Based on famed Finnish author, F.E. Silanpaa's novel - in English, 'People in the Summer Night' (book= 'Ode to ..'), this is actually more about a day in the life, to provide an almost quasi documentary like take - e.g. shot seemingly all on genuine locations - on what Finnish country life was probably like in pre / post second world war times - (it was released in '48, but the book was written in '34: in any case, war doesn't seem to have touched it e.g. with late thirties - Volvo? - car used) - to encompass in such a short time span, birth, death, romance, lust and tragedy (and more: of course, being a Finnish film, inebriation - and its consequences - just has to be included, too!): and that also all delivered in only just over an hour's screentime telling.
In this short time, populated by a raft* of village locals, who surely if not mostly amateurs bringing across even more of the quasi-documentary feel, some of the this era's Finnish mores are put on display - verging on taking aback (uskomatonta!) innuendo at times**:
as like the presumably middle class lad - (he's the only one with a - the aformentioned - car: otherwise it's pony and traps, even if your wife urgently needs a midwife from as far away as the next village!) - wooing the slightly better off (they have a maid! And 300 hectares!) countryside homestead lass; at the other end, the local drunkard who - shockingly (no plot spoilers here; for I could never have expected that, despite in hindsight, being foreshadowed by ominously traditional sheathed puukko (knife!) on conspicious display!) gets his (surely totally unfair, too?) come-uppance; plus a dedicated, but slightly befuddled loyal expectant father hubby (he of the pony and trap excusion); along with another opposite, a single(?) buxom beauty (Kaisu Leppanen) who - pre-sexist times - tolerates - or rather, actually actively entices (she thoughtfully leaves the door ajar!) - the landlord's beer-breathed bedroom banter overtures in pursuit to purchase her croft (check how the director Valentin Vaala presumably directed her to facially emote on his exit ...) - although there, in any case, what was she thinking (we can guess, coz it can influence the crofter cost instalments!), for, anyhow, it was her who supplied the local intoxicant! (The 'mead', as translated into English, although original Finnish it's actually 'sahti', the local notoriously strong rye beer!);
oh and of course, plus the 'star' troublesome outsider interloper: * coz pun intended, as the foppishly almost impossibly chiselled features handsome Martti Katajisto, playing one of those lumberjack river log riders ("drivers"), also notorious for their riverside love 'em and leave 'em lothario inclinations - check his chat up of the local kitten stroking (uncredited, unfortunately) wench - but who eventually goes on a monologue, suddenly incongruously / contrarily heavy with homoerotic overtones, eventually ending in a spectacular emote to Mother! Anyway, so moving, he won the nation's acting award. ** e.g. so what's with (going on!), while the doctor's away, having left his daughter (or was she his young wife?) alone there, the two lads that then insouciantly swan outta his house ....?!
All of these exploits are interlaced with gorgeous countryside scenery longueur shots: (cinematographer Eino Heino: interesting note: author Silanpaa had apparently advised director Vaala, that the main star (character) could only, must, be the summer night alone): so much so that you can almost imagine the real lush colours otherwise lost to the monochrome, of sunset/rises, symbolically heavy blooming of flowers, as romance is similarly 'brewing', waving grain fields with their ears of rye first drooping, but then manhandled upright (erect?!), shown at just the appropriate time to telegraph the plotline meaningfully in its oh so brief duration timeslot.
Great fun and quite sweetly charming (pity the local lush, though :-( ).
In this short time, populated by a raft* of village locals, who surely if not mostly amateurs bringing across even more of the quasi-documentary feel, some of the this era's Finnish mores are put on display - verging on taking aback (uskomatonta!) innuendo at times**:
as like the presumably middle class lad - (he's the only one with a - the aformentioned - car: otherwise it's pony and traps, even if your wife urgently needs a midwife from as far away as the next village!) - wooing the slightly better off (they have a maid! And 300 hectares!) countryside homestead lass; at the other end, the local drunkard who - shockingly (no plot spoilers here; for I could never have expected that, despite in hindsight, being foreshadowed by ominously traditional sheathed puukko (knife!) on conspicious display!) gets his (surely totally unfair, too?) come-uppance; plus a dedicated, but slightly befuddled loyal expectant father hubby (he of the pony and trap excusion); along with another opposite, a single(?) buxom beauty (Kaisu Leppanen) who - pre-sexist times - tolerates - or rather, actually actively entices (she thoughtfully leaves the door ajar!) - the landlord's beer-breathed bedroom banter overtures in pursuit to purchase her croft (check how the director Valentin Vaala presumably directed her to facially emote on his exit ...) - although there, in any case, what was she thinking (we can guess, coz it can influence the crofter cost instalments!), for, anyhow, it was her who supplied the local intoxicant! (The 'mead', as translated into English, although original Finnish it's actually 'sahti', the local notoriously strong rye beer!);
oh and of course, plus the 'star' troublesome outsider interloper: * coz pun intended, as the foppishly almost impossibly chiselled features handsome Martti Katajisto, playing one of those lumberjack river log riders ("drivers"), also notorious for their riverside love 'em and leave 'em lothario inclinations - check his chat up of the local kitten stroking (uncredited, unfortunately) wench - but who eventually goes on a monologue, suddenly incongruously / contrarily heavy with homoerotic overtones, eventually ending in a spectacular emote to Mother! Anyway, so moving, he won the nation's acting award. ** e.g. so what's with (going on!), while the doctor's away, having left his daughter (or was she his young wife?) alone there, the two lads that then insouciantly swan outta his house ....?!
All of these exploits are interlaced with gorgeous countryside scenery longueur shots: (cinematographer Eino Heino: interesting note: author Silanpaa had apparently advised director Vaala, that the main star (character) could only, must, be the summer night alone): so much so that you can almost imagine the real lush colours otherwise lost to the monochrome, of sunset/rises, symbolically heavy blooming of flowers, as romance is similarly 'brewing', waving grain fields with their ears of rye first drooping, but then manhandled upright (erect?!), shown at just the appropriate time to telegraph the plotline meaningfully in its oh so brief duration timeslot.
Great fun and quite sweetly charming (pity the local lush, though :-( ).
