Ski Patrol (1940 film)
1940 American film
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Ski Patrol is a 1940 American war film directed by Lew Landers, produced by Ben Pivar and Warren Douglas and released by Universal Pictures.[1] It is known to be the only Hollywood film about the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union.[2]
- See also Ski Patrol (disambiguation)
| Ski Patrol | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Lew Landers |
| Written by | Paul Huston |
| Produced by | Ben Pivar, Warren Douglas |
| Cinematography | Milton R. Krasner |
| Edited by | Edward Curtiss |
| Music by | Frank Skinner (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 64 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Two rival skiers competing in the 1936 Olympics, one Russian and one Finn, are pitted against each other just a few years later, as the Russians attack the Finnish border in the Winter War, and the Finnish heroes defend a snow-laden mountain pass. The plot takes great historical liberties in its storyline, such as with all "Finnish" uniforms and insignias are wrong.[citation needed]
Plot
Cast
- Philip Dorn as Lt. Viktor Ryder
- Luli Deste as Julia Engel
- Stanley Fields as Birger Simberg
- Samuel S. Hinds as Capt. Per Vallgren
- Edward Norris as Paavo Luuki
- John Qualen as Gustaf Nerkuu
- Hardie Albright as Tyko Gallen
- John Arledge as Dick Reynolds
- John Ellis as Knut Vallgren
- Henry Brandon as Jan Sikorsky
- Kathryn Adams Doty as Lissa Ryder
- Leona Roberts as Mother Ryder
- Abner Biberman as Russian Field Commander
- Wade Boteler as German Olympics Spokesman
- Addison Richards as James Burton, speaker
- Reed Hadley as Ivan Dubroski[3]
Reception
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote negatively of the film, referring to it as "a feeble, unconvincing melodrama of the Russo-Finnish War", accusing it of plagiarizing the World War I film The Doomed Battalion, concluding that the "heroic defense of the Finns certainly deserves a better cinema memorial than this."[4] Variety similarly referred to the film as "turned out in a hurry in an effort to cash in on headlines that now are barely remembered", but praised Dorn and some of the other actors characterizations, as well as Krasner's cinematography.[1] The National Board of Review Magazine was more positive, writing: "A grim picture of the present war, showing the ski patrol defending a mountain, the gateway to Finland. Beautiful snow scenes and some truly marvelous skiing."[5]
See also
- Winter War in popular culture
- The Winter War, a 1989 Finnish war film
