Ariel (1988)

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki (writer)

Release Date:

October 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

The movie tells the story of Taisto Kasurinen, a finnish coal miner whose father has just committed...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Coal Miner | Prison | Suicide | Escaped Convict

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Turo Pajala	...	Taisto Kasurinen
Susanna Haavisto	...	Irmeli Pihlaja
Matti Pellonpää	...	Mikkonen
Eetu Hilkamo	...	Riku
Erkki Pajala	...	Kaivosmies
Matti Jaaranen	...	Pahoinpitelijä
Hannu Viholainen	...	Apuri
Jorma Markkula	...	Prikkamies
Tarja Keinänen	...	Nainen Satamassa
Eino Kuusela	...	Mies rannalla
Kauko Laalo	...	Asuntolanhoitaja
Jyrki Olsonen	...	Mies Asuntolassa
Esko Nikkari	...	Autokauppias
Marja Packalén	...	Tuomari (as Marja Packalen)
Mikko Remes	...	Vankilalääkäri
Tomi Salmela	...	Vartija
Reijo Marin	...	Vartija
Heikki Salomaa	...	Vartija
Veikko Uusimäki	...	Pormestari
Esko Salminen	...	Roisto
Hannu Kivisalo	...	Portieeri
Pekka Wilen	...	Laivuri
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Vartija (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Aki Kaurismäki

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Aki Kaurismäki		writer

Produced by
Aki Kaurismäki	....	producer

Original Music by
Bill Casey
Melrose
Rauli Somerjoki
Taisto Tammi
Olavi Virta

Cinematography by
Timo Salminen

Film Editing by
Raija Talvio

Production Design by
Risto Karhula

Costume Design by
Tuula Hilkamo

Production Management
Erkki Lume	....	unit manager
Jaakko Talaskivi	....	production manager
Heikki Ukkonen	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pauli Pentti	....	assistant director

Art Department
Simo Sulva	....	property master

Sound Department
Veikko Aaltonen	....	sound assistant
Jouko Lumme	....	sound
Kjell Westman	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Marja-Leena Helin	....	still photographer
Juuso Hirvikangas	....	gaffer
Timo Markko	....	assistant camera
Mikko Mattila	....	gaffer
Heikki Ortamo	....	assistant camera
Olli Varja	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sirkka Rautiainen	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Outi Hyytinen	....	assistant editor
Pirjo Laivuori	....	color grader
Timo Nousiainen	....	color grader
Leena Palmu	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Dmitri Shostakovich	....	composer: additional music (as Dimitri Shostakovitch)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky	....	composer: additional music (as Pjotr Tshaikovski)

Other crew
Haije Alanoja	....	production secretary
Erkki Astala	....	publicist
Marja-Leena Helin	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Finnish Film Foundation
• Villealfa Filmproduction Oy

Distributors

• Filmcoopi Zürich (19??) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Pandora Film Verleih (1989) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Al!ve AG (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (as Aki Kaurismäki Collection I)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Eclipse from the Criterion Collection (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Finnkino
• Future Film (2013) (Finland) (DVD)
• Kino International (1990) (USA) (subtitled)
• Stadtkino Verleih (Austria)

Other Companies

• Filmmixarna AB  sound mixing

Also Known As:

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | Iceland:L | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12

Company:

Finnish Film Foundation

Trivia:

Aki Kaurismäki wrote the script over a weekend.

Quotes:

Irmeli Katariina Pihlaja:[Taisto and Irmeli have just been on their first date] What shall we do now?
Taisto Olavi Kasurinen:Let's get married and have a child.
Irmeli Katariina Pihlaja:I already have a child.
Taisto Olavi Kasurinen:That's good. We'll spare some time.
Irmeli Katariina Pihlaja:Are you always so self-confident?
Taisto Olavi Kasurinen:This is the first time.

Movie Connections:

Features High Sierra (1941)

Soundtrack:

Symphony No. 9 in E flat major

Emotional turmoil of marginal characters from small towns who emerge victorious against all odds

A new trend has emerged in world cinema which consists of portraying marginal characters from small towns who are unable to make better lives for themselves.It has been appreciated both by critics as well as ordinary film lovers as they are fed up of imaginary tales about urban centers which are nothing but an eyewash.Many filmmakers from Europe have explored this trend in their films in order to give audiences worldwide a realistic dose of humanity coupled with realism.Ariel is one such film directed by maverick Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki whose films have always made a point to portray harsh socio economic realities of Finland.Ariel is a film with universal sense of purpose as by depicting human mobility,a challenging film about a primitive human instinct has been filmed.Aki Kaurismaki shows us how his protagonist Taisto Kasurinen battles all odds to gain love,respect and trust in his difficult life full of unexpected challenges.A curious element that must be noted by an astute viewer about Ariel is that it is not at all a thriller film although rapid succession of events might suggest such a plausibility.There is a place for every possible genre in Ariel.We see comedy,drama and thriller all at the same time interspersed with natural beauty of icy Finnish landscape which has been popularized due to films by Aki Kaurismaki and his equally charismatic filmmaker brother Mika Kaurismaki.