Calamari Union (1985)

An exodus to a better life in Eira

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki

Stars:

Timo Eränkö, Kari Heiskanen, Asmo Hurula

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timo Eränkö	...	Frank
Kari Heiskanen	...	Frank
Asmo Hurula	...	Frank
Sakke Järvenpää	...	Frank
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Frank Armoton (as Saku Kuosmanen)
Dave Lindholm	...	Mies rannalla
Mikko Mattila	...	Frank
Pate Mustajärvi	...	Frank
Tuomari Nurmio	...	Taksikuski (as Hannu Nurmio)
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius	...	Frank
Matti Pellonpää	...	Frank
Pertti Sveholm	...	Frank
Martti Syrjä	...	Frank
Pantse Syrjä	...	Frank
Markku Toikka	...	Pekka

Storyline

Fourteen desperate men named Frank, band together to escape from a repressive section of Helsinki. An English-speaking non-Frank named Pekka joins the barroom conspirators, whose avoidance of last names, and any affect, help them outsmart overwhelming forces as they sneak through dark subway tunnels and alleys, hoping against despair to reach magical seaside Eira. The Calamari Unionists take advantage of unending night to venture their intrepid journey.

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Plot Keywords:

alley | tunnel | subway | journey | city | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish English Spanish

Release Date:

8 February 1985 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Calamari Union

Filming Locations:

Eira, Helsinki, Finland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Villealfa Filmproduction Oy

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Near the end of the movie, a character says: "The mother's sure going to forgive us yet." Exactly the same dialogue line is heard in Mika Kaurismäki's film "Klaani", which premiered a few months before this one.

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Goofs

The Director is seen in reflection of Frank's (Sakke Järvenpää) sunglasses in "My friend got sick, can you help us" scene.

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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. Not to mention the bad air conditioning in the busses with their irregular timetables. In this part of the city there are more hills than anywhere else in the world. Loose-running kids and dogs make it impossible to move in the ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Keskiyön auringon kuvat (1987)

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Soundtracks

Valkovuokot
Composed by Kaarlo Valkama
Lyrics by Usko Kemppi
Arranged by Kaarlo Valkama
Performed by Olavi Virta and Kalevi Hartti's Orchestra
Vocals: Olavi Virta
From the record:
Olavi Virta (Triola, T-4039, 9.1.1952)

User Reviews

Weird and funny...

Aki Kaurismäki's career began with the masterpiece Crime & Punishment. However, instead of making something similar immediately afterwards, he chose to follow it with an unconventional, black and white satire, Calamari Union.

The film begins in a bar, a pivotal place in Kaurismaki's movies. It is here we first meet our sixteen protagonists: fifteen men (including Matti Pellonpää, Kari Väänänen and Sakari Kuosmanen) all named Frank (apparently, the director was too lazy to come up with different names for everyone) and a guy named Pekka (Markku Toikka). These people represent the lowlife of Helsinki and, aware of this fact, they decide to go to Eira, the decent part of the city. The journey is described as if it were perilous, and in fact things will take unexpected turns.

Calamari Union is a strange film, as it doesn't follow the rules of conventional plotting. What we see is rather a series of separate, quite amusing incidents involving the Franks and Pekka, the dry, very Finnish humor being an anticipation of Kaurismäki's musical satire Leningrad Cowboys Go America (speaking of music, there's an interesting use of the song Stand By Me - a year ahead of Rob Reiner's eponymous movie).

This may not be the kind of movie people watch on a regular basis, but once it's been seen, it doesn't escape your memory. Perfect for a "different" cinema experience.