I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

I saw the international version of Aleksandr Ptushko's "Sampo", re-titled "The Day the Earth Froze". I understand that the original Finnish version was longer and more coherent. I would like to see the original version. In the mean time, I only know the muddled international version. And as is probably the case with a lot of people, I learned it from "Mystery Science Theater 3000". The re-edited version with the names of the cast and crew changed was one of the many crummy movies that Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank forced Joel, Servo and Crow to watch. Among the famous people whom they reference are Caligula, Farrah Fawcett and David McCullough. The pop culture references include Rocky & Bullwinkle, Disco Inferno, and "The Shining". There's also a comment that retroactively has become a pop culture reference: one of the guys says "Let it go, Sven." So, the international version by itself is a zero, but MST3K's version is a ten. Those people who butchered the original movie never imagined their mangled version getting related to Ron Wood and "The Princess Bride".Conclusion: Attica!

My only exposure to Sampo (aka The Day the Earth Froze) comes by way of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I have an extensive collection of MST3K movies (almost 200) and of those the Russo-Finnish movies (Sampo, The Sword and Dragon, Jack Frost, et al) are among my favorites. They lend themselves to Mystification but are entertaining and, (dare I say it?) absorbing in and of themselves. They contain a quaint charm and stark moral values and despite their quirkiness, are entertaining. In a day and age in which we find serial killer 'good guys' and ambiguous moral lessons the old Russo-Finnish fairy tales are the preferred entertainment for this century's jaded child. This review is not about The Day the Earth Froze SPECIFICALLY but is merely a comment on the simple moral tales of the good-old-days. R.I.P.

This is one weird mama jama of a movie. It's based on some Russo-Finnish tale and involves some blonde hero, a damsel, an old crone witch and other people. Although strange, it has a very fantasy-like effect and was done back in 1959. Most films today try this and fail horribly (computer enhanced special EFX do not make a movie). My favorite part is when the witch chants SAMPO! SAMPO! SAMPO! Joel and the rest at Best Brains must've had the strangest looks on their faces when they covered this one.

Beautifully photographed Russo-Finnish goofiness about a witch who freezes the Earth after townsfolk steal her beloved Sampo. The question on most viewers' minds is, what the hell is Sampo? Oh, well. Make sure you see the MSTied version for the full goofy effect.