Sex Voyage

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When the Night Falls (1997)

Jürgen Woolf: When the Night Falls (FR 1997).

100527 / 18 / FR / 1997 / Woolf, Jürgen / / pornography

When the Night Falls / Private Gold 25 - When the Night Falls. PC: Milcap / Private / Max’s. D: Jürgen Woolf. CAST: Jade, Lenox, Roberto Malone, Philippe Dean. 90’ /25 fps/ PAL. English version, Swedish subtitles. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS projection Helsinki, VET, Monday 5 January 1998.

Private Stories 19 – Upstairs

Private Stories 19 – Upstairs (SE 1997, Milcap / Private / Max’s).

100528 / 18 / / 1997 / / / pornography Private Stories 19 – Upstairs. PC: Milcap / Private / Max’s. CAST: Katalyn. 82’ /25 fps/ PAL. English version, Swedish subtitles. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS projection Helsinki, VET, Monday 5 January 1998. Six episodes: Witchcraft, Upstairs, Ballgames, In the Picture, The Carpenter’s Workshop, Lucky Day.

Private Stories 26 – Unlimited

Private Stories 26 – Unlimited. Special Story starring Beata.

100529 / 18 / / 1997 / / / pornography Private Stories 26 – Unlimited. PC: Milcap / Private / Max’s. CAST: Beata. 94’ /25 fps/ PAL. English version, Swedish subtitles. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS projection Helsinki, VET, Monday 5 January 1998. Six episodes: Make Some Room For Me, Forest Gang, Unlimited, Celia, Champagne Shower, Vivienne & Nicolette.

Private Stories 27 – Galactic Girls

Private Stories 27 – Galactic Girls (1997) starring Silvia Saint.

100530 / 18 / / 1997 / / / pornography Private Stories 27 – Galactic Girls. PC: Milcap / Private / Max’s. CAST: Angelica, Regina. Silvia Saint. 76’ /25 fps/ PAL. English version with Swedish subtitles. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS projection Helsinki, VET, Monday 5 January 1998. Six episodes:
– Amongst Three
– The Pool
– Galactic Girls
– The Lover
– The Dancer
– The Sadist Chamber.

Triple X 29

Triple X 29 (SE/US 1997)

100531 / 18 / / 1997 / / / pornography

SE/US 1997. PC: Milcap / Private Media Group/ Max’s. 96’ /25 fps/ PAL. Sandy Black (as Petra Noir), Sandra Dark, Philippe Dean, Alain Deloin, Guy DiSilva, Frank Gun, Judith Kostner, Lennox, Nikki Lynn, Jonathan Morgan, Sean Rider, Silvia Saint, Lana Sands, Philippe Soine, Peggy Sue, Vanda, Eniko Wrabel (as Eniko), Andrew Youngman. English version with Swedish subtitles. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS projection Helsinki, VET, Monday 5 January 1998. Seven episodes: Where’s the Waitress, Eniko, Sandra, Rescue in Hawaii, The Antique Car, Backstage In Italy, Just Not Married.

Triple X 30

Triple X 30 (SE 1997).

100532 / 18 / / 1997 / / / pornography Triple X 30. PC: Milcap / Private / Max’s. 96’ /25 fps/ PAL. English version with Swedish subtitles. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS projection Helsinki, VET, Monday 5 January 1998. Seven episodes: Clarisse, Leather Lady, Nikky Anderson, We’re Not Gay, The Gynecologist, Backstage In Australia, Holiday Massage.

Some hard core porn videos were brought to the regular film classification process. Until November 1996 they had been banned, since then rated 18.

Triple X 31

100533 / 18 / / 1997 / / / pornography
Triple X 31. PC: Milcap / Private / Max’s. CAST: Erica Bella. 100’ /25 fps/ PAL. English version with Swedish subtitles. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS projection Helsinki, VET, Monday 5 January 1998. Seven episodes: Lingerie Design, Dominator, Don’t Mess With The Mob, Picking Flowers, Nastasy, Report From Costa Brava, What A Birthday.

Triple X 32

100534 / 18 / / 1997 / / / pornography
Triple X 32. PC: Milcap / Private / Max’s. 95’ /25 fps/ PAL. English version with Swedish subtitles. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS projection Helsinki, VET, Monday 5 January 1998. Seven episodes: The Ambulance, Angelica & Laura, South Africa, Home Sweet Home, Leader, Barcelona Erotic Film Festival, The Cabine.

Sokko

A-027826 / G / FI / 1997 / Koskinen, Susanna / documentary essay
Sokko / Blindfolded. © Kinotar Oy. P: Lasse Saarinen. D+SC+artwork: Susanna Koskinen. DP: Jouko Seppälä, Susanna Koskinen. Sound: Pietari Koskinen, Jaakko Nousiainen. ED: Mika Taanila. FEAT: Jyri Autio. 45’ /PAL/. DIST: Kinotar Oy. VHS projection in Helsinki, VET, Wednesday 4 February 1998. *** Jyri Autio was born blind. The film is a story of his quest of vision. The film itself is visionary, worth repeated viewing because of the exquisite blend of images and sounds.

Nosferatu (1988 Enno Patalas / ZDF restoration, Hans Erdmann score conducted by Berndt Heller)

F. W. Murnau: Nosferatu. Eine Symphonie des Grauens (DE 1922). Original poster art by Albin Grau.

011586 / 12 / DE / 1922 / Murnau, F. W. / / horror

Nosferatu. Eine Symphonie des Grauens / Nosferatu (video, TV). PC: Prana-Film. D: F. W. Murnau. SC: Henrik Galeen [based, unauthorized, on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker]. DP: Fritz Arno Wagner. AD+CO: Albin Grau. CAST: Max Schreck (Count Orlok, aka Nosferatu = Dracula), Gustav von Wangenheim (Hutter = Jonathan Harker), Greta Schröder (Ellen Hutter = Mina), Alexander Granach (Knock = Renfield), John Gottowt (Bulwer = Van Helsing). Silent b&w toned, cinema M by Hans Erdmann arranged by Berndt Heller conducting Symphonie-Orchester Graunke. 1967 m /18 fps/ 95’. 1988 restoration by Enno Patalas / Munich Film Museum. Image and music edited by ZDF. Finnish TV premiere Yleisradio TV2. Finnish subtitles by Marja Hannula. Viewed in Helsinki, Sunday 4 January 1998. **** Still haunting. This restored version is incomparably better than the one that was available before the 1980s. Maybe they could correct the instability of light definition. This is maybe the fifth different score I hear to Nosferatu. This music is no worse than the others, but I was grateful for the opportunity to turn it off. The film becomes more compelling in total silence. It has a strong structure, rhythm and harmony of its own. Perhaps a master composer could succeed with a soundtrack. Tod Browning’s Dracula had little music except the theme from Tshaikovski’s Swan Lake. Carl Th. Dreyer’s Vampyr, which has almost no dialogue at all, has an overwhelming score by Wolfgang Zeller. It’s either way. No compromise works.

Ivanhoe

037002 / 12 / GB / 1952 / Thorpe, Richard / romance / adventure
Ivanhoe / Ivanhoe (TV) / Ivanhoe - musta ratsastaja (cinema). PC: MGM British Studios. P: Pandro S. Berman. D: Richard Thorpe. SC: Noel Langley - based on the novel (1819) by Walter Scott. DP: Freddie Young. PD: Alfred Junge, Roger Furse. M: Miklos Rozsa. CAST: Robert Taylor (Ivanhoe), Elizabeth Taylor (Rebecca), Joan Fontaine (Rowena), George Sanders (De Bois-Guilbert). 107’. Technicolor. MPAA Production Code Seal 15505. Yleisradio TV2 PAL transmission. Viewed in Helsinki, Sunday 4 January 1998. **** In the same league with the Curtiz / Flynn The Adventures of Robin Hood. Excellent production with stirring cinematography, design and music. The actors relish their chivalrous / villainous dialogue. The emphasis on the antisemitic persecution and the witch-hunt trial fuels the story with authentic passion. Elizabeth Taylor (the Gentile who converted to Judaism in 1959) is hauntingly beautiful as Rebecca, maybe the all-time greatest Jewish princess. Her eyes burn a trace of profound accusation.

Kuningasjätkä / A Summer by the River

Markku Pölönen: Kuningasjätkä (FI 1998). Simo Kontio (Topi).

Sommaren vid älven. A-027824 / G / FI / 1998 / Pölönen, Markku / drama / comedy. © Fennada-Filmi. P: Kari Sara. D+SC: Markku Pölönen. DP: Kari Sohlberg. ”Yö kerran unhoa annoit” performed by Olavi Virta. CAST: Pertti Koivula, Simo Kontio, Esko Nikkari, Anu Palevaara, Peter Franzen, Sulevi Peltola, Vesa Mäkelä, Heikki Kujanpää. 85’. 1,85. DIST: Fennada-Filmi. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Tuesday 3 February 1998. *** In the mid-1950s in Eastern Finland the logrollers drive a large raft of logs along the river. The recently widowed Tenho joins them with his ten year old son. He becomes everyone’s laughing stock. The comedy of the hopelessly clumsy logroller’s turning into the King of the River is in homage to the Buster Keaton formula, which is a good act to follow. The humour is completely original, though. I still prefer Onnen maa (The Land of Happiness), but this is a first rate entertainment film, certain to become the blockbuster of the year in Finland in competition with Titanic.

Alien Resurrection

100570 / 16 / US / 1997 / Jeunet, Jean-Pierre / science fiction
Alien Resurrection / Alien - ylösnousemus. © 20th Century Fox. D: Jean-Pierre Jeunet. SC: Joss Whedon - based on characters by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. DP: Darius Khondji. CAST: Sigourney Weaver (Ripley), Winona Ryder (Call). Scope. DIST: Columbia TriStar Egmont Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Monday 2 February 1998. *** Fascinating expansion of the slowly evolving Alien saga. Two hundred years later, Ripley has been cloned. A bunch of pirates invade the space station where the alien species is being recreated. Among them is Call, who is revealed to be an android. More horror than science fiction, the film belongs to the best in recent memory. The whole does not make a lot of sense, but the individual images are striking, indeed.

Zazel

Philip Mond: Zazel (US 1997) with Sasha Vinni and Gina LaMarca.

100513 / 18 / USA / 1997 / Mond, Philip / / pornography
Zazel / Zazel. Zazel: Philip Mond's Scent of Love / Zazel: The Scent of Love [dvd title]. PC: Metro Pictures Inc. A Max’s release. D: Philip Mond. CAST: Sasha Vinni, Gina LaMarca, Nikie St. Gilles. 127’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection Helsinki, VET, Friday 2 January 1998.

Sex (1994)

100514 / 18 / USA / 1994 / Ninn, Michael / / pornography
Sex / Sex. PC: VCA Labs. A Max’s release. D: Michael Ninn. CAST: Sunset Thomas, Tiffany Million, Gerry Pike, Jon Dough. 103’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection Helsinki, VET, Friday 2 January 1998.

Lollipop Shoppe

100515 / 18 / USA / 199- / Powers, Ed / / pornography
Lollipop Shoppe / Smått och gott / Pikkumakeaa. PC: Ed Powers / Sin City Entertainment. A Max’s release. D: Luc Wilder. CAST: Lexi Eriksson, Stephanie Swift, Tom Byron, Bret Singer, Ed Powers. 82’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection Helsinki, VET Friday 2 January 1998.

Babewatch 7

100516 / 18 / USA / 1996 / Adams, Buck / / pornography
Babewatch 7 - Babewatch Nights / Babewatch 7. PC: Sin City Entertainment. A Max’s release. D: Buck Adams. CAST: Amber Lynn, Holly Body, Buck Adams, Alec Metro. 61’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection Helsinki VET Friday 2 January 1998.

Erotic Visions

100517 / 18 / USA / 1995 / Grant, Cameron / / pornography
Erotic Visions / Venus. PC: Ultimate Pictures. A Max’s release. D: Cameron Grant. CAST: Jessica James, Tammy Parks, Olivia, Jen Teal. 90’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection Helsinki VET Friday 2 January 1998.

Cover To Cover

100518 / 18 / USA / 199- / Armstrong, Brad / pornography
Cover To Cover / Sexobjekt. PC: Wicked Pictures. A Max’s release. D: Brad Armstrong. CAST: Jenna Jameson, P.J. Sparxx, Mark Davis, Gerry Pike. 83’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection Helsinki VET Friday 2 January 1998.

Antonio e Cleopatra / Antonio & Cleopatra / The Love Nights of Anthony and Cleopatra (1996, hard core)

Joe D'Amato: Antonio e Cleopatra / Antonio & Cleopatra / The Love Nights of Anthony and Cleopatra (IT 1996). Olivia del Rio (Cleopatra), Hakan Serbes (Antonio).

100519 / 18 / IT / 1996 / D’Amato, Joe / / pornography

Antonio & Cleopatra / Anthony & Cleopatra / Cleopatra. PC: Butterfly Motion Pictures. D: Joe D’Amato [Aristide Massaccesi]. CAST: Olivia Del Rio, Nicolette, Hakan Serbes, Francesco Mal Com. 94’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection in Helsinki, VET, Friday 2 January 1998.

Mask

100520 / 18 / US / 1993 / Thomas, Paul / / pornography

Mask / Wow! PC: Vivid Video. D: Paul Thomas. CAST: Lene Hefner, Brittany O’Connell, Mark Davis, Nick East. 74’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection Helsinki, VET, Friday 2 January 1998.

Rock’n’Roll Rocco

Rocco Siffredi: Rock'n'Roll Rocco (IT 1997) starring Rosa Caracciolo, Rocco Siffredi.

100521 / 18 / IT / 1997 / Siffredi, Rocco / / pornography
Rock’n’Roll Rocco / Backstage. PC: Rocco Siffredi Productions. D: Rocco Siffredi. CAST: Rocco Siffredi, Rosa Caracciolo, Anita Blond, Anita Dark. 109’ /25 fps/ PAL. DIST: Obsession Oy. VHS big screen projection in Helsinki VET Friday 2 January 1998.

America America (1998 viewing of a vintage print)

Elia Kazan: America America (US 1963). Stathis Giallelis (Stavros Topouzoglou).

069715 / 16 / US / 1963 / Kazan, Elia / / drama

The Anatolian Smile / America, America! [Finnish title] / Amerika Amerika [Swedish title]. © Athena Enterprises Corporation. P+D+SC: Elia Kazan - based on his novel. DP: Haskell Wexler. PD: Gene Callahan. M: Manos Hadjidakis. CAST: Stathis Giallelis (Stavros Topouzoglou), Frank Wolff (Vartan Damadian), Paul Mann (Aleko Sinnikoglou), Linda Marsh (Thomna Sinnikoglou), Katherine Balfour (Sophia Kebabian). B&w Academy. 168’. MPAA Production Code Seal 20621. 35 mm SEA / Warner Bros. print with fine definition, Finnish / Swedish subtitles. Viewed in Helsinki, SEA, Cinema Orion, Thursday 1 January 1998. **** Close to perfection, this a great drama of the emigration to America. It is 1896 in Turkey, where the Christian Greeks are oppressed by the Turkish Moslems. Stathis has to endure trials of Biblical dimensions to get to Ellis Island. He is robbed, beaten, shot, embezzled by a whore, almost wed for money, taken to a rich lady passenger’s lover, and finally almost driven mad. He tries his hand at various professions, from a carpet merchant to a shoeshine boy. The deep focus cinematography and the production design are profoundly authentic. Manos Hadjidakis provides another stirring score. The film is let down by the flat English-language dubbing and the lack of authentic background sounds. Stathis Giallelis is fine but the role would have needed to be filled by someone with the charisma of Brando.

THE BEST OF 1997

Edgardo Cozarinsky: Le Violon de Rothschild / Скрипка Ротшильда (FR/FI/CH/HU 1996).

The Best New Films Released In Finland In 1997
Ridicule
Le cinquième élément / The Fifth Element
When We Were Kings

The Best Old Films Released In Finland In 1997
La ley del deseo / The Law Of Desire
The Killer
Bullet In the Head

The Best Re-Releases In Finland In 1997
Star Wars Trilogy The Special Edition
Vertigo, restored version
Lady and the Tramp
Le Mépris / Contempt, restored version

The Best Finnish Films Of 1997
Today / Tänään (Eija-Liisa Ahtila)
Underwater Iceland / Vedenalainen Islanti (Marko Röhr)
Minerva (Simo Halinen)
David - Tales Of Honor and Shame / Daavid - tarinoita kunniasta ja häpeästä (Taru Mäkelä)

Bubbling Under - Worth Seeing
Shine
The English Patient
Surviving Picasso
Mars Attacks!
Cold Comfort Farm
Mother Night
One Fine Day
The Crucible
Private Parts
Batman & Robin
Donnie Brasco
Kolja / Kolya
Contact
Basquiat
Microcosmos

The Best Video Premiere of 1997
The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh / Nalle Puh (Walt Disney 1965 - 1977)

The Best Television Movie of 1997
Le Violon de Rothschild (Edgardo Cozarinsky)

The Best New Film at the Finnish Film Archive in 1997
Marcello Mastroianni: mi ricordo si io mi ricordo

The Best Film Event of 1997
Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone. Comparable to what opening the Dead Sea Scrolls means to a Biblical scholar. The first films of Friese-Greene (1890). The first definitive Edison retrospective. The first complete Griffith retrospective launched. The Birth of A Nation restored with an astounding symphony orchestra accompaniment.

Coming Attractions of 1998 examined in 1997
Titanic - true grandeur and nobility in the best blockbuster of the 1990s
Event Horizon - the best horror film of the year
Double Team - the best action film of the year: Tsui Hark, Van Damme and Dennis Rodman

Films One Was Supposed To Like in 1997
Lost Highway, Lone Star, L.A. Confidential, Sling Blade, (1998:) U Turn

The Spy In Black

V-003434 / G / GB / 1939 / Powell, Michael / war / spy

Spy In Black, The / Kaksoisagentti. PC: Harefield Productions; Alexander Korda. EX: Alexander Korda. D: Michael Powell. SC: Emeric Pressburger - based on the novel by J. Storer Clouston. PD: Vincent Korda. M: Miklos Rosza. CAST: Conrad Veidt (Captain Hardt), Valerie Hobson (Joan the Schoolmistress / spy). B&w Academy. 79’ /25 fps/ = 82’ /24 fps/. DIST: Finnkino. A timecoded PAL VHS big screen projection in Helsinki, VET, Wednesday, 31 December 1997. *** The first collaboration of the dynamic duo Powell & Pressburger. They were brought together by Alexander Korda, who had been developing this project before either were called. This is the first Finnish release of the film, never seen in Finnish cinemas, television, or video distribution before. It was not banned during WWII, but would have had it been submitted to the Finnish Film Chamber. The story takes place in Scotland during WWI in 1917. Conrad Veidt the German submarine captain meets Valerie Hobson the British contraband. It would probably look great on film. A part of Finnkino’s great Alexander Korda package to be released on video, this belongs to their true discoveries.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

100510 / 16 / US / 1997 / Gillespie, Jim / / horror

I Know What You Did Last Summer / Tiedän mitä teit viime kesänä. PC: Mandalay Entertainment. D: Jim Gillespie. SC: Kevin Williamson - based on the novel by Lois Duncan. Music selections include performances by Kula Shaker, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Offspring. CAST: Jennifer Love Hewitt (Julie James), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Helen Shivers), Ryan Philippe (Barry Cox), Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Ray Bronson). 102’. Scope. MPAA 35237. Rated R = 17. BBFC: 18. Finnish subtitles by Janne Staffans. DIST: Columbia TriStar Egmont Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Wednesday 31 December 1997. *** Strong horror picture follows the formulae of the slasher subgenre, but is distinguished by the interesting characterizations of the quartet of young friends. There is honesty and authentic detail in their relationships. This is why I prefer this film to Scream, which bored me with its would-be cleverness. The performances are fine, the suspense is well-built, the last two reels lose all depth, and the soundtrack selections are first rate.

1997

Michelangelo Antonioni: I vinti / Les Vaincus / The Vanquished (IT/FR 1953). 

Checklist: some of the films I saw theatrically in 1997 at the Finnish Film Archive at Orion.

16.12.1997 21.15 Revoljutshioner (Bauer), Orion
16.12.1997 19.00 Raskolnikow (Wiene), Orion
16.12.1997 16.30 L'Inhumaine (L'Herbier), Orion
2.12.1997 19.00 My Beautiful Laundrette / Poikien pesula, Orion

26.11.1997 17.00 A Face in the Crowd / Kasvot väkijoukossa, Orion
25.11.1997 21.00 Baby Doll / Nukkevaimo, Orion
18.11.1997 21.00 Viva Zapata!, Orion
12.11.1997 18.45 Täältä tullaan, elämä, Orion
12.11.2997 16.30 A Streetcar Named Desire / Viettelyksen vaunu, Orion
4.11.1997 18.45 A Gentleman's Agreement / Hiljainen sopimus, Orion
2.11.1997 16.00 Marcello Mastroianni, Orion
XX.XX.1997 Orion

26.10.1997 18.00 Les Travailleurs de la mer (Antoine), Orion
7.10.1997 17.00 The Last of Dolwyn, Orion
2.10.1997 19.00 Pépé le Moko, Orion
2.10.1997 17.00 Casque d'Or / Rakastajatar, Orion

28.9.1997 18.15 Germinal (Capellani), Orion
23.9.1997 17.00 The Scarlet Letter / Tulipunainen kirjain (Sjöström), Orion
18.9.1997 19.00 Pako pohjoiseen, Orion
18.9.1997 17.00 Sterne / Poljettu tähti, Orion
17.9.1997 19.00 Nuoruus sumussa, Orion
17.9.1997 17.00 Withnail and I / Onnen kiertolaiset, Orion
16.9.1997 17.00 Kiihko, Orion
11.9.1997 18.30 Konets St Peterburga / Pietarin viimeiset päivät, Orion
10.9.1997 19.30 Nuoria ihmisiä, Orion
7.9.1997 17.30 Limelight / Parrasvalot, Orion

27.8.1997 19.15 Elämän maantiellä, Orion
13.8.1997 21.00 Clerks - tiskirotat, Orion
13.8.1997 19.00 Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss / Veronika Vossin kaipuu, Orion
XX.XX.1997 Orion

29.7.1997 19.00 Stealing Beauty / Koskematon kauneus, Orion
24.7.1997 21.00 L'Appât / Syötti, Orion
24.7.1997 19.00 Kramer vs. Kramer / Kramer vastaan Kramer, Orion
23.7.1997 19.00 Mitt liv som hund / Elämäni koirana, Orion
22.7.1997 19.00 Traitement du choc / Shokkikäsittely, Orion
1.7.1997 19.00 Lähtö, Orion

4.5.1997 20.15 La Grande Illusion / Suuri illuusio, Orion
3.5.1997 19.00 Atomic Café, Orion

29.4.1997 21.00 Slacker, Orion
27.4.1997 19.00 Kaos, Orion
24.4.1997 20.15 La terra trema / Maa järisee, Orion
23.4.1997 19.00 Mu qin san she shu, Orion
23.4.1997 17.00 Kahden tanssin välillä, Orion
22.4.1997 18.45 Jie tou xiang dei, Orion
17.4.1997 19.00 Hongkongilaista lyhytelokuvaa, Orion
16.4.1997 21.00 Les Trois font la paire / Ei kahta ilman kolmatta, Orion
16.4.1997 19.00 Qin shao nian nuo, Orion
15.4.1997 21.00 I she i jia, Orion
15.4.1997 19.30 La Poison / Myrkky, Orion
15.4.1997 17.00 Si Paris était conté, Orion
11.4.1997 21.00 Long men ge zhan, Orion
10.4.1997 19.00 Qiou jue, Orion
9.4.1997 21.00 Wue li hung, Orion
9.4.1997 19.45 Tie shan gong zhu, Orion
8.4.1997 17.00 Les Perles de la couronne / Kruunun helmet, Orion
5.4.1997 21.00 Okupacija u 26 slika / Miehitetty kaupunki, Orion
5.4.1997 19.00 Faisons un rêve, Orion

31.3.1997 18.15 Hamsa Geethe, Orion
29.3.1997 17.00 Sindhu bhatravi, Orion
26.3.1997 21.00 Al di là delle nuvole / Pilvien takana, Orion
26.3.1997 18.45 Identificazione di una donna / Naisen tunnistaminen, Orion
25.3.1997 20.30 Hamsa Geethe, Orion
25.3.1997 19.00 Matti Manushulu, Orion
25.3.1997 16.30 Il mistero di Oberwald / Oberwaldin salaisuus, Orion
20.3.1997 16.30 Moondream Pirate, Orion
19.3.1997 20.45 Shankarabharanam, Orion
19.3.1997 19.00 Marattam, Orion
18.3.1997 19.00 Chung Kuo Cina / Kiina, Orion
18.3.1997 17.00 Zabriskie Point, Orion
13.3.1997 21.00 Swarna kamalam, Orion
13.3.1997 18.45 Anantaram, Orion
12.3.1997 18.45 Piravi, Orion
11.3.1997 21.00 Blow-Up, Orion
11.3.1997 18.45 Il deserto rosso / Punainen erämaa, Orion
7.3.1997 19.15 Antonionin lyhytelokuvia, Orion
5.3.1997 21.00 L'eclisse / Kuumetta, Orion
5.3.1997 18.45 La notte / Yö, Orion
4.3.1997 19.00 Antonionin lyhytelokuvia, Orion
4.3.1997 16.30 L'avventura / Seikkailu, Orion

27.2.1997 21.00 Il grido / Kaipuun punainen hetki, Orion
27.2.1997 16.45 Le amiche / Pikku ystävättäriä, Orion
26.2.1997 19.00 La signora senza camelie / Nainen vailla sielua, Orion
25.2.1997 19.00 I vinti, Orion
25.2.1997 17.00 Cronaca di un amore / Erään rakkauden tarina, Orion
15.2.1997 17.00 Kaksoiskotka, Orion

25.1.1997 19.00 Sadgati / Kohtalon isku, Orion
25.1.1997 21.00 M. Klein / Varjojen vanki, Orion
24.1.1997 21.00 For Them That Trespass, Orion
20.1.1997 21.00 Mahtavat Ambersonit, Orion

Shooting Fish

Stefan Schwartz: Shooting Fish (GB 1997). Dan Futterman (Dylan), Stuart Townsend (Jez), Kate Beckinsale (Georgie).

100509 / G / GB / 1997 / Schwartz, Stefan / comedy

Shooting Fish / Huijareita kuten me. PC: Gruber Brothers. P: Richard Holmes, Glynis Murray. D: Stefan Schwartz. SC: Stefan Schwartz, Richard Holmes. Music selections include performances by Space, Strangelove, and The Supernaturals, and Burt Bacharach tunes like ”Do You Know The Way To San Jose”. CAST: Dan Futterman (Dylan), Stuart Townsend (Jez), Kate Beckinsale (Georgie). 113’, 109’. Scope. BBFC: 12. DIST: Cinema Mondo. Viewed in Helsinki, Tuesday 30 December 1997. *** Two con artists meet a medical student who becomes their secretary in their outlandish schemes. Pleasant yarn with funny inventions and weak morals. Excellent soundtrack.

The Jackal

Michael Caton-Jones: The Jackal (US 1997). Bruce Willis (The Jackal), Richard Gere (Declan Mulqueen).

100507 / 16 / US / 1997 / Caton-Jones, Michael / thriller

Jackal, The / Sakaali. PC: Universal. D: Michael Caton-Jones. SC: Chuck Pfarrer – based on the screenplay The Day of the Jackal (1973) based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth. M: Carter Burwell. Title music: Massive Attack. CAST: Bruce Willis (The Jackal), Richard Gere (Declan Mulqueen), Sidney Poitier (Cater Preston), Diane Venora (Valentina Koslova). 124’. Scope. MPAA 35563. Rated R = 17. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Outi Kainulainen / Ditte Kronström. DIST: UIP Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, Monday 29 December 1997. *** Without reaching the standards of the 1973 classic, this film offers pleasures of its own. Bruce Willis as a man of many disguises is excellent, better than Val Kilmer as The Saint.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

I-008197 / G / US / 1965 - 1977 / Disney, Walt / / animation

Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The / Nalle Puh (video) / Nalle Puhin seikkailuja (TV). PC: Walt Disney Productions. A compilation of three Winnie the Pooh episodes linked with special animated material on the concept of the ”living book”. Based on the original stories by A.A. Milne and the original illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard. The first video release of this compilation in Finland in 1997 by Buena Vista Home Video. Finnish dialogue and songs by Pekka Lehtosaari. Total length 71’ VHS PAL /25 fps/. Plus Making Of bonus track. Viewed in Pirkkala, Saturday 27 December 1997. ****
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree / Nalle Puh ja hunajapuu. 1965. D: Wolfgang Reitherman. 074566
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day / Nalle Puh ja tuulinen päivä. 1968. D: Wolfgang Reitherman. 077773
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too / Nalle Puh ja Tiikeri kans! 1974. D: John Lounsbery. 086028
This film has been labeled a Disney Classic, one of the 35 official classic animated Disney features. As such, it has been the most elusive of them in Finland. The original episodes were promptly released in Finnish cinemas, but this 1977 feature edition first surfaced on television in 1993. Seeing it for the first time now I was amazed at the concept which was so faithful to the Milne / Shepard originals. The relaxed tempo and the gentleness of spirit are in contrast to the hectic rhythm of the regular animated series of the era. The first two episodes belong to the last projects personally supervised by Disney, and of The Blustery Day he won his last (posthumous) Oscar. It has a dream sequence worthy of Dumbo. During the years from The Jungle Book (1967) to Beauty and the Beast (1991) this was probably the greatest Disney animated feature. It probably was the last with Walt’s spirit in it.

Härmästä poikia kymmenen

A-003314 / 12 / FI / 1950 / Unho, Ilmari / / drama

Härmästä poikia kymmenen / Österbottniskt blod / The Blood of Pohjanmaa / Ten Bad Men. PC: Suomi-Filmi. P: Risto Orko. D: Ilmari Unho. SC: Artturi Leinonen. DP: Eino Heino. M: Ahti Sonninen based on popular ballads ”Isoo Antti ja Rannanjärvi”, ”Ei ole leskeä ollenkaan”, ”Enkä minä hurjan luontoni tähren”, ”Anssin Jukka”, ”Härmästä poikia kymmenen”, ”Hurja min oon ollu”, and hymns, ”Minä vaivainen oon mato matkamies maan”, etc. Location: Ylihärmä. CAST: Tauno Palo (Isoo Antti = Antti Koivula), Yrjö Kantoniemi (Iisakki Nukari = Rannanjärvi), Kalervo Nissilä (Anssin Jukka), Kalle Kirjavainen (Kauhavan ruma vallesmanni = the ugly sheriff from Kauhava), Jussi Oksa (Pouttula, lautamies = juror), Hilkka Helinä (Katri Pouttula), Kauko Helovirta (Janne Koivula). B&w Academy. 86’ according to sources. A Suomi-Filmi PAL VHS release, lent from Helsinki City Library. 79’ /25 fps/ = 83’ /24 fps/. Viewed in Pirkkala, Saturday 27 December 1997. **** One of the best Finnish films. Taut storytelling, excellent cinematography, inspired performances, fine screenplay and dialogue in perfect blend with a score crammed with first rate adaptations of popular ballads about the notorious knifeslingers (puukkojunkkarit) in the great plains of the province of Pohjanmaa, the Texas of Finland. This film is Red River meets The Wild One in the 1860s, when Finland lived under Russian rule. The son must confront his outlaw father who is turning to a monster. The Finnish sheriff risks his life trying to tame his wild compatriots alone because he would never summon the Cossacks. The badmen (häjyt) speed their carts recklessly on the highways. They are not out for material gain, but just to raise hell and infuriate the deeply religious people of the plains. Among their offenses: spoiling the well with sour milk! In this film about the violence of men, women stay stoically in the background. The six professional lead actors were helped by over 30 laymen from Pohjanmaa. Among them, I spot a relative, Väinö Alanen, as the first landholder confronting the outlaws on the bridge.

Le Mépris

068575 / 16 / FR / IT / 1963 / Godard, Jean-Luc / drama

Mépris, Le / Keskipäivän aave / Sen täytyi tapahtua. PC: Rome-Paris Films; Films Concordia; Compagnia Cinematografica Champion. P: Georges de Beauregard, Carlo Ponti. D+SC: Jean-Luc Godard - based on the novel Il disprezzo by Alberto Moravia. DP: Raoul Coutard. M: Georges Delerue. CAST: Brigitte Bardot (Camille Javal), Michel Piccoli (Paul Javal), Jack Palance (Jeremy Prokosh), Fritz Lang (Fritz Lang), Giorgia Moll (Francesca Vanini). Franscope, Technicolor. Versions: 84’, 100’, 103’. Re-released in Finland in the restored version in 1997. Not re-examined: if it had been, it would have rated G. The screening I saw took 98’33”. Finnish / Swedish subtitles Pekka Lanerva / Johan Förnäs. DIST: Cinema Mondo. Viewed in Helsinki in the premiere screening in Kino Engel 2 on Friday, 26 December 1997. **** Brilliant colour restored to vintage Godard. Le Mépris was his rare outing with big producers, and he had savage fun with them in this metafilm. Godard and Warhol were the first postmodern film directors. Now this film does not look strange anymore. The music is sumptuous.

King Creole

Michael Curtiz directs Elvis Presley (Danny Fisher) and Dolores Hart (Nellie) in King Creole (US 1958). The best Elvis movie. Michael Curtiz was always inspired by a strong rebel performer. Elvis Presley was the last of them, following Lili Damita, Bette Davis, James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, John Garfield...

049763 / 16 / US / 1958 / Curtiz, Michael / / rock / crime

King Creole / King Creole / Kitara kainalossa / King Creole - kitara kainalossa. PC: © Hal B. Wallis and Joseph K. Gazzo. A Paramount Picture. P: Hal B. Wallis.

    D: Michael Curtiz. SC: Herbert Baker, Michael V. Gazzo - based on the novel A Stone For Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins. DP: Russell Harlan. 

    M: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller. ”Lover Doll”, ”Trouble”,”Young Dreams”, ”Hard Headed Woman”, ”King Creole”, ”Don’t Ask Me Why”. 

    CAST: Elvis Presley (Danny Fisher), Carolyn Jones (Ronnie), Walter Matthau (Maxie Fields), Dolores Hart (Nellie), Paul Stewart (Charlie Le Grand), Vic Morrow (Shark), Dean Jagger (Mr. Fisher - the Father). 

    111 min /25 fps/ = 116 min /24 fps/. B&w VistaVision. A Finnish release by Barium Video in 1983, lent from Helsinki City Library. Finnish subtitles. Cropped to Academy. Poor definition, soundtrack slightly damaged. Viewed in Helsinki on VHS PAL on Thursday 25 December 1997.

**** Pop culture endures the video transfer much better than Fritz Lang. Whereas Scarlet Street is caricature, this is a comic strip, and a good one. Elvis Presley performs strongly in his one note characterization as the singer / delinquent. The dialogue is excellent, and the whole cast seems to relish this New Orleans crime melodrama. Astounding accomplishment from that old Hungarian.

Scarlet Street

026475 / 16 / US / 1945 / Lang, Fritz / / thriller

Scarlet Street / Punainen katu. PC: Universal Pictures. P: Walter Wanger. D: Fritz Lang. SC: Dudley Nichols - based on the novel and play La Chienne by Georges de La Fouchardière. DP: Milton Krasner. CAST: Edward G. Robinson (Chris Cross), Joan Bennett (Kitty), Dan Duryea (Johnny). 102’. B&w Academy. A JEF Films / Aikman Archive video release of 1993, in Finland by Castle Communications 1994; lent from Helsinki City Library. Finnish subtitles. Viewed in Helsinki on VHS PAL on Wednesday 24 December 1997. *** This one does not endure the video transfer. The black circle of fate of the murderous caricature seems pale on the small box. The best sequence: Dan Duryea is taken to the electric chair while Edward G. Robinson hears from the journalist in the subway that nobody can escape punishment. Joan Bennett is totally believable and realistic but should be bigger than life to make this work. Lang would have needed Dietrich. Renoir’s La Chienne with Michel Simon is the better film adaptation.

Little Women (1933)

018720 / G / US / 1933 / Cukor, George / / drama

Little Women / Pikku naisia. PC: RKO Radio Pictures. EX: David O. Selznick. P: Kenneth MacGowan. D: George Cukor. SC: Sarah Y. Mason, Victor Heerman - based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. M: Max Steiner. CAST: Katharine Hepburn (Jo), Joan Bennett (Amy), Jean Parker (Beth), Frances Dee (Meg). B&w Academy. 111’ /25 fps/ = 116’ /24 fps/. Yleisradio TV2 PAL transmission on 22 December 1997. Finnish subtitles by Annu James. Viewed in Helsinki on VHS on Wednesday 24 December 1997. *** Although this is generally considered the best of the four film adaptations of the novel, I actually prefer the latest one with Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, and Susan Sarandon.

Benjamín Dúva

100504 / 10 / IS / 1995 / Erlingsson, Gísli Snaer / drama

Benjamín Dúva / Ritari Benjamin Kyyhkynen. PC: Baldur Film; Icelandic Film Corp.; Neue Deutsche Filmgesellschaft; Migma Film. D: Gísli Snaer Erlingsson. CAST: Sturla Sighvatsson, Gunnar Atli Cauthery, Sigfús Sturluson. 90’. 1,85. Finnish / Swedish subtitles: Janne Staffans. DIST: Walhalla. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Monday 22 December 1997. *** Intelligent, well-made drama for young viewers. It’s about 10-12 year old boys who establish orders of knighhood. For fun, yes, but it gets deadly serious, too.

Oi kallis Suomenmaa 7

/ / FI / 1997 / Bagh, Peter von / / TV documentary

Oi kallis Suomenmaa 7 - Jänöjussin mäenlasku. [Ca 1970 - 1988]. PC: Nosferatu; Yleisradio TV1. Concept and direction by Peter von Bagh. 60’. PAL TV transmission, viewed in Helsinki, Sunday 21 December 1997. Interestingly, the visual material gets shabbier as we approach the present.

Titanic

James Cameron: Titanic (US 1997) starring Leonardo Di Caprio (Jack Dawson) and Kate Winslet (Rose DeWitt Bukater).

100501 / 12 / US / 1997 / Cameron, James / catastrophe Titanic / Titanic. PC: Paramount, 20th Century Fox. D+SC: James Cameron. ”Nearer My God To Thee”. CAST: Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson), Kate Winslet (young Rose DeWitt Bukater), Gloria Stuart (old Rose DeWitt Bukater), Kathy Bates (Molly Brown). Scope, 194’. MPAA 35593. PG-13. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Hannele Vahtera. DIST: Columbia TriStar Egmont Finland. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Friday 19 December 1997.

**** I had become bored with megabudgeted catastrophe spectacles, but Titanic is really in a class of its own, ahead of the Twisters and the Jurassic Parks. This is also Cameron’s best film together with the first Terminator. He knows all about effects now, does not have to flaunt them anymore, can concentrate on the simple human story. It’s about life over machine, as in the Terminators. The culminating image is that of DiCaprio and Winslet grabbing the bow of Titanic as it is finally sinking vertically to the ocean. It is a mind-boggling sight. It is then about survival instinct, and also about true heroism. DiCaprio helps Winslet on a floating door before slowly freezing to death. A Night To Remember (GB 1958) was also a magnificent interpretation of the Titanic story, concentrating on the viewpoint of those running the ship. These two films complement each other perfectly. I predict before having heard of any box office results that this film will be the greatest success in the history of the cinema.

Un air de famille

100498 / G / FR / 1996 / Klapisch, Cédric / drama

Air de famille, Un / Suku on pahin. PC: Telema, Le Studio Canal+, France 2 Cinéma. D: Cédric Klapisch. ”Una furtiva lagrima” performed by Caruso. CAST: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Agnès Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Darroussin. Scope. 109’. Finnish / Swedish subtitles. DIST: Kamras Filmgroup. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Thursday 18 December 1997. *** ”Suis-moi, je te fuis. Fuis-moi, je te suis”. A neurotic chamber piece taking place in a small restaurant after hours, where a birthday is being celebrated. Impeccably performed.

Mad City

100495 / 12 / US / 1997 / Costa-Gavras / / drama

Mad City / Yksinoikeudella. PC: Warner Bros. P: Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson. D: Costa-Gavras. SC: Tom Matthews. CAST: John Travolta, Dustin Hoffman, Mia Kirshner, Alan Alda, Blythe Danner. 114’. Scope. MPAA 35278. PG-13. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri. DIST: Warner Bros. Finland. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Wednesday 17 December 1997. *** Viewed at VET after Money Talks, both sharing the premise of mortal danger being exploited as a media attraction. This is a serious contribution in the reliable Costa-Gavras tradition of social issues. The grandfather of all the media films of this type was Billy Wilder’s The Big Carnival (1951). However, Dog Day Afternoon (1975) is the closest prototype to Mad City. It’s a well-known formula, but still a good and valid one, and the screenplay has a lot of wit and good dialogue. Costa-Gavras, then, is to be blamed for the fact that the film is not brilliant but only good enough in spite of the first-rate cast and crew

Money Talks

100494 / 16 / US / 1997 / Ratner, Brett / / action

Money Talks / Rahalla saa. PC: New Line Film Productions. D: Brett Ratner. SC: Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow. CAST: Chris Tucker, Charlie Sheen, Heather Locklear, Paul Sorvino. 95’. Scope. MPAA 34762. Rated R = 17. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Hannele Vahtera. DIST: Warner Bros. Finland. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Wednesday 17 December 1997. *** Action comedy mostly in furioso. Motormouth Chris Tucker is a small-time crook who happens to land in the middle of big intrigue. Slick TV newsman Charlie Sheen gets involved and tries to milk every drop of ”his” exclusive story. They are forced to team up against fearsome adversity. Yarn is full of jaw-dropping action spectacle.

Revolyutsioner / The Revolutionary (1989 Gosfilmofond restoration)

Yevgeny Bauer: Революционер / Revolyutsioner / The Revolutionary (RU 1917) with Zoya Barantsevich.

/ / RU / 1917 / Bauer, Jevgeni / / drama
    Революционер / Revoljutsioner.
    PC: A. Hanzhonkov & Co. D: Jevgeni Bauer. SC: Ivan Perestiani. DP: Boris Zavelev. CAST: Ivan Perestiani (Grandfather – the Revolutionary), Vladimir Strizhevski (Son), Zoja Barantsevitsh (Daughter). Silent b&w, premiered 3 April 1917.
     Gosfilmofond 1989 restoration from an incomplete, defective original, with the first reel of four missing /18 fps/ 35’.
    Finnish translation spoken by Riitta Tyventö.
    Viewed at SEA, Helsinki, Cinema Orion, Tuesday 16 December 1997.

** A drama turned quickly after the March 1917 overthrow of the Romanov dynasty. Several of these liberal revolutionary films were shown in Finland, but this one was now seen for the first time in Helsinki, although similar Hanzhonkov and Drankov films were released at the time.

It is a series of liberal-patriotic vignettes, transfigured by the masterful photography of Boris Zavelev (well-known from After Death, Zvenigora, etc.). There are traces of nitrate decomposition from the original. It is odd to face the slogan ”The proletariat has no fatherland” in a film like this. It is the son who utters this defiant sentence, only to reconcile with his father in the final scene, where they join the army train to the front.

Raskolnikow (1991 NFM restoration)

Robert Wiene: Raskolnikow (DE 1923) with Grigori Chmara (Raskolnikov). Sets by Andre Andrejev. Cinematography by Willy Goldberger. Photo: La Cinémathèque française, Paris.

012128 / (banned 1923) / DE / 1923 / Wiene, Robert / / drama

Raskolnikow. PC: Neumann Film-Produktion. P+D: Robert Wiene. Based on the novel Crime and Punishment by F. M. Dostojevski. DP: Willy Goldberger. AD: Andre Andrejew. CAST: Grigori Hmara (Raskolnikov), Maria Kryjanovskaja (Sonia), Mihail Tarhanov (Marmeladov). Silent b&w. Restored version by the Netherlands Film Museum with contributions from Gosfilmofond. Munich print 3031 m /18 fps/ 147 min. Fine Finnish translation spoken by Laura Mehto. Presented by Kristin Thompson. Viewed at SEA, Helsinki, Cinema Orion, Tuesday 16 December 1997. *** The film, banned by the Finnish Film Chamber in 1923, was now seen for the first time in Finland. Part of the Russian fashion of the era, this one was actually filmed with actors from Stanislavsky’s Moscow Art Theatre. Full of soul but horribly overacted. One is struck by the difference with the subtle understatement of Jevgeni Bauer’s 1917 films. Still, this is faithful to Dostoyevsky: it has the passion for the suffering of humanity. The actual text of the novel is judiciously used in the titles, which take full advantage of the author’s grim sense of humour. The words sound good in German. ”Nach langem, schwerem Fieber…”. The Russian art director is totally under the influence of Caligari. This is one of the very few purely Caligarian films.

L’Inhumaine (1997 Helsinki screening of CNC print)

Marcel L'Herbier: L'Inhumaine (FR 1924).

088474 / 08 / FR / 1924 / L’Herbier, Marcel / drama

Inhumaine, L’. PC: Cinégraphic. D: Marcel L’Herbier. SC: Marcel L’Herbier, Pierre Mac Orlan. DP: Georges Specht. PD: Fernand Léger, Cavalcanti, Claude Autant-Lara, Robert Mallet-Stevens. CAST: Georgette Leblanc (Claire Lescot - ”The Inhuman”), Jaque Catelain (Einar Norsen), Philippe Hériat (Maharadja). Silent b&w designed to be screened tinted and with live music accompaniment composed by Darius Milhaud. CNC Bois d’Arcy untinted print reduced to Academy format. 3631 m /22-24 fps/ 135’. Finnish translation read by Leena Talvio. Viewed at SEA, Helsinki, Cinema Orion, Tuesday 16 December 1997. *** A classic of production design, the Frenchmen’s riposte to German expressionism, and an obvious influence to Metropolis and Marienbad. Excellent montage sequences. Too bad that all the characters are indifferent.

See my blog remarks of L'Inhumaine (2015 digital restoration Lobster Films).

Oi kallis Suomenmaa 6

/ / FI / 1997 / Bagh, Peter von, etc. / TV documentary

Oi kallis Suomenmaa 6 - Lumi teki enkelin eteiseen. 1964 - 197-. PC: Nosferatu; Yleisradio TV1. Concept and direction by Peter von Bagh, Elina Katainen, Iikka Vehkalahti. 60’. PAL TV transmission, viewed in Helsinki, Sunday 14 December 1997.

Pardners

045501 / 12 / US / 1956 / Lewis, Jerry / / comedy

Pardners / Peloton sheriffi. PC: York Pictures. A Paramount release. D: Norman Taurog. Based on the film Rhythm on the Range (1936). Songs by Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen. CAST: Jerry Lewis (Wade Kingsley), Dean Martin (Slim Mosely). 88’. Technicolor, VistaVision. PAL transmission cropped to Academy. Below average colour definition. Yleisradio TV2 on Saturday, 13 December 1997. *** Absurd comedy Western wears well today. It’s a Jerry Lewis showcase as a mama’s boy who has to transform into a rodeo star, a cowboy, and a sheriff. His pantomimes are masterful. On the small box it is hard to appreciate them properly, since they are often in medium or general shot.

Charley Varrick

081990 / 16 cut / US / 1973 / Siegel, Don / / thriller

Charley Varrick / Tappakaa Charley Varrick! PC: Universal. EX: Jennings Lang. P+D: Don Siegel. SC: Howard Rodman, Dean Riesner - based on the novel by John Reese. DP: Michael Butler. M: Lalo Schifrin. CAST: Walter Matthau (Charley Varrick), Jacqueline Scott (Nadine Varrick), Andrew Robinson (Harman Sullivan), Felicia Farr (Sybil Fort), Sheree North (Jewell Everett), John Vernon (Maynard Boyle), Joe Don Baker (Molly). PAL TV transmission 5 December 1997 MTV3: 106’13” /25 fps/ = 110’39” /24 fps/. Cut: the scene where Molly tortures and slaughters Harman Sullivan (same scene was cut in the Finnish cinema release version). Cropped from 2,35 Panavision to 1,35 Academy. Finnish subtitles by Sirpa Glantz. Viewed on video Saturday, 6 December 1997. ***½ The screenplay is excellent. The dynamics between the bucolic scenes and the crisp bursts of action is perfect. They don’t make action films like this anymore. Almost everything in the 1990s is nervous and hysterical with the exception of Clint Eastwood who has not changed since his apprenticeship with… Don Siegel. Here the total sense of control is to be relished. Small things stand out. ”Nadine was a hell of a driver”. ”I never thought I’d be willing to trade places with a cow”. The complaint: Siegel’s customary nihilism. All betray. Trust nobody. So then: why care?

G.I. Jane

Ridley Scott: G.I. Jane (US 1997) starring Demi Moore as Lt. Jordan O'Neil.

100481 / 16 / US / 1997 / Scott, Ridley / / action
G.I. Jane / Sotilas Jane. PC: Trap-Two-Zero Productions; Hollywood Pictures. D: Ridley Scott. CAST: Demi Moore (Lt. Jordan O’Neil), Viggo Mortensen (Master Chief John Urgayle), Anne Bancroft (Senator Lillian DeHaven). Scope. 126’. MPAA 35019. Rated R = 17. BBFC: 15. Finnish/Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Thursday 4 December 1997. *** A woman’s fight for equal opportunities carried to psychopathic lengths as Demi Moore insists against all odds on getting an elite Navy SEAL training. The story may be crucial in the bizarre context of the war of the sexes in the US, but from a Nordic perspective it does not carry at all. Fascinating stuff for a psychiatrist, though. The motto is from D.H. Lawrence’s ”Self-pity”: ”I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself / A bird will fall frozen down without ever having felt sorry for itself”.

Pippi Långstrump (1997)

100480 / G / SE / 1997 / Lindgren, Astrid / animated

Pippi Långstrump / Pippi Longstocking / Peppi Pitkätossu. PC: Svensk Filmindustri; Iduna; TFC; Nelvana. P: Waldemar Bergendahl. D: Clive Smith. SC: Catharina Stackelberg - based on the novels by Astrid Lindgren. 78’. 1,35/1,66. Finnish spoken version by Esa Kauppila. DIST: Forum Film. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Thursday 4 December 1997. *** Having seen the preview I was fearing a poor man’s Disney but was gladly surprised. The visuals are competitive. Best of all, the spirit is right. This is true Astrid Lindgren. Many excellent films have been made from her novels: the live action Longstocking series, the Children of the Isles, the Bullerby series. There is something unique and distinctive about Pippi which the filmmakers have captured. It is her special winning spirit against adversity and her stunning friendliness against her very worst enemies. It completely differs from the Americans. The feeling of amazement is there. I hope they’ll continue this series. What I missed was the great theme music from the 1960s series. The Finnish dialogue was as affected and awful as in all other contemporary animated films. Why do they keep imitating second rate acting styles of two generations ago?

U Turn

100478 / 16 / US / 1997 / Stone, Oliver / / thriller

U Turn / U-käännös helvettiin. PC: Phoenix Pictures. A TriStar Pictures release. D: Oliver Stone. SC: John Ridley - based on his novel. DP: Robert Richardson. M: Ennio Morricone. CAST: Sean Penn (Bobby Cooper), Jennifer Lopez (Grace McKenna), Nick Nolte (Jake McKenna). 125’. 1,85. MPAA 35464. Rated R = 17. DIST: Columbia TriStar Egmont Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Wednesday 3 December 1997. *** Hyperrealistic. High contrast. Offbeat. Hallucinated. Indulging in misleading cuts. Feverish. Uncontrolled. All characters are overblown. There is no normality in it. It impresses at first but gets slowly boring. Oliver Stone has been in fine form, never boring, and Nixon was a masterpiece. This one is an unwitting film noir parody. Might be best on video in 15’ doses.

My Beautiful Laundrette

094889 / 16 / GB / 1985 / Frears, Stephen / / drama

My Beautiful Laundrette / Poikien pesula / Rakas pesulani (TV).
    PC: Channel Four. P: Sarah Radclyffe, Tim Bevan. D: Stephen Frears. SC: Hanif Kureishi. CAST: Gordon Warnecke (Omar), Daniel Day-Lewis (Johnny), Saaed Jaffrey (Nasser). 97’. 1,66. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Anna-Lisa Holmqvist. A somewhat soft Finnkino / SEA print. Viewed in Helsinki, SEA, Cinema Orion, Tuesday 2 December 1997. ***

(In a bizarre accident the film’s Finnish cinema premiere was delayed to September 1987. Two weeks later TV already transmitted it, killing it in theatres!)

Forceful stuff from Frears’ strongest period. British realism at its best – examining the cultural clash between the Pakistani and the skinheads, facing the challenges of the Thatcher era. Visually unappetizing – is it because the print is unfocused or is it because it was made on 16 mm for TV and not even supposed to look good on a big screen? This film has my favorite credits effect of all time: the lines stay on the screen and then whirl like in a laundromat drum. It is a simple and fascinating rhythm.

Tomorrow Never Dies

100476 / 14 hard cut / GB / 1997 / Spottiswoode, Roger / action

Tomorrow Never Dies / Huominen ei koskaan kuole. PC: Danjaq LLC; United Artists Corporation. P: Michael Wilson, Barbara Broccoli. D: Roger Spottiswoode. Based on the characters created by Ian Fleming. Title song performed by Sheryl Crow. CAST: Pierce Brosnan, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Pryce. Scope. 121’. Soft cut BBFC 12. MPAA 35272. Rated PG-13. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri / Janne Staffans. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Tuesday 2 December 1997. *** This screening introduced me to the world of the many different versions of the James Bond films. Of GoldenEye, there were at least three main versions. In Finnish cinemas, the hard cuts of the Bond films have been generally released. We rated this new one 16, too, although in its country of origin it was rated 12 - and the Brits generally are stricter with ratings. But they apparently toned down the violence quite a bit in their cut. / NB: A week later, The Finnish Film Appeal Board surrendered to the distributor’s appeal of 14. / This is escapism in the best professional style. They ought to beef up the villains and the women more. The new Bonds feed off the glory of the old ones but don’t create new aficionados.

Oi kallis Suomenmaa 5

/ / FI / 1997 / Bagh, Peter von, etc. / TV documentary

Oi kallis Suomenmaa 5 - Viattomuuden vuodet. 1952 - 1964. PC: Nosferatu; Yleisradio TV1. Concept and direction by Peter von Bagh, Elina Katainen, Iikka Vehkalahti. 60’. PAL TV transmission, viewed in Helsinki, Sunday 30 November 1997.

Mrs Brown

John Madden: Mrs. Brown (GB 1997) with Judi Dench (Queen Victoria), Billy Connolly (John Brown). 

100472 / G / GB / 1997 / Madden, John / / drama

Her Majesty, Mrs Brown [promotional title] / Hänen majesteettinsa Rouva Brown / Hennes majestät, Mrs. Brown. PC: BBC Scotland. A Miramax release. P: Sarah Curtis. D: John Madden. SC: Jeremy Brock. CAST: Judi Dench (Queen Victoria), Billy Connolly (John Brown), Anthony Sher (Benjamin Disraeli). 1,35/1,66. 104’. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Hannele Vahtera. DIST: Columbia TriStar Egmont Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Friday 28 November 1997. *** A subtle psychological study of Queen Victoria’s years of grief after the death of her husband. The two other main characters are John Brown, Victoria’s loyal personal servant, and Disraeli, the Prime Minister who cajoles the Queen back to public life. Essentially a TV movie, it is worth watching on a big screen because of its magnificent Scottish Highlands scenery around Balmoral. British historical drama at its best.

Microcosmos

100466 / G / FR / 1996 / Nuridsany, Claude, etc. / documentary

Microcosmos - le peuple de l’herbe / Mikrokosmos - ruohikon kansa. PC: Galatée Films; France 2 Cinéma; Bac Films. D: Claude Nuridsany, Marie Perennou. MPAA: G. 77’. 1,35/1,66. DIST: Kamras Film Group. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Thursday 27 November 1997. **** Featuring grasshoppers, snails, spiders, ants, ladybirds, timbermen, dragonflies, and centipedes. The miracles of nature - the caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, the sundew consuming a fly, the snails getting it on - belong to the very oldest subjects of cinema. They belong to the staples of TV documentaries and popular video series. The French team here recapture the fascination with state of the art cinematographic means, including extreme close-ups and digital surround sound space. It is the unity of the vision and the quirky assemblage that make this stand out. A few computer generated shots enhance the film: the dragonfly’s point of view, for instance. It all takes place on a French meadow during 24 hours.

A Face In the Crowd

047628 / 08 / US / 1957 / Kazan, Elia / / drama

Face In the Crowd, A / Kasvot väkijoukossa. PC: Newtown Productions. A Warner Bros. release. P+D: Elia Kazan. SC: Budd Schulberg. DP: Harry Stradling, Gene Rescher. M: Tom Glazer. CAST: Andy Griffith (Larry ”Lonesome” Rhodes), Patricia Neal (Marcia Jeffries), Anthony Franciosa (Joey Kieley), Walter Matthau (Mel Miller). B&w Academy. 126’. MPAA Seal of Approval 16503. BBFC: Passed For Adult Audiences. A NFTVA print with fine definition. Viewed in Helsinki, SEA, Wednesday 26 November 1997. *** Great ideas in a pioneering satire on television and celebrity, visually fascinatingly detailed. But with the familiar Kazan cliches: histrionic performances and jarringly overstated naturalism with the trademark dirty, sweat-dripping undershirts. Kazan does not trust a minute in the viewer’s intelligence. Everything has to be overdone and exaggerated. Trouble is, he has no spirit of generosity to back the extravaganza. It gets terribly hollow and futile instead. Kazan is a man of drama, not spectacle. But he lacks the patience for pure drama. Someone shoulda put reins on him. He would have needed a good tough producer.

Eurodisc Playlist for 13.40.11

100463 / G / US etc. / 1997 / various / / music video

Eurodisc Playlist for 13.40.11 / Musiikkikooste 13-40-11. Compiled by Pioneer Video Manufacturing. DIST: Ulkokaupat Oy. Laserdisc. Viewed on big screen at VET, Helsinki, Wednesday 26 November 1997.
Sash! Featuring La Trec: Stay **
Oasis: Stand By Me **
Backstreet Boys: As Long As You Love Me **
Spice Girls: Spice Up Your Life **
Aqua: Barbie Girl **
Janet Jackson / Q-Tip / Joni Mitchell: Got ‘Til It’s Gone **
N-Trance Featuring Rod Stewart: Do Ya Think I’m Sexy **
Dario G: Sunchyme ***
Lighthouse Family: Raincloud: ***
Eternal: Angel Of Mine **

German Natdisc Playlist for 15.90.11

Nikolas Mann: Da Hool: Meet Her At The Love Parade (DE 1997). View video on YouTube.

100462 / G / DE etc. / 1997 / various / / music video

German Natdisc Playlist for 15.90.11 / Musiikkikooste 15-90-11. Compiled by Pioneer Video Manufacturing. DIST: Ulkokaupat Oy. Laserdisc. Viewed on big screen at VET, Helsinki, Wednesday 26 November 1997.
Da Hool: Meet Her At The Love Parade **
X-Perience: I Don’t Care **
Wyclef Jean: Guantanamera **
Tic Tac Toe: Ich wär’ so gern so blöd wie du **
Bootsy Collins Featuring MC Lyte: I’m Leavin’ U *
Mr. President: Take Me To The Limit *
Marusha: My Best Friend *
Cultured Pearls: Sugar Sugar Honey **
Blur: MOR **
Fleetwood Mac: Temporary One *

Urpo & Turpo II

A-027800 / G / FI / 1997 / Helminen, Liisa / / puppet animation

Urpo & Turpo II. PC: Lumifilm. P: Hanna Hemilä, Liisa Helminen. D: Liisa Helminen. 70’. Academy. DIST: Lumifilm. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Wednesday 26 November 1997. Seven short animated stories.
Urpo & Turpo jouluvalmisteluissa / Urpo & Turpo Prepare For Christmas
Urpo & Turpo kuntoilevat / Urpo & Turpo Get Fit
Urpo & Turpo autiolla saarella / Urpo & Turpo On The Nature Trail
Urpo & Turpo muuttumisleikissä / Urpo & Turpo Have A Make-Over
Urpo & Turpo ovat rohkeita / Urpo & Turpo The Brave
Urpo & Turpo salapoliiseina / Urpo & Turpo The Detectives
Urpo & Turpo haluavat olla rauhassa / Urpo & Turpo Want To Be Alone

Baby Doll

Elia Kazan: Baby Doll (US 1956) with Carroll Baker (Baby Doll).

046089 / 16 / US / 1956 / Kazan, Elia / / drama

Nukkevaimo / Baby Doll [Swedish title]. PC: Newtown Productions. P+D: Elia Kazan. SC: Tennessee Williams - based on two one-act plays of his. DP: Boris Kaufman. M: Kenyon Hopkins. ”Shame Shame Shame”, ”Baby Please Don’t Go”. CAST: Karl Malden (Archie), Carroll Baker (Baby Doll), Eli Wallach, Mildred Dunnock. B&w Academy. 115’. MPAA Production Code Seal Of Approval 18129. BBFC: 16. NFTVA print with beautiful definition. Viewed in Helsinki, SEA, Cinema Orion, Tuesday 25 November 1997. ** Badly written, badly directed, and badly acted. But with beautiful cinematography and fine music. The play is dated, and the acting is histrionic. It is amazing to see the Actors Studio hysteria resembling here the melodramatic acting style of the early years of the century. The stylization, the self-consciousness, and the nervous, mannered tics make it impossible to take these characters seriously. Then again, the composition and the definition of light are masterful. Someone should take out all the dialogue from Baby Doll and we would have a beautiful set of silent tableaux, with only music accompaniment.

Kummeli Kultakuume / Kummeli Goldrush

Matti Grönberg: Kummeli Kultakuume / Kummeli Goldrush (FI 1997).

A-027797 / 12 / FI / 1997 / Grönberg, Matti / / comedy

PC: Porkkana Ryhmä; Solar Films. D: Matti Grönberg. CAST: Heikki Silvennoinen, Heikki Hela, Heikki Vihinen, Timo Kahilainen. 1,66. Parts in German, with Finnish subtitles. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Monday 24 November 1997. A crazy comedy about a madman (HS) and his male nurse (HH) wreaking havoc with two delinquents (TK and HV) in Lapland on the trail of a lost gold treasure. They beat the Nazis and get the gold. The madman is cured through happy marriage. Seasoned comedy veterans appears all through the film. It could have more style, but some scenes are very funny.

Oi kallis Suomenmaa 4

/ / FI / 1997 / Bagh, Peter von, etc. / TV documentary
Oi kallis Suomenmaa 4 ‒ Ei onni ole lahja. 1945 ‒ 1952. PC: Nosferatu; Yleisradio TV1. Concept and direction by Peter von Bagh, Elina Katainen, Iikka Vehkalahti. 60’. PAL TV transmission, viewed in Helsinki, Sunday 23 November 1997.

...

Oi kallis Suomenmaa 4: Ei onni ole lahja (4/8)

Ensilähetys: 23.11.1997 Yle TV1 ‒ 59 min

    Aselepo merkitsi Suomen poliittisen suunnan täydellistä muutosta. Entiseen viholliseen ryhdyttiin solmimaan aluksi pelon sävyttämiä suhteita, entistelle aseveljelle julistettiin sota. Sodan aikainen säännöstely ja elämän kurinalaisuus jatkui kauan, maan jälleenrakennus ja sotakorvauksista selviäminen vaativat yhteiskunnan tiukkaa ohjailua. Merkityksen: nyt sota oli todella ohi.

    Nosferatu Oy. TV1 Yhteistuotannot. TV1 Koulu-tv. Sulevi Peltola (luk). Arto Kaivanto (kuv). Veijo Lehti (miksaus). Pekka Mäkelä (värimäärittely). Ilkka Kippola (arktoim, SEA). Seija De Rybel (arktoim). Heikki Salo (free-leik). Elina Katainen (free-kuv, free-leik, free-käsik, free-ohj). Iikka Vehkalahti (free-käsik, free-ohj). Peter von Bagh (free-käsik, free-ohj). Eila Werning (tuot). Jaana Puhakka (tuotantopääl). Tia Geijer (tvks).

La sindrome di Stendhal

V-003391 / 18 / IT / 1996 / Argento, Dario / / thriller

Sindrome di Stendhal, La / The Stendhal Syndrome. PC: Medusa Film. P+D+SC: Dario Argento. DP: Giuseppe Rotunno. FX: Sergio Stivaletti. M: Ennio Morricone. CAST: Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, Paolo Bonacelli. VHS PAL cropped from 1,85 to 1,33. Dubbed into monotonous English. Time-coded. Long version 113’26” /25 fps/ = 118’10” /24 fps/. (Cf GB release 110’43” at 25 fps.) DIST: Finn Innovation Productions. Big screen video projection viewed in Helsinki, VET, Friday 21 November 1997. Impossible to evaluate: the plot is not the thing, and the probably exquisite visuals could not be appreciated from this VHS copy. Asia Argento is a policewoman tracking down a serial rapist-killer. Visiting Uffizi Gallery and other marvellous sites of art she succumbs to ”the Stendhal syndrome”: a posttraumatic stress reaction with personality changes. (The title has been taken from the novelist, since he was the first one to record it based on his experiences in Florence.) Her persona changes several times, and after eliminating the killer in a gruesome battle she is taken over by the slain monster: ”He is inside me now”.

Excess Baggage

100458 / 12 / US / 1997 / Brambilla, Marco / comedy

Excess Baggage / Tuhannen taalan tyttö. PC: Columbia Pictures. P: Alicia Silverstone (First Kiss Productions). D: Marco Brambilla. CAST: Alicia Silverstone, Benicio Del Toro, Christopher Walken. MPAA 34335. Rated PG-13. 98’. 1,85. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Hannele Vahtera. DIST: CB Egmont. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Thursday 20 November 1997. ** Clueless was a first-rate film, and Alicia Silverstone was great in it. A hard act to follow? This one is merely a trifle.

Starship Troopers

100457 / 16 / US / 1997 / Verhoeven, Paul / science fiction

Starship Troopers / Universumin sotilaat. PC: TriStar; Touchstone. A Buena Vista release. P: Jon Davison. D: Paul Verhoeven. Based on the novel by Robert A. Heinlein. M: Basil Poledouris. PD: Allan Cameron. FX: Phil Tippett, Scott Squires, John Richardson, ILM, Boss. CAST: Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards. 129’. 1,85. MPAA 34343. Rated R = 17. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Wednesday 19 November 1997. ** Great effects, shame about the film. Verhoeven returns to science fiction full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. There is the satire of future TV, done better in RoboCop. There is the resurrection theme. There is the bombastic music of Poledouris and the special effects of Phil Tippett, all these from RoboCop ten years ago. Also Michael Ironside, then the villain, now the instructor of the heroes, though he is basically the same character. The humans are weirdly indifferent, like models from a shampoo commercial: physically perfect, empty inside. What are we to make of the fact that ”we” are fighting for a Fascist empire, against an empire of giant bugs? This is not satire to me, just cynicism.

Sling Blade

Billy Bob Thornton: Sling Blade (US 1995).

100456 / 12 / US / 1995 / Thornton, Billy Bob / drama

Sling Blade / Sling Blade. PC: Sling Blade LLC. A Miramax release. D+SC+starring: Billy Bob Thornton (as Karl Childers). With Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh. M: Daniel Lanois. Location: Benton, Arkansas. 1,85. 136’. MPAA 34457. Rated R = 17. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri / Eirik Udd. DIST: CB Egmont. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Tuesday 18 November 1997. *** This charts the territory of William Faulkner and Erskine Caldwell. Connecting with Of Mice and Men. And paying homage to To Kill A Mockingbird: Robert Duvall, who played Boo Radley in his debut role, gives a guest performance here as Karl’s father. Very well performed but does not intrigue me much.

The Ice Storm

100454 / 14 / US / 1997 / Lee, Ang / / drama

Ice Storm, The / Jäämyrsky. PC: 20th Century Fox. D: Ang Lee. Based on the novel by Rick Moody. M: Mychael Danna. CAST: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, Henry Czerny. MPAA 35015. Rating R = 17. 1,85. 113’. Finnish subtitles by Timo Porri. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Tuesday 18 November 1997. ** Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice revisited. It is Thanksgiving 1973 in Connecticut. Human relationships are a mess. The costumes even worse. Nobody laughs happily. I failed to get interested in any of the characters portrayed.

Niskavuoren Heta / Heta From Niskavuori (1997 VHS viewing)

Edvin Laine: Niskavuoren Heta / Heta From Niskavuori (FI 1952). The Civil War 1918: Heta scares away the Red Guards who want to confiscate some of her cattle. My screenshot from / view movie at Elonet: Niskavuoren Heta.

A-004304 / G / FI / 1952 / Laine, Edvin / / drama

Niskavuoren Heta. PC: Suomen Filmiteollisuus. P: T. J. Särkkä. D: Edvin Laine. SC: Hella Wuolijoki - from her play (1950). DP: Pentti Unho. M: Heikki Aaltoila. CAST: Rauni Luoma (Heta Harjula), Kaarlo Halttunen (Akusti Harjula), Mirjam Novero (Broken Wing), Eino Kaipainen (sheriff), Leo Lähteenmäki (Lammentaustan Santeri). B&w Academy. Yleisradio Tallennepalvelu VHS PAL cassette from Pirkkala Library. 89’40” /25 fps/ = 93’25” /24 fps/. Swedish subtitles. Viewed in Pirkkala, Saturday 15 November 1997. **** Of Hella Wuolijoki’s dramas only The Farmer’s Daughter is internationally well-known, filmed as it was in Hollywood in the 1940s (and quite well), and later transformed into a TV series. Many others would deserve recognition. Seeing Heta from Niskavuori and A Streetcar Named Desire during the same week it was striking to see how much Heta had grown and how dated Blanche seemed. Perhaps it is also because of the shortage of interesting female roles in contemporary films. There are plenty of Blanches and no Hetas. Anyway, Heta is a totally original drama, covering a quarter of a century of great transformation in Finland. All performances are strong. The life of the countryside, so often forged on the screen, rings true here. The drama itself is so strong that the usual melodramatic excesses of Messrs. Särkkä and Laine are held in check. (The same miracle was repeated three years later in The Unknown Soldier.) Taut, cinematic storytelling full of memorable scenes. Heta reminded me that a movie should really move the viewer!

Xian hunnü / Women From the Lake of Scented Souls

Fei Xie: 香魂女 / Xiang hun nü / Women from the Lake of Scented Souls (CN 1993). Siqin Gaowa as Second Sister Xiang.

100449 / 12 / CN / 1993 / Xie Fei / / drama

香魂女 / Xiang hun nü / Nainen tuoksuvien sielujen järveltä / Kvinnorna från själarnas ö / Woman Sesame Oil Maker. PC: Tianjin Film Studios; Changchun Film Studios. D+SC: Xie Fei / Fei Xie. CAST: Siqin Gaowa (Xiang), Wu Yujuan, Lei Luosheng. 1,66. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Hannele Vahtera. DIST: Kamras Film Group. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Friday 14 November 1997. *** One of the best Chinese films I have seen. The drama of the strong-willed woman brings to mind the Finnish Niskavuori saga. ”In a small village in the Hebei province in northern China Xiang runs a sesame-oil operation. Interest from a Japanese company brings Xiang into contact with a whole world of female independence in contrast to the traditional world she normally inhabits” to quote the BFI CD-ROM. Fine performances, great cinematography are combined with true dramatic force.

Tetsuo 2 - Body Hammer

097984 / 18 / JP / 1992 / Tsukamoto, Shinya / cyberpunk

Tetsuo 2 - Body Hammer. PC: Kaijun Theatre. D: Shinya Tsukamoto. CAST: Tomorog Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka. 1,85. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Eija Niskanen / Johan Förnäs. Submitted for re-examination by Cinema Mondo. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Thursday, 13 November 1997. **** Tetsuo is the Japanese RoboCop and Blade Runner. The second installment is better than the first one, a poetic masterpiece which gets better with a new viewing. There is true force in the mindflash montages. It is a trick often abused. Here it succeeds.