Simply Perfect

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

TREASURES OF THE SNOW is a long-forgotten independent family film, made in Britain and shot in Switzerland. The story is about a put-upon kid who accidentally causes a near-fatal accident and subsequently finds himself ostracised from society as a result. He eventually is forgiven after undergoing a journey of understanding and friendship. This is very much a morality play with Christian undertones and a lot of innocent talk and character development that may feel a bit twee to the cynical mindset of a modern viewer. It's okay, but a bit overlong and a bit talky.

I have never read the book, but I have watched this film several times. It is a wonderful story about a young boy who makes a poor decision that affects another young boy and his family in a big way. It contains valuable Christian messages of the importance of forgiveness, honesty and redemption.I am not sure which film user "ksneath" watched, but there is no synthesized music whatsoever in this film. Perhaps they confused the sound of a bass guitar and simple drums with a synthesizer. They could have chosen a better score, but I did not find the music distracting any more than other late 70's early 80's scores. However, ksneath suggests that the film would have been better with no soundtrack at all, and I would agree. User "rabbitmoon" does not seem to be able to recognize that this story was written in a different time. Even as late as the film was created, in 1980, the times were still different. I was seven years old in 1980 and the interaction between the young boy and the old wood carver were accurate depictions of similar relationships that I had with elders near me. Rabbitmoon takes umbrage with the fact that the old man confessed to having robbed a bank many years ago. What the user seems to miss is the fact that the old man confesses his crime to the boy in order to teach him a lesson about right, wrong, restitution and redemption. This is a Christian film and such themes are the heart of the Gospel; forgiveness and salvation for sinners (i.e. people who have made very bad decisions). Moses was a murderer as was Paul (Saul), the hunter of Christians before his conversion.There were two old men in my neighborhood that I spent a great deal of time with. They both taught me things about working with wood and I had spent much time in their basement shops or back yards; even going to lumberyards with them. I knew one by his last name and I didn't know the other man's name and my parents never met either of them, but they knew that I was spending time with them. I was seven or eight years old when I met those men.The old man in the film was a mentor and friend to the boy and their interactions were completely appropriate. It can only be interpreted otherwise by younger people who have no memories of those more innocent times.

those of you who watch this film and dismiss it because its 25 years old, has irritating music and isn't up to our 21st century film standards, i urge you to read the book. Treasures of the snow is a beautiful book, one of my favourite childhood memories was my mother reading it to me. It's an all ages classic, don't let your experience be spoiled by the outdated movie! The book is by Patricia St. John, a Christian author, I read all her books as a kid. Even if you didn't like the movie, still read the book! I found the movie pretty disappointing, even though it did follow the story quite well, but you can probably get the book on ebay for a few dollars, and it's worth it!

The film does not ring the bell to a lot of people, most of us probably hear the title, TREASURES OF THE SNOW, for the first time. Yesterday, on Christmas night, I found out that a Polish TV is broadcasting this film. I saw some part of it as a child but did not remember it well enough. And with some curiosity, I sat on my chair and, being not particularly knowledgeable of the film, I did not expect great experience. It was going to be nothing more than a sheer relaxation for the moody Christmas evening. Nevertheless, the action of the film, its wonderful scenery, and foremost, its particularly touching moral, involved me entirely.TREASURES OF THE SNOW (1980) is a story of children who live in a Swiss countryside. The film starts in "media res", we see children arriving at a small train station and a 14 year- old boy reflecting on his guilt, nervous and striking not to be noticed. Soon comes a much earlier moment and the whole film explains the beginning. Dani (Timothy Fleetwood) and Lucien (Paul Dean) are friends. Once, when they are in a forest, Lucien teases Dani by taking his sweet little kitten and putting it in a rock hole. Desperate Dani tries to save the kitten and accidentally falls from a rocky mountain. That is the beginning of their tragedy. Dani's leg is broken so seriously that there is no entire cure for him, Lucien is "cursed" and considered an "evil maker" by many villagers, particularly by Dani's sister Annette (Carey Born) and his class mates ... he does not know how to live and be happy. But destiny does not punish him as severely as most people do. He once meets a man who teaches him the art of craftsman. He begins to sculpt animals of wood and soon his works are appreciated by many people. However, seeing Dani limp and having his guilt all the time before his eyes does not allow him to live. The bad atmosphere is intensified by Dani's sister who finds every chance to take revenge on Lucien. In this desperate situation, there comes a moment of forgiveness, a moment of redress, a moment which lightens their lives without exception... But I won't say the end because watching the film would never be the surprise it should be...SOME ADVANTAGES: The cast mostly consist of young people and children, but they play quite well. I found their performances pretty natural and moving. The scenery of the beautiful mountains and calm Swiss villages provides a very peaceful mood to the whole film. For people who like such sentimental films set in Austrian or Swiss countryside (one of such was a wonderful musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC from 1965), this film is a must see. But foremost, these are moving moments and profound religious (Christian) conclusions that make the film particularly memorable for believers. Consider, for instance, Annette's prayer to God when she needs help. Doesn't it teach us to have open hearts?...POSSIBLE SPOILER: I know that the film may seem barely artistic. This is, of course, no masterpiece. There are many other films of this genre which deserve more attention. Sometimes, the action is deadly slow, cinematography is quite weak; the whole film may seem quite limited as to the kind of viewers. Nevertheless, it also does have something to offer, something precious that you probably won't find elsewhere. It is very moral in a beautiful, appealing way.I recommend seeing TREASURES OF THE SNOW, particularly to children and teenagers. It is a very sentimental, moral lesson of redress and forgiveness (which are most appealing when not separated from each other). And it shows one important fact - it is better to leave judgment to Somebody Else who knows better than we do rather than punish others so quickly and so easily. Good film!