The Day the Earth Froze (1959)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

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!

Sampo......who can get that word out of their head??? It seems to be an infernal machine that makes gold, or salt, or flour, or something but whatever it does, everybody wants it and will go to any lengths to build one. This Scandanavian film has an unusual look to it but it appears that the print is faded, hence the washed out look. Or maybe it's because of all the snow and ice. But I must admit that I found it rather fascinating.The lead actors play it pretty much without emotion except for the witch who is a total pain in the butt. It took me a while to figure out if it was a man or a woman; regardless he/she was irritating. It moves along pretty slowly and there are times when it is difficult to figure out exactly what is going on.....that may be due to the terrible dubbing. I hate dubbing.....give me sub-titles anytime.The ending with the harps is insane. We should advise our military that harp music can be deadly and is a lot less messy than live ammunition. However, there is something rather endearing about this film that makes it worth watching. Of course, you need to see the MST3K version.... it is a lot more fun. Can you say Sampo?

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.

Beautifully photographed Russo-Finnish goofiness about a witch who freezes the Earth after townsfolk steal her beloved Sampo. The question on most viewers' minds is, what the hell is Sampo? Oh, well. Make sure you see the MSTied version for the full goofy effect.