"The White Reindeer"
Valkoinen peura (Den vita renen)
Den hvite renen (Norwegian title)
Bialy ren (Polish title)
Das weisse Ren (German title)
Bílý sob (Czech title)
A fehér rénszarvar (Hungarian title)
La renne blanc (French title)

Finland 1952 B/W 66min Junior-Filmi Oy

****½

Drama, fantasy

cast: Mirjami Kuosmanen (Pirita/her mother), Kalervo Nissilä (Aslak, Pirita's husband), Åke Lindman, Jouni Tapiola (Niila), Arvo Lehesmaa (Tsalkku-Nilla), Tyyne Haarla, Pentti Irjala, Kaarlo Wilska, Aarne Tarkas
credits: dir. Erik Blomberg (also script with Mirjami Kuosmanen), music Einar Englund, DOP Erik Blomberg and Olavi Tuomi, prod. Aarne Tarkas, costumes and makeup Mirjami Kuosmanen

This movie has won prizes around the world. Critics praise its expressionism and beauty. There's no doubt about it, it is a very good film but today it doesn't look quite so big anymore. It's the effects, you know. Although they look still very impressive the whole movie is very oldish. It's about a young woman in Lappland, whose evil powers arise suddenly. She turns into white reindeer who kills men in mystical ways.

The acting in the movie is O.K., since there's not much of talking. The biggest power of the movie is in the pictures. There's plenty of powerful shots of the reindeer lady Pirita (Kuosmanen) and views of Lappland.

TRIVIA: The film won three Jussi awards (Finnish Oscars) and also a special award in Cannes. In 1954 it won a prize in Karlovy Vary and in 1956 another in Hollywood (both director of photography awards).
TRIVIA#2: Blomberg collected a lot of information about shamanism in [the Middle Ages] Lappland for the script. It's been told that some shamans drank dead people's blood in those days.
TRIVIA#3: The idea for the script was Ms. Kuosmanens.

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