This movie does not offer great cinematography or breathtaking special effects. But it does offer echoes from more innocent times. It is a simple love story, one that has been told many times and will be told many more times. It happens in the beginning of the 20th century, when Nicholas II tried to tie Finland tighter to Russia. The story doesn't go deep in the historical facts, but it is accurate.
The songs are quite good, in a musical sort of way. The singers are good too. Vesa-Matti Loiri and Anneli Saaristo do their own singing, of course, and Nina Tapio does Ella's singing.
This movie is an old-fashioned musical, where the fairytale feeling is more important than realism. Don't be too critical and you'll find that it gives you a warm feeling, even moves you.