Though it received a warm reception at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Festival, questions were raised about this family saga somewhat in the style of Edna Ferber. Chunks of the plot seemed to be missing, as if a three hour film had suddenly been edited down to two hours. This left the movie with a somewhat sketchy quality since several developments in the story were left unexplained or unexplored. Where, for example, did Hanna get that wad of American money which she used to buy land back in Finland? Was her hotel in Telluride, Colorado, such a conspicuous success? Why, indeed, did she come back to Finland after the murder of her husband? The large and attractive cast performed well though some actors didn't seem to effectively "age" with the passage of time and there was occasional confusion as viewers tried to match the grown-up actors with their childhood counterparts. Visually, the movie is pleasing to the eye with a splendid combination of sets, costumes, and outstanding color photography.
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