Katariina ja Munkkiniemen kreivi (1943)

Director:

Ossi Elstelä

Writers:

Nisse Hirn (writer)
Kaarina Viitainoja (novel)

Release Date:

31 January 1943 (Finland)

Genre:

Romance

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Regina Linnanheimo	...	Katariina
Leif Wager	...	Count Mauritz Armborg
Elsa Rantalainen	...	Countess Yvonne Armborg
Ester Toivonen	...	Countess Margareta Armborg
Sirkka Sipilä	...	Ingeborg Liliecrona
Eino Kaipainen	...	Elias Jahnukainen
Sasu Haapanen	...	Hans
Irja Kuusla	...	Eriikka
Aku Käyhkö	...	Count Liliecrona
Kaisu Leppänen	...	Elisabeth Gerhard
Hilly Lindqvist	...	Granny Jahnukainen
Liisa Nevalainen	...	Arviida
Verna Piponius	...	Countess Ebba Liliecrona
Jalmari Rinne	...	Count Fredrik Armborg
Yrjö Tuominen	...	Governor Gerhard

Also Known As:

Katarina och greven av Munksnäs (Finland: Swedish title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (2005) | Finland:S (1943) | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Espoo, Finland

Company:

Suomen Filmiteollisuus

Trivia:

The film was such a huge success in Finland that Hollywood got interested in it's leading actor Leif Wager. The MGM company contacted Wager's agent and asked for a copy of the film. This was sent, but the ship carrying the film reels was torpedoed on the Atlantic and Wager eventually stayed in Finland.

Soundtrack:

Romanssi

Leif Wager is the Count of Munkkiniemi

This film is a Finnish classic. In the 1940s Finland had two romantic leading men, Tauno Palo and Leif Wager and this is the film that established Leif Wager as the Finnish romantic leading man to the ranks of Tauno Palo. Palo was the more masculine whereas Wager was the sensitive young lover with European air.

The popular Finnish song Romanssi (Romance) was written for this film, and it was Leif Wager who first sang 'I love you more than anything, you are my heaven on earth...' to Regina Linnanaheimo in the garden of the Munkkiniemi estate.

Wager is Count Mauritz Armborg, the young master of the estate. Linnanheimo plays Katariina (Catherine) the nanny to Mauritz's nieces and nephews. The two fall in love and decide to escape to Italy via Denmark where they have planned to get married. There are always complications because Mauritz's grandmother doesn't want him to marry below him - she has decided that Mauritz is to marry the Swedish beauty, Ingeborg Liliecrona.

the plot twists and turns and both of our hero and heroine face hard times. Much happens before Mauritz can once more sing 'I love you more than anything to..' to Katariina.

This film was very popular in war-time Finland and is a Finnish film classic these days. It just needs to be released on DVD like so many other films.