The Winter War was an epic life and death struggle that changed the course of World War II, and saved a democracy. Fire and Ice documents this timeless story of courage against all odds by a people united to preserve their freedom. In November of 1939, when Finland was invaded by the Soviet Union, no one expected this tiny nation would resist the largest military force in the world. Also, no one anticipated one of the coldest winters in recorded history. Outnumbered and outgunned, Finns knew the war was not about territory; it was a total war for their very existence as a people. The war begins with the aerial bombardment of Helsinki. Fires rage in the city. Dazed citizens run for their lives. Poorly equipped Finnish troops face a massive Red Army attack supported by thousands of tanks, heavy artillery, and airplanes. The invasion is almost three times larger than the Allied landing at Normandy on D-Day. The Russians are confident of a quick victory. A Finnish poet remembers how the war started. We enter her world as a child of eleven. An American remembers how at 21, he volunteered to drive an ambulance as he leads us deep into the frozen forests of northern Finland. Finnish soldiers improvise a defense. They attack tanks with Molotov cocktails and crowbars. Finlands women form a unique corps called Lotta Svärd. And as temperatures descend to 50 below zero, their mastery of winter becomes a strategic advantage. Finnish resistance is relentless. They know this war is not about changing borders; their lives, their independence and their identity as a people are at stake. They unite against a common enemy as never before. The narrative is enriched with the contemporary accounts of journalists and soldiers on both sides of the conflict, many from war diaries translated into English for the first time. Rare archive footage, enhanced by meticulous attention to historical detail in re-creating scenes of both the battlefront and home front, brings this history to life. 　　Weaving a combination of personal interviews, contemporary diaries and source material, historians, live re-enactments, and computer generated graphics, Fire and Ice tells the story of the personal, military, and historical significance of the Winter War. The style is one that viewers have come to expect from documentaries. The overall history is well told and periodically punctuated with the minutia of personal accounts from those who fought and lived it. A narration opens the documentary and explains the events which caused the conflict: Stalins fears that St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) might be vulnerable to an attack via Finland through the Karelian Isthmus. The documentary then moves deftly to a more personal perspective, such an the interview with Jack Hasey, the American who voluntarily founded the Iroquois Ambulance Corps, and shuttled wounded Finnish soldiers to medical care. Clear, polished graphics show the strategic plan of advance of the 14th, 7th, and 8th Soviet Armies as they attempted to crush Finland within two weeks. Other graphics are used to explain the tactics used. These are reminiscent of the high quality views that gamers have come to expect from top shelf first-person shooters such as Call of Duty, Red Orchestra, and Battlefield 1942 and even those viewers who lack an appreciation of military tactics will find them interesting and informative. Further bolstering the story are interviews with military professionals, narrations of contemporary documents, and historians, of whom Bill Trotter is prominently featured. His easy, almost casual recollection of the history and his ability to encapsulate it into an intelligent, accessible format draws the cameras attention repeatedly. It is evident from his knowledge that he could have single-handedly narrated the entire documentary, and he nearly does so. I would estimate he appears in about half the time that any expert accounts are shown, and at times he is a part of the glue which holds the documentary together. The mixture of a birds eye view of history and personal trivia (for instance, the Winter War was where the moniker Molotov Cocktail originated) makes for a compelling and informative documentary. My personal interest is in the area of military history, and if I had to find a blemish in Fire and Ice, it would be that there was perhaps a bit too much emphasis on the wars impact on the home front. The impact of the war on the Finns was not insignificant and should not be dismissed. The story of the home front is important, should be told, and makes the documentary accessible to a broader audience than just military history buffs. It is also quite compelling, and despite my preference, I found the story of the home front interesting and moving. These personal accounts help to place the impact of the conflict in both human and military terms. The story is well-balanced and viewers will come away with a solid appreciation and knowledge of the military and historical significance of the Winter War. The Winter War is a conflict that is intimately tied with World War II. It was made possible by the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and the Soviets abysmal performance in the Winter War was a decisive factor in convincing Germany to launch Operation Barbarossa. I would highly recommend Fire and Ice to anyone with an interest in World War II. It fills a gap in history that is both significant and nearly forgotten and it does so in a riveting and informative manner. The DVD which I reviewed is about 12 minutes longer than that which is airing on public television stations. Anyone who cannot view the public broadcast, or who wants to obtain the longer version can purchase it from the producers website, or even view a brief trailer from that same site. Both the Fire and Ice DVD and Bill Trotters A Frozen Hell can be purchased at the website, and special bundled pricing is available for anyone interested in both the book and the DVD.

记述苏芬战争前线几个普通芬兰士兵的经历，以此告诉人们，弱国芬兰敢于抵抗俄国红军侵略的精神力量究竟来自何处？ 　　 　　Russia attacked Finland in late November 1939. This film tells the story of a Finnish platoon of reservists from the municipality of Kauhava in the province of Pohjanmaa/Osttrobottnia who leave their homes and go to war. The film focuses on the farmer brothers Martti and Paavo Hakala.

记述苏芬战争前线几个普通芬兰士兵的经历，以此告诉人们，弱国芬兰敢于抵抗俄国红军侵略的精神力量究竟来自何处？ 　　 　　Russia attacked Finland in late November 1939. This film tells the story of a Finnish platoon of reservists from the municipality of Kauhava in the province of Pohjanmaa/Osttrobottnia who leave their homes and go to war. The film focuses on the farmer brothers Martti and Paavo Hakala.

故事发生在人类与龙共存的虚幻世界中，暴虐的火龙让整个国家陷入了苦难和危险之中，为了保护自己的子民，国王奥古斯都（阿诺德·沃斯洛 Arnold Vosloo 饰）不得不放弃了国家尊严，被邻国吞并成为了其附庸。对于父亲的决定，公主路易斯（艾米·阿克 Amy Acker 饰） 十分反感，在她的信念里，逃避不是长久之计，只有奋起反击，才能获得最终的胜利。 　　路易斯想要寻找传说中的屠龙骑士，却找到了他的儿子盖伯里欧（汤姆·威斯多姆 Tom Wisdom 饰）。盖伯里欧唤醒了沉睡多年的冰龙，它是火龙最为强劲的对手，与此同时，在蛛丝马迹之间，路易斯公主发现，所有一切的不幸并非偶然，而是有人蓄意所为。

老人每天冒着大雪带着鱼缸出门，垂钓放生，放生垂钓。回家后，喝一碗冒着热气的粥，吃几个土豆，然后对着墙壁上亡妻年轻时的照片发呆。睡前帮亡妻的枕头被褥铺好，躺下来翻来覆去睡不着。有一天，老人在风雪路上救了一只奄奄一息的小鸟，小鸟从此不走，吱吱喳喳绕在他身边飞，成为老人的玩伴。天寒地冻，小鸟饥饿，老人杀了鱼喂小鸟。不知从哪里来了一个小孩，一直想抓老人的小鸟玩耍。在接触下来，小孩渐渐成为老人的精神依靠，老人又烤了小鸟给小孩吃。最后，小孩因为老人而罹难，老人最终卧床病逝，化成一只鸟飞向大雪山 。

老人每天冒着大雪带着鱼缸出门，垂钓放生，放生垂钓。回家后，喝一碗冒着热气的粥，吃几个土豆，然后对着墙壁上亡妻年轻时的照片发呆。睡前帮亡妻的枕头被褥铺好，躺下来翻来覆去睡不着。有一天，老人在风雪路上救了一只奄奄一息的小鸟，小鸟从此不走，吱吱喳喳绕在他身边飞，成为老人的玩伴。天寒地冻，小鸟饥饿，老人杀了鱼喂小鸟。不知从哪里来了一个小孩，一直想抓老人的小鸟玩耍。在接触下来，小孩渐渐成为老人的精神依靠，老人又烤了小鸟给小孩吃。最后，小孩因为老人而罹难，老人最终卧床病逝，化成一只鸟飞向大雪山 。

Synopsis: 　　Julien et son preneur de son, Michel, tournent à Bruges un documentaire de commande. Julien rêve au film qu'il pourrait tourner dans cette ville mystérieuse: une adaptation de Shakespeare ou de Musset. Le rejoint bientôt Sophie, sa femme, ancienne comédienne, qui souffre de la distance que Julien semble mettre dans leurs rapports. Bientôt, à une exposition de peinture, elle rencontre un artiste qu'elle voit sous les traits de Julien et qui l'invite à venir visiter Florence. Elle confie à Michel ses tourments. Julien, de son côté, vient d'accepter la proposition de son producteur: réaliser une "histoire" avec des "personnages" et, pourquoi pas, des "vedettes"... Alors qu'elle semblait décidée à suivre l'inconnu, Sophie se jette dans les bras de Julien. Le metteur en scène qui tourne un film intitulé "L'hiver" demande une nouvelle prise. Pour la seconde fois, Sophie se jette dans les bras de Julien. Le peintre inconnu s'en va... 　　© Fiches du Cinéma 　　“One could spend forever unraveling this endless net, so tightly woven with signs and echoes, which becomes richer with every viewing. Hanoun’s formal investigation of the fragment and the (almost subliminal) flash frame, of very slightly altered variations and repetitions, which he applies to situation as much as to dialogue (often repeated, either within the same shot or from a different angle) reveals something of the interiority of film, of its creator’s unconscious, which becomes that of his characters. This structural resemblance to a Russian nesting doll should not confuse; it’s rather the contrary of this detachment with which the film ends. The more Hanoun compresses his dreams of dreams within dreams (films), the closer he gets to intimacy.” 　　-Emeric de Lastens (Re:Voir)

While working on a documentary about the city of Bruges, an artistically frustrated filmmaker must deal with the increasing difficulties in his marriage.

在寒冷的东北，狩猎家族会世代在此居住。一个出生猎户的小男孩似乎与这片森林有着秘而不宣的联系，当父亲的猎杀行为使他心生抵触而无法阻止时，男孩与父亲之间紧张的关系就像寒冬的积雪越来越厚难以融化。直到小男孩一个天真的行为最终改变了两个人的命运。

Synopsis: 　　Julien et son preneur de son, Michel, tournent à Bruges un documentaire de commande. Julien rêve au film qu'il pourrait tourner dans cette ville mystérieuse: une adaptation de Shakespeare ou de Musset. Le rejoint bientôt Sophie, sa femme, ancienne comédienne, qui souffre de la distance que Julien semble mettre dans leurs rapports. Bientôt, à une exposition de peinture, elle rencontre un artiste qu'elle voit sous les traits de Julien et qui l'invite à venir visiter Florence. Elle confie à Michel ses tourments. Julien, de son côté, vient d'accepter la proposition de son producteur: réaliser une "histoire" avec des "personnages" et, pourquoi pas, des "vedettes"... Alors qu'elle semblait décidée à suivre l'inconnu, Sophie se jette dans les bras de Julien. Le metteur en scène qui tourne un film intitulé "L'hiver" demande une nouvelle prise. Pour la seconde fois, Sophie se jette dans les bras de Julien. Le peintre inconnu s'en va... 　　© Fiches du Cinéma 　　“One could spend forever unraveling this endless net, so tightly woven with signs and echoes, which becomes richer with every viewing. Hanoun’s formal investigation of the fragment and the (almost subliminal) flash frame, of very slightly altered variations and repetitions, which he applies to situation as much as to dialogue (often repeated, either within the same shot or from a different angle) reveals something of the interiority of film, of its creator’s unconscious, which becomes that of his characters. This structural resemblance to a Russian nesting doll should not confuse; it’s rather the contrary of this detachment with which the film ends. The more Hanoun compresses his dreams of dreams within dreams (films), the closer he gets to intimacy.” 　　-Emeric de Lastens (Re:Voir)