Calamari Union (1985)

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki (writer)

Release Date:

8 February 1985 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

An exodus to a better life in Eira |

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | People With Same Name

Cast

Timo Eränkö	...	Frank
Kari Heiskanen	...	Frank
Asmo Hurula	...	Frank
Sakke Järvenpää	...	Frank
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Frank Armoton (as Saku Kuosmanen)
Dave Lindholm	...	Homeless man
Mikko Mattila	...	Frank
Pate Mustajärvi	...	Frank
Tuomari Nurmio	...	Taxi driver / bum (as Hannu Nurmio)
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius	...	Frank
Matti Pellonpää	...	Frank
Martti Syrjä	...	Frank
Pantse Syrjä	...	Frank (as Mikko Syrjä)
Pertti Sveholm	...	Frank
Markku Toikka	...	Pekka

Runtime:

Sweden:84 min | USA:80 min

Country:

Finland

Language:

English | Finnish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Villealfa Filmproduction Oy

Trivia:

The lengthy monologue of Matti Pellonpää is an exact rendition of the poem "La grasse matinée", written by poet and screenwriter Jacques Prévert.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The Director is seen in reflection of Frank’s (Sakke Järvenpää) sunglasses in "My friend got sick, can you help us" scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Frank: Gentlemen! I don't want to tire you and especially myself by going through those many reasons which make life completely impossible in this part of the city. We all know the circumstances forced on us in our early years: crowded homes, ignorance and hunger...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Matka suomalaiseen elokuvaan: Kaupunkiblues (#1.3)" (2006)

Beautifully weird and funny

This is the only film I have seen in cinema twice in three days. I really loved it, it being very absurd. 17 Finnish-speaking men all named Frank, and one English-speaking(quite poorly) man named Pekka are on their way to the other side of the town -Eira, the escape from the dirty streets of Helsinki (where the night never seems to end), a task that turns out to be harder than one should expect.

This is the only film Kaurismäki has made either drunk or having a hangover, and he is not satisfied with it, but that shouldn't be a reason not to see it. It is very funny, and you ought to look out for details if you get the chance to see it, one example being a woman walking out from an airport, coming right out on a small street in the city.

Lots of dangerous grins, dark sunglasses, and no problems remembering the characters names. Great!