Tuntematon sotilas

Sometimes in life you want to experience something true and realistic. Molmberg's Unknown Soldier comes as close as it is possible in movie to experience war. Linna's 1955 version was more theatrical and entertaining. It had it's merits but I like Molmberg's better.

In early 1990's I did my military service in Finland and trained a lot attack in the forest and the attack on the bunker line in Molmberg's film looks, sounds and almost smells the same. All details are in place and they really fire Maxim MG's and Suomi SMG's.

I think you can't do good war movie without showing the ugly side of war. Molmberg shows the true nature of war. War is totally evil.

Historically accurate showing Finnish Motti tactics. I was impressed with that in itself. "A hiding" was all I could look for in this movie and found it. Good Directing, decent acting, makes for a historically accurate foreign made film

Rauni Mollberg's version of the Unknown Soldier, the novel of Väinö Linna, has always been the one that has been compared to the first movie version directed by Edvin Laine 30 years earlier. The times have changed between 1955 and 1985 and it shows. Laine's Unknown was jolly and cheerful, almost farce-like when compared to this one. Mollberg's Unknown is grimmer and wants to show the darker shades even darker and deeper than the first one. Laine skips the difficult themes like plundering of enemy cities and the executions of the soldiers sentenced in court-martial quite quickly or doesn't handle them at all. Mollberg obviously wants to dig deeper in them but hasn't left out any of the original scenes either. Hence the titanic length of the film.

When one has seen the Laine's version so many times as, for example, I have, it is difficult to form an objective opinion about Mollberg's version. The first impression stresses the darkness and seriousness of the atmosphere. It would be OK, if all the actors seemed natural, but they don't. Of course, all the actors in the first version don't seem natural either, but hey, it's Laine's Tuntematon Sotilas! Who cares!? This one gets better along the way, though. You get used to the "new sides of the characters" and forgive some of their faults compared to the old ones. I have to say I haven't read the novel so fortunately I don't have to compare this film to the book. Fortunately, because the book usually overcomes the movie versions. Because of my illiterate manners, I cannot compare this film to the original novel, and again, cannot say how much this one is more or less true to the novel than Laine's film. Therefore, I can only compare these two films. This version has its strengths. It is in some ways more realistic and brings out the characters more than Laine's version, which is almost like an action movie because of its fast pace and light atmosphere. But sometimes Mollbergs Unknown is almost too dark and grim to believe. This is a nice film but it doesn't compare to the first one, which, unfortunately for this film, is a legend. However, Mollberg's Unknown couldn't make it without Laine's version, because to me, it could not stand alone without the legendary memories experienced with the scenes in the first one. Mollberg's Unknown adds something to the "one and only" but that's all there is to it. I first and foremost recommend Laine's Unknown and after that, if you have some extra four hours on your hands, take a look at this Mollberg's view.

I find the 1985 version of "Tuntematon sotilas" far superior over the older version. The new version is much more realistic in its description of the war. The actors are of real age instead of the original movie. Also all the battle scenes really give the feeling of chaos when defensive lines are shattered and despair takes over the men.

The film describes continuation war with good accuracy. Also I like how the characters develop over the film. At start the green men who are panicking easily and so afraid of the enemy who they don't even see... To the heroic defensive battles against Russian tank hordes at the end.

Many of the since-unknown actors have now become main pillars of Finnish movies and entertainment. Mollberg's idea of using less famous people than Laine did in his version works. When movie was released the faces weren't familiar - and so the characters are much more neutral.

All-in-all I consider the 1985 Tuntematon sotilas as one of the best and realistic war movies ever made, close to second is "Winter War" - another Finnish war movie.

This film is based on Väinö Linna's novel "Unknown soldier", but the style of the movie differs dramatically from the style of the book. Linna tells his story with bitter black humour and he has war heroes, Koskela & Rokka for example. Mollberg's version has neither heroes nor humour. Instead his movie is starred by blood and terror. Linna awakens, Mollberg silences.

In the genre of war movies Mollberg's work is right on top, it has both artistic and realistic merits, for instance The bridge over the River Kwai lacks the latter. The way Mollberg shows his characters is, however, little too straightforward; Everyone is described thru one mental quality, Lehto is always cynical etc. The mythic silence that surrounds Koskela grows to the astronomical. On the other hand Mollberg succeeds in filming the fear and anger.

The greatest finnish film ever made.