Täällä Pohjantähden alla

While director Edvin Laine's adaptation of "The Unknown Soldier" is often considered to be a definitive example of Finnish cinema, his 1968 masterpiece deserves attention as well. The art of cinema made some advances in the decade between these two films, and it shows. While some parts are still suffering from the old style of filmmaking, i.e., trying to create a movie like it is a theatre production (static camera, characters entering a location and delivering their lines like straight from a book), other parts are great and visually interesting. Especially lighting deserves praise: imagine an early 20th century village in rural Finland without much electricity, and this is what comes to mind. Especially some of the night scenes are simply beautiful to look at with the newest high-definition remaster.

The first part of the film marches on at breakneck speed. As some 20 years of story are compressed into roughly one hour of film, there are some jarring time jumps if you do not know the book, lack the historical knowledge, or simply fail to pay attention to every scene. The tone of the film is also something to be praised. It starts with light-hearted though dramatic scenes, with plenty of humorous exchanges and musical scores. Once the civil war breaks out, this lightness is tossed out and the horrible events are depicted almost without any score, in a matter-of-fact, documentary-style.

"Täällä Pohjantähden Alla" is a classic that everyone should see at least once.

Althought I didn't want to see this film, I did have to look it anyway in the history class, because we went throug Finlands civil war. It's about Finlands civil war (surprise..), when the red and white are fighting. Well... It is pretty good film actually... Althougt I don't like war films which tell about Finlands wars...

In 1955 director Edvin Laine adapted Väinö Linna's beloved WWII novel The Unknown Soldier and the result is unquestionably the most celebrated work of Finnish cinema. 13 years later he matched its success with another adaptation of Linna's novel; this time a monumental trilogy about the birth and development of a nation; Here Under the Northern Star. The movie was a gigantic hit with the critics and the audiences alike and is still regarded as the most popular classic after The Unknown Soldier.

The story, starting just before Finland gains its independence, is a multi-generation spanning history of a newly independent nation dealing with inner turmoil, told through the eyes of a little community, with an emphasis on the Koskela-family. The first half of the film is set around Jussi Koskela, a poor, mild-mannered man who's trying to get ahead in life, while the second half mostly revolves around Jussi's son: Akseli, a passionate and fiery-tempered young man also trying to get ahead in life, but by far more radical ways than his father. The main theme is the class struggle between the rich and the poor (the "whites" and the "reds") which would eventually escalate to a full-blown, bitter, civil war. Although not forgetting the joys of life, like in the form of the tender romance between Akseli and Elina.

While the examination of what lead to the conflict is equally important, the civil war takes the major part of the film. What makes this the definitive portrait of the war, is that, while it is told from the reds' point-of-view, it doesn't "choose sides", rather just documents a national tragedy. Atrocities and war crimes toward civilians are done by both sides and the "trials" held during and after the war are more about settling personal vendettas than actually passing justice. Incidentally the best moments of the movie are in the last quarter when the drama reaches its harrowing and heartbreaking conclusion.

Most of the films excellence must be attributed to the masterful source novel, but even so, just the fact that this is so well adapted is praiseworthy in itself. The essential parts of the book have translated well to the screen (in content, but also in Linna's slyly sardonic tone) and the pacing is excellent, the film moves on a brisk pace for a 190 minute epic. It's visually appealing, not exactly stunning, but definitely well-shot and musically memorable. On the other hand, the films major weakness lies in the badly dated acting. The main players are all solid; some, like Aarno Sulkanen (as Akseli) are even great; but unfortunately many of the minor players range from plain hammy to grating "scenery-chewing", but that one complaint aside, the film is captivating, incredibly touching, unforgettable achievement..

Finnish cinema does not get more essential than this. If you ever have the chance to see it I highly recommend giving it a try.

The North Star trilogy (1959-62) by Väinö Linna belongs among the most famous and popular Finnish novels of the last century, so it was only natural that a film adaptation would be made sooner or later. Edvin Laine was always an obvious choice for director, having helmed the legendary film version of Linna's The Unknown Soldier in 1955. As the trilogy covers a long period of time and several generations, the film version was divided in two; this film covers the first two books, while the final book was brought to life in Akseli ja Elina a couple of years later.

The story begins in the late 19th century when Finland is still part of the Russian empire. A poor farmer named Jussi Antinpoika (Risto Taulo) is allowed to build his own cottage on a swamp, provided that he pays his rent to the landowner without complaints. The humble Jussi agrees, sets up some crops and a house called Koskela and marries a local woman named Alma (Anja Pohjola). While Jussi and Alma like to live peacefully and pay the rising rents by working without complaints, the changing political climate of the country affects their lives as well: growing awareness of workers' rights and socialist movements in Russia has reached the community and eventually a workers' union is formed by a local tailor Halme (Kalevi Kahra). In the meanwhile, the three sons of Jussi and Alma have grown from boys to men and also take part in the socialist activity. When the Civil War of 1918 begins, the Red forces of the Pentinkulma municipality are led by the eldest son Akseli (Aarno Sulkanen), who initially insists on keeping the rebellion bloodless, but ultimately cannot control the wave of violence rolling over the country.

Some understanding of the tenant system that once defined the lives of many poor peasants and eventually gave birth to the division of the people into the Reds (workers) and the Whites (landowners) will facilitate grasping the story, but the plot is perfectly understandable for attentive viewers even without knowledge of Finnish history. The slowly rising tension between the workers and the patriotic, anti-Russian landowners is portrayed without haste, allowing the relations of the classes develop naturally. Never does the story become preachy in favour of either side of the conflict; both are guilty of many atrocities. The less intense supporters of both sides are also appalled to see how their respective causes have incited so much violence: Red tailor Halme and White Pastor Salpakari (Matti Ranin) carry a calm breeze of peace amidst all the unrest.

Besides the epic Nation-in-Turmoil plot lines, the story also has time to examine more down-to-earth, personal relationships of the characters. The family life of Jussi and Alma, and later Akseli and his wife Elina (Titta Karakorpi), is also skilfully portrayed and doesn't feel like a distraction from the big picture. The colourful characters in the village also add their charm to the whole, be it the always cheery Otto Kivivuori (Kauko Helovirta) or the unlucky Anttoo Laurila (Veikko Sinisalo) whose eviction in the middle of the coldest winter gives a spark to the growing Red movement in the municipality. Also, unlike in many other older Finnish films, there are no traces of theatricality in any of the performances. The focus is moved naturally from one generation to another, and over the three hours of the film it is easy to start caring for the people of Pentinkulma, making the tragic ending feel very sad, but ultimately not completely hopeless.

The intricacies of the plot can be attributed to author Linna, but director Laine deserves praise for the cinematic qualities of the film version too. The rich colours of the scenery during the changing seasons, the massive group scenes and battle sequences and the pacing of the plot are all well done. Even if the narrator's voice feels like a somewhat literal solution at first, it is ultimately not used too much and doesn't interfere with the visual storytelling distractingly. The music is also completely fitting, from the famous wedding waltz of Akseli and Elina to the socialist working class songs that are heard both as performed by the characters and as parts of the non-diegetic score.

I have to admit I haven't read Linna's novels, but I enjoyed the film very much. Much like in The Unknown Soldier, the action and personal drama are in good balance and the film helps to cast light on the tragic era of Finnish history. Täällä Pohjantähden alla can safely be called one of the essential Finnish films, and it is recommended to anyone interested in history and the Civil War of the country.

It's not in fact a movie about the Finnish civil war, but a movie about the social changes that took place in Finland before Finland claimed its independence.

The movie and novel it's based upon are both important, since they bring out the viewpoint of the losing side of the civil war, into which the social changes eventually led. Finnish people bore the scars of the civil war for many decades, and this novel was the first one to take upon the task of healing those scars.

The working class is being pressed on the edge. They are barely more than serfs and have no means of claiming the land they're cultivating and taking care of. The conditions in Finland are fluctuating at best, since the country is still an autonomic part of Russia with it's sovereign rights being disputed. The movie tells of a certain Koskela family trying to make a secure living under these circumstances on the fields they've cleared of the swamps and in the house they built from trees growing in the forests.

Each and every Finn should watch this movie to understand their own roots a lot better!