Unknown Soldier (3) vs. Wooden Crosses (6)

 

REALISM:

                “Unknown Soldier” realistically portrays the evolution of Finnish soldiers in the Continuation War from green, enthusiastic soldiers to beaten, but resilient veterans.  The movie nicely contrasts the naivete of the call-ups with the cynicism of one old veteran (Rokka).  The camaraderie is natural.  What sets the movie apart from most is the, I assume, accurate depiction of the individualism of Finnish troops.  The movie makes it clear they were not big on blind devotion to their officers.  Rokka exemplifies this trait the most, but the rest of his squad are not robots either.  The officers put up with this which makes the Finnish army look like the opposite of the German army it was allied with.  Surprisingly, the men are not looking for opportunities to go over the hill.  They are resigned to their fates, but they refuse to make last stands.  They run when it makes sense to run.  GRADE  =  A (9)

                “Wooden Crosses” is set in the early part of WWI.  The unit is in the French army and this is well before the mutinous feelings of later.  In a contrast with “Unknown Soldier”, most of the men are veterans and the main character is a newbie (Gilbert).  Although his character is a bit off the norm because he fits in immediately and even become one of the leaders, the rest of the men are typical poilus.  The movie shows their cynicism, but their brotherhood keeps them together.  There are shell-shock victims.    There’s a tense encounter with a mine.  And there is very intense combat that is going to preview why later French soldiers refused to go over the top.  And the movie has some of the most realistic deaths of any old school WWI movie.  GRADE  =  A  (9)      

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:

                “Tuntematon Sotilas” has several distinctive characters.  It is anchored by Rokka, but several of the other men have strong arcs.  For example, Vanhala is the simpleton who is always giggling, but he stops by the end of their ordeal.  One of the others goes from looting bodies to running a brothel behind the lines.  The effects of the war are clear on each of the men.  GRADE  =  A  (9)

                “Les Croix de Bois” jumps right into the war.  There is no back-story for the unit.  It concentrates on Gilbert and Sulphart, but some of the other men makes impressions.  The most realistic character is probably the cook who is your typical rear echelon slacker.  Unfortunately, the development of Gilbert is weak.  He does not have to earn the respect of his seasoned comrades.  He is not even given the usual hard time when he joins the unit.  GRADE  =  C  (7)

SOLDIER BEHAVIOR:

                “Unknown Soldier” is a great tutorial on Finnish soldiers in WWII.  Their open-minded view towards authority and discipline is refreshing.  It’s not just the enlisted.  Most of the officers are willing to look the other way, especially if the culprit is a warrior, like Rokka.  The platoon’s leader (Vatanen) identifies with his men more than with his superiors.  The movie is an homage to Finnish soldiers, but they aren’t all heroes.  One is a looter of corpses and another executes a prisoner instead of taking him to the rear.  Two incidents that happened in all armies.  GRADE  =  A  (9)

                “Wooden Crosses” concentrates on the buddies Gilbert and Sulphart.  It is a bit unusual that a veteran everyman like Sulphart would bond so readily with a newly arrived college boy.  The rest of the unit has the comfortable bonhommerie of French soldiers who have to spend nights together with Germans digging a mine to blow them up.  There is a little dysfunction.  They drink a lot of wine.  They are tired most of the time at the front.  They question orders, but obey.  GRADE  =  A (9)

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:

                “Unknown Soldier” is the third version of the classic novel.  It’s a story every Finn knows, but obviously they can’t get enough of it.  This version is generally considered to be the best Finnish war movie.  It led the box office in Finland the year it was released.  Although, it can be depressing at time, that is because the characters are so appealing that their deaths pack a wallop.  It has a deft blend of soldier life and combat.  The testosterone is under control so it found a female audience.  You do not have to be a war movie fan to enjoy it.  GRADE  =  A  (9)

                “Wooden Crosses” is an old school war movie in the vein of “All Quiet…” and “Westfront: 1918”.  A modern movie like “Unknown Soldier” certainly has more entertainment value for a modern audience, but “Wooden Crosses” is that rare war movie that holds up well.  It has suspenseful moments.  The combat is intense and puts it among the best black and white war movies.  More importantly, the acting does not have the overemoting common in the early war talkies.  Although I am a huge fan, I can see where it would not have much appeal for females.  There are no female characters.  GRADE  =  B  (8)

FINAL SCORE:  Unknown Soldier  36   

                              Wooden Crosses  33

ANALYSIS:

                I love all eight movies that made the quarterfinals. so it is difficult to see any leave.  But at least we know the winners are worthy.  In this case, the match-up tends to confirm my belief that modern war movies are better than the old black and white ones, in general.  “Wooden Crosses” is one of the top five WWI movies and WWI brought us a lot of good movies.  However, “Unknown Soldier” is simply a better film.  It deserves respect for improving on two worthy renditions of the classic novel.  The two were very evenly matched and in some ways are similar as small unit films.  It came down to character development, which is the only weakness of “Wooden Crosses”.