Maa: Finland, 137 minuuttia

Kieli: Suomi

Tyyli(t): Draama, Sota, Historia

Ohjaaja: Len Wiseman

Näyttelijät: Anja Pohjola

Muoto: Tuntematon

Juoni lyhyesti: Ever since the epic film version of the first two books of writer VäinöLinna's North Star trilogy was released in 1968, filmgoing audienceshad been waiting for a conclusion for the saga of the Koskela family.While Akseli and Elina, the movie adaptation of the final book in theseries, is not as long and massive as the first film, it is a veryworthy ending for director Edvin Laine's huge project of bringing thelegendary books to life on the silver screen.The story picks up right where the first film ended. Civil War veteranAkseli Koskela (Aarno Sulkanen) has been pardoned and released from theprison camp, and he immediately returns to his family in Pentinkulma.His wife Elina (Ulla Eklund) and parents Jussi and Alma (Risto Tauloand Anja Pohjola) welcome him warmly, but the traumatic war still castsa shadow over the community; Red anger is still bubbling under thesurface of many working class locals and Akseli is haunted by warmemories. After having won the Civil War, the Whites have developed aneven stronger sense of patriotism and anti-Socialism, which ispersonified in the characters of the new school teacher Rautajärvi(Ilkka Keltanen) and Pastor Salpakari's wife Ellen (Rose-Marie Precht).The Pastor himself (Matti Ranin) still prefers to stay calm and not gettoo closely involved in worldly conflicts. The tension between theclasses escalates in assaults by the Lapua Movement, but wheninternational politics lead the country into the second World War, oldgrudges are moved aside when supporters of both causes start receivingsad news about their sons on the front.Just like the previous film saw the change of generation from Jussi tohis son, in the sequel Akseli prepares for leaving his estate to histhree sons, but the War puts his plans on ice. The ultimate fate of theeldest son Vilho Koskela (Ismo Vehkakoski) is more closely examined inThe Unknown Soldier, but here we get to learn more about his lifebefore the war. Still, even with the three sons of the family beingaway from home, the kin of Akseli and Elina is not coming to an end astheir daughter Kaarina (Sini Sinervirta) is getting married – life goeson in the midst of tragedies too.Despite the epic proportions of the story, at points Akseli and Elinais lighter in tone, there are even outright comedic scenes that wereless pronounced in the first film. On the other hand, the grand battlescenes of the Winter War and Continuation War are no less impressivethan the Civil War combats we saw earlier. The assets of the first filmare present in the sequel as well: the colourful cinematography stilllooks wonderful, the performances by the lead actors are all naturaland the beautiful music sounds even better this time around, especiallythe eponymous waltz by Heikki Aaltoila that has understandably becomeone of Finland's most popular wedding waltzes in real life too.However, there are some minor details that are not quite masterlyhandled. For example, the make-up used to make the actors look older isnot completely convincing, as the wrinkles and marks of hard lifecannot be imitated with gray hair dyes. Still, the actors do generallya good job at portraying the older, more tired versions of theircharacters; using different actors for different ages could have beenmuch more awkward. The only exception would be Sini Sinervirta's actingas Kaarina, which I feel is not on par with the charismatic big namesin the other roles.At the end of the day, Akseli and Elina is warmly recommended to anyonewho enjoyed the first film, Here Beneath the North Star. The ending ofthe family saga is powerful and leaves the audience feeling bothhopeful and melancholic. If the original film offered a look into theCivil War from a Red point of view, the sequel examines the effects ofthe World War on the home front more than on the actual battlefields.Still, in the core of everything there is always family – a messagestill relevant in modern times when the past wars are beginning to fadefrom people's memories. Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReview this title | See all 2 user reviews » Message BoardsDiscuss Akseli ja Elina (1970) on the IMDb message boards » Getting Started |Contributor Zone »Contribute to this pageEdit pageWrite reviewCreate a character page for:SiukolaKaarina KoskelaElias 'Elkku' KankaanpääVihtori 'Vikki' KiviojaAulis Kivioja-----------more... Create » ? 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