Aku Louhimies “Unknown Soldier” should not be known as Finland’s most expensive film, but it should be known as one of the country’s most finest films ever created. For those who enjoy war films and also curious about the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II, will definitely want to give “Unknown Soldier” a try. Recommended!
Images courtesy of © 1986 Svenska Filminstitutet, 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Unknown Soldier
YEAR OF FILM: 2017
DURATION: T180 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:39:1), Color, French 7.1 Surround, 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo, Finnish with optional English subtitles
COMPANY: Kino Lorber
RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2019
Based on the Novel by Vaino Linna
Directed by Aku Louhimies
Screenplay by Aku Louhimies and Jari Olavi Rantala
Executive Producer: Ari Lahti, Ari Tolppanen
Produced by Mila Haavisto, Tommi Kangasmaa, Aku Louhimies, Mikko Tenhunen
Associate Producer: Lilsa Penttila, Ilkka Perheentupa, Topi Siniketo, Laura Sutinen
Co-Producer: Kaarina Gould, Julius Kemp, Ingvar Pordarson
Line Producer: Daniel Kuitunen
Cinematography by Mika Orasmaa
Music by Lasse Enersen
Edited by Benjamin Mercer
Casting by Raakei Huikuri, Tutsa Huuhka, Pia Pesonen
Costume Design by Marjatta Nissinen
Starring:
Eero Aho as Rokka
Johannes Holopainen as Kariluoto
Jussi Vatanen as Koskela
Aku Hirviniemi as Hietanen
Hannes Suominen as Vanhala
Arttu Kapulainen as Susi
Paula Vesala as Lyyti
Samuel Vauramo as Lammio
Joonas Saartamo as Lahtinen
Juho Milonoff as Honkajoki
Andrei Alen as Rahikainen
Matti Ristinen as Sarastie
Kimi Vilkkula as Sihvonen
Severi Saarininen as Lehto
Eino Heiskanen as Riitaoja
Jarkko Lahti as viirila
Marketta Tikkanen as Sirkka
Eemeli Louhimies as Asumaniemi
Elias Gould as Ukkola
The most expensive movie ever produced in Finland, the monumental war drama Unknown Soldier broke box office records in its homeland upon release. Based on the classic novel by Väinö Linna, it tells the story of an infantry unit’s three-year tour of duty during the Finnish Continuation War. The film follows the story of Rokka, Kariluoto, Koskela, Hietanen, and their brothers-in-arms. It shows how friendship, humor, and the will to live unite these men on their way to the battlefront and back. The war changes the lives of each of the soldiers as well as the lives of those on the home front, and also leaves its mark on the entire nation.
Back in 1954, Finnish author Vaino Linna would create his war novel “Tuntematon sotilas” (The Unknown Soldier). While his previous books sold poorly, “The Unknown Soldier” would be the book which would become a best seller.
While critics debated on the success of his popular novel, his book is based on his own experience during the war and showcased soldiers with their own independent thoughts, human feelings which include fear and rebellion and would win the respect of frontline veterans.
The film would receive its first film adaptation in 1955 and is the most successful movie ever in Finland, in which more than half the Finnish population had watched the film.
In 1985, a remake of the 1955 film was made and directed by Edvin Laine and in 2017, the third film adaptation directed by Aku Louhimies was created. Unlike the previous two films, the third adapation would be based on the novel’s manuscript version, “Sotaromaani” (The War Novel). The film is also the most expensive Finnish motion picture ever made at 7 million euros and a timely film to celebrate Finland’s 100th year of independence.
The film is set during the Continuation War, a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. For those not familiar on Finland’s stance during World War II, just a few months after the war, the Soviet Union invaded Finland which the League of Nations (which would be later be replaced by the United Nations) deemed the attack as illegal and the Soviet Union were expelled from the organization.
The conflict would begin after the Soviets sought to obtain some Finnish territory and demanded Finland to make even more concessions by ceding substantial border territories. Finland refused, the USSR invaded. And while Finland fought hard to defend itself against the USSR, the Soviet military prevailed and Finland ceded 11% of its territory. For the Finnish soldiers, they wanted to fight against the Soviets for invading their country and wanted to fight to defend it.
While Finland supported the Allied powers at first, they would change and fight against them and then for. They fought alongside the Axis Powers in 1939-1940 against the Soviet Union, again in 1941-1944 and in 1944-1945, against Germany.
The film revolves around soldiers of the Finnish Army machine gun company operating in the Karelian front during the Continuation War. The film does not showcase a certain protagonist but focuses on numerous soldiers from different backgrounds, have different response to the war and their experience fighting.
Some who are disrespectful towards authority, some who are relaxed despite the battles they are caught up in, while others who are tired of war and want to be with their love ones and those who want to fight for their country.
The film focuses on the machine gun company deployed from their barracks to prepare for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
We se the group fighting against the Soviet soldiers over the swamp, the soldiers advancing to East Karelia during the Winter War, visiting the captured and pillaged city of Petrozavodsk, defending against a Soviet winter attack along the Svir river (and seeing what happens to soldiers who refuse superior’s orders) and engaging in trench warfare.
Soldiers often featured are:
- Rokka – A veteran corporal of the Winter War and one of the best men in the battlefield. A farmer from Karelian Isthmus and does not believe in military discipline. He’ll fight the war but he will not be partaking in his superior’s games to undermine him of for not caring for military discipline. He is married to Lytti, who takes care of his children at the Karelian Isthmus and taking care of the farm as well. He joins the machine gun unit with his quiet neighbor, Susi.
- Kariluoto – An idealistic 2nd lieutenant who gradually works up the ranks. Young leader who is married and dreams of being with his wife.
- Koskela – A Platoon leader who works the ranks and is quiet, yet modest.
- Hietanen – The platoon jokester.
- Vanhala – A man who doesn’t take war seriously and is often listening to gramophone records of Soviet songs.
- Lammio – A disciplined platoon leader who often clashes with Rokka and punishes him because Rokka not believing in military discipline.
VIDEO:
“Unknown Soldier” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:39:1) and the film looks very good in HD with wonderful detail. The film is more on the cooler side when it comes to colors. Closeups show great detail on the soldiers faces.
AUDIO:
“Unknown Soldier” is presented in Finnish 7.1 surround and 5.1 surround with optional English subtitles. With a war film, one can expect to hear the bullets zinging all around you, bombs blasting and hearing the bass through your subwoofer, front and center channels carry crystal clear dialogue and musical score. The film’s overall soundtrack sounds great in HD!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Unknown soldier” comes with the following special features:
- Into the Unknown: The Making of Unknown Soldier – (59:07) Interviews and behind-the-scenes of the making of “Unknown Soldier”.
- Deleted Scenes – (10:36) Straight run of deleted scenes from the film.
- Post-Production Featurettes – Featuring ADR, Music Recording, Trailer and Visual Effects featurettes
- Trailers
I’ve watched “Unknown Soldier” probably five times and what I love about the film is not its focus on the war itself and trying to capture or defend an area, it’s a film about those fighting the war and to see how these men change throughout the years while fighting the war.
And the film doesn’t want you to focus on everyone, if anything, just a group of men who are different, have different mindsets about the war and how they carry on with it and to see the fear of knowing that their chances of survival becomes slimmer.
While the film focused on Kariluoto, the idealistic soldier,the stoic Koskela, the jokester Hietanen and the always smiling Vanhala. Things change when the film starts to shift its attention to the veteran Rokka.  Great at what he does in fighting the war, he’s also a man that walks the beat of his own drum and that upsets his superiors who discipline him and want to see how he reacts to each discipline (which he disregards).
He has a wife and children that wait for him the farms but at the same time, he knows that soldiers that are green and don’t have the killer instinct or his skill, are probably going to die before him.
It’s interesting to see the juxtaposition of how these soldiers were in earlier points in time during the war, a feeling of confidence when Finland captured Petrozavodsk to a feeling that they are not going to survive as they must stall the Soviet advance with counter attacks.
The film is the most expensive film to date ever made in Finland and to create the sense of war, the various locations when showing the soldiers on how the live during their lives away from war or before the war to the sheer number of tanks, aircraft, explosives, and the number of people involved, damage to forest areas that look burned by shelling, intricate costume design and more. If anything, Aku Louhimies film manages to capture the war with great efficacy. Even veterans of the war have said the film looked real.
Is the film perfect? While I enjoyed the film, there are some pacing issues.
The film starts off by showcasing numerous soldiers, who are slowly established. And when Rokka is introduced, the film focuses immediately on Rokka’s story and everyone has a supporting role rather than an equal role. I feel that if the characters were equally handled in a way where we would be interested, as they did with Rokka, then viewers would be more interested in the characters of Kariluoto, Koskela, Hietanen, Vanhala, etc. And if they did show something, it was towards the end of the film, when they should have showed these scenes in the beginning. And because of that, I had this feeling that these characters are probably all going to be killed off.
With that being said, I can see why Rokka is focused on. He is the most compelling character in the film (I felt Koskela could have been as well), but actor Eero Aho was fantastic. Aho embodied the character of Rokka in terms of aloofness, killer instinct, but also a man who could care less what the brass think of him.
As mentioned, I watched this film five times. Each time, I was in awe of the battle planning, catching things that I didn’t catch during the first viewing of the film but also it made me want to learn about Finland’s involvement in World War II.
While there have been war films about Finland such as “The Winter War”, “Ambush”, “Mother of Mine”, I felt that “Unknown Soldier” was impressive as a war film on how it was executed. Again, it’s not perfect, but it’s a very good film. And I like how the film was less about bravado but soldiers who did not want to die to the point that higher ups had to make a point for those who deserted or didn’t follow their superiors by court-martialing soldiers and their punishment was execution.
Aku Louhimies “Unknown Soldier” should not be known as Finland’s most expensive film, but it should be known as one of the country’s most finest films ever created. For those who enjoy war films and also curious about the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II, will definitely want to give “Unknown Soldier” a try. Recommended!
