Ski Patrol /USA 1940 movie
- John Hilly
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- Location: Tampere, Finland, EU
Ski Patrol /USA 1940 movie
This long-lost movie was shown in Finland during christmas time, but I only watched it yesterday from "cloud" copy.
What a laugh!
It even included a Lotta Battalion for Nigel!
I was just wondering if this b-movie is available from somewhere? Outside Finland I mean.
Laughing greets from J-P
What a laugh!
It even included a Lotta Battalion for Nigel!
I was just wondering if this b-movie is available from somewhere? Outside Finland I mean.
Laughing greets from J-P
"Die Blechtrommel trommelt noch!"
- Panssari Salama
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Re: Ski Patrol /USA 1940 movie
Yes, watched it at the time (Dec 7 I think), a good laugh for sure!
I can imagine the discussion at Hollywood:
- We must make a movie of the war Finland is waging against Soviet Union. Everybody's talking about it!
- Oh yes, I am on it! Finland, did you say?
- Yes Finland, one of the Nordic countries, next to Sweden.
- Ahh, Sweden I know! Mountains, precision clocks, chocolate. Why on earth would Soviet Union attack the area?
- Who knows! But quickly, get the movie out!
I can imagine the discussion at Hollywood:
- We must make a movie of the war Finland is waging against Soviet Union. Everybody's talking about it!
- Oh yes, I am on it! Finland, did you say?
- Yes Finland, one of the Nordic countries, next to Sweden.
- Ahh, Sweden I know! Mountains, precision clocks, chocolate. Why on earth would Soviet Union attack the area?
- Who knows! But quickly, get the movie out!
Panssari Salama - Paying homage to Avalon Hill PanzerBlitz and Panzer Leader board games from those fab '70s.
Re: Ski Patrol /USA 1940 movie
I found it on Youtube a while ago, I'll see if I can track it down again and post a link. Anyhow, it's pretty funny. The inaccuracies are wild!John Hilly wrote:This long-lost movie was shown in Finland during christmas time, but I only watched it yesterday from "cloud" copy.
What a laugh!
It even included a Lotta Battalion for Nigel!
I was just wondering if this b-movie is available from somewhere? Outside Finland I mean.
Laughing greets from J-P
This film is a classic! For those who have suffered the misfortune of not having seen it, two rival skiers competing in the 1936 Olympics, one Russian and one Finn, are pitted against each other just a few years later, as the Russians attack the Finnish border in the Winter War, and the Finnish heroes defend a snow-laden mountain pass in the Finnish Alps, where the film starts in an alpine village where everyone gathers together in the village inn fully dressed in Middle European national costumes to socialize, smoke long pipes, and to listen to the village band playing the Finnish national traditional instrument, the kantele. As its inhabitants the village naturally has both an Olympic skier and a Nobel prize winner.
After the introduction, the war starts soon enough with the full-scale attack of the Soviets against Finland and we get to meet a lot of different basic war-type characters - including the obligatory heroic American volunteer. The number and qualities of different characters is surprisingly large and good for such a short film (it's just over an hour), so even though the snow fighting scenes are more for effect than for sense, you actually get to understand a little bit of how the different personalities work. For a film that is only four minutes over an hour long, that's not too bad. Almost all the characters names are not Finnish at all - Birger Simberg, Julia Engel, Captain Per Vallgren, Jan Sikorsky - altho there are a couple of attempts - names like Paavo Luuki and Gustaf Nerkuu for example.
To say that the plot "takes great historical liberties in its storyline" is a bit of an understatement - don't expect anything to match any known facts about the Winter War. The sking you see in the move for example is downhill skiiing, not the typical Finnish cross-country sking, and the mountains are rather .... large for Finland Although that said, they did get the Lotta Svard organisation correct - probably the earliest feature film in any country mentioning the organization. On the other hand, you see a Finnish man KISSING his mother!!!!... and there was a lack of essential elements of Finnish culture; nobody said "PERKELE" and nobody was crocked!
It was made pretty quickly - the premiere was just two months after the end of the Winter War and at the time it was made it capitalised on public support for Finland. Here's a link to the New York Times Movie Review of 21 May 1940 - http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res ... 838B659EDE. The plot was actually based on a 1932 film called "Doomed Battalion", which placed Austrian troops in a similar predicament while fighting against Italian attackers in the Alps during the first World War.
ex Ngāti Tumatauenga ("Tribe of the Maori War God") aka the New Zealand Army
- John Hilly
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- Location: Tampere, Finland, EU
Re: Ski Patrol /USA 1940 movie
You've really done your homework Nigel.
J-P
J-P
"Die Blechtrommel trommelt noch!"
Re: Ski Patrol /USA 1940 movie
I was looking for good video clips to use for music on youtube when I ran into this movie. Enjoyed it for the total lack of reality.... sadly, doesn't seem to be on youtube anymore..... but hey, it was good for a giggleJohn Hilly wrote:You've really done your homework Nigel.
J-P
ex Ngāti Tumatauenga ("Tribe of the Maori War God") aka the New Zealand Army
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Re: Ski Patrol /USA 1940 movie
Yle Teema shows Ski Patrol (Hiihtopartio!) today. I hope it will be viewable also outside Finland from Yle Areena (edit: text says it will be streamed only directly).
http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2014/06/16/hiihtopartio
http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2014/06/16/hiihtopartio
- Juha Tompuri
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- Location: Mylsä
Re: Ski Patrol /USA 1940 movie
Thanks for the reminder Seppo.
Here discussion about the movie already before it was "found":
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 9&t=111595
Regards, Juha
Here discussion about the movie already before it was "found":
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 9&t=111595
Regards, Juha