Siltalan pehtoori (1953)

movie

(61)

Country: Finland
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release: 1953-11-06
Director: Valentin Vaala
Writers: Usko Kemppi , Harald Selmer-Geeth , Valentin Vaala
Language: Finnish
Stars: Helena Vinkka , Erkki Viljos , Oiva Sala , Ari Laine , Pirkko Karppi , Maija Karhi , Toini Vartiainen , Leo Riuttu , Matti Aulos , Senni Nieminen
Runtime: 92 min
Awards: N/A
AKA: Siltalan pehtoori (Finland)
Plot: The 1934 film version of the 1903 novel Inspektorn på Siltala was one of the most successful Finnish films of its era, so the studio was eager to remake the story in the 1950s, hoping to repeat the popularity. The story deals with romances in the Finnish countryside's bright summer nights: a handsome agronomist Paulio (Erkki Viljos) has been hired to sort out the financial problems of a large farm called Siltala, and upon arriving he immediately catches they eye of the young maids as well as the ruling class. Despite initial awkwardness, Paulio soon grows close to Lilli Lind (Helena Vinkka), the widowed owner of the farm, who is also the object of the affections of a rivaling suitor, a flamboyant lieutenant Hugo Mandelcrona (Oiva Sala).Valentin Vaala directed several good films over the course of his long career, but Siltalan pehtoori is not among them. Notably, the lead couple doesn't seem to have much on-screen chemistry in their scenes; Viljos' character has been written so overly righteous and brisk that we aren't left with much of a personality to get interested in, and Lilli feels cold and too serious all the way through to be credible as a romantic lead. With such a vanilla male hero, the show is easily stolen by Miina and Liina (Maija Karhi and Pirkko Karppi), the working class maids of Siltala, whose opposing personalities and rivalries about a farmhand called Aaretti (Ari Laine) provide a much more interesting story to follow. On the other hand, the effeminate Hugo character with a strong foreign accent is just annoying for the most part and gets way too much screen time, despite the amusingly Peter Lorre-like appearance of Oiva Sala.Vaala's direction is not at its best either, as exemplified by the awkward lack of non-diegetic music during long periods of time and the general incompatibility of the serious romance scenes and the folksy comedy moments. However, the scenery is beautifully photographed and makes the audience wish more of the plot would take place outdoors. In any case, even if the movie doesn't quite succeed as a dramatic commentary of class differences or a lighthearted comedy, it is not the worst of its kind – just not very memorable either.
IMDB:tt0046315