva Kivi) from her peaceful village in order to get her rugged blacksmith and magician brother Ilmarinen (solid Ivan Voronov) to build her a magical device known as a sampo. After honest, decent woodmans Lemminkainen (likable Andris Oshin) and Ilmarinen rescue Annikki from Louhi's vile clutches, the wicked old hag retaliates by stealing the sun and putting the village in a permanent state of dark bitter cold. Director Aleksandr Ptushko relates the compelling and imaginative story at a steady pace and does a sound job of maintaining a pleasant, charming tone throughout. Moreover, there's a cool sense of quirky creativity evident in the narrative: Among the funky oddball touches are a field of deadly snakes that Lemminkainen has to plow, a killer flying cloak, a whiny talking tree and talking road, and the villagers making magic harps to combat the witch with. Best of all, the simple and straightforward plot about good versus evil proves to be quite engaging thanks to its refreshing lack of pretense. Igor Morozov's sweeping, dramatic score, Marvin Miller's melodious narration, the nifty special effects, and the crisp cinematography by Gennadi Tsekavy and Viktor Yakushev all further enhance the considerable appeal of this nice little movie.
Bear with me here...
meow_mix20 February 2020
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.
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.
Well made fantasy
Andy-29631 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This 1959 Soviet-Finnish co production is renowned Russia's fantasy master Alexander Ptushko take into Finland's national epic, the Kalevala. In a mythical, ancient Finlandia, the evil witch Louhi (Russia 's Anna Orochko, relishing in her over the top performance) kidnaps the sweet maiden Annikki (lovely Estonian blonde Eva Kivi) from her village in order to get her blacksmith brother Ilmarinen (Ivan Voronov) to build a magical device known as a sampo (how it works and what a sampo actually does is never told). After Ilmarinen, along with the honest, decent woodsman Lemminkainen (Andris Oshin), rescue Annikki, Louhi retaliates by stealing the sun and putting the village in a permanent state of darkness.
This was released into the USA during the 1960s in a dubbed, truncated version called "The Day the Earth Froze". To add insult to injury, in the 1990s it was mocked in the puerile, infantile TV show "MST3K". Its solemn tone, its total lack of irony, the now outdated special effects, makes it easy to mock by modern audiences. But there is considerable talent in the way director Ptushko creates a particular atmosphere, and once one suspends its disbelief, the storytelling qualities are considerable.
This was released into the USA during the 1960s in a dubbed, truncated version called "The Day the Earth Froze". To add insult to injury, in the 1990s it was mocked in the puerile, infantile TV show "MST3K". Its solemn tone, its total lack of irony, the now outdated special effects, makes it easy to mock by modern audiences. But there is considerable talent in the way director Ptushko creates a particular atmosphere, and once one suspends its disbelief, the storytelling qualities are considerable.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
