Thursday, December 17, 2009

Rintamalotta / [The Lotta at the Front]

Lottor vid fronten. FI 1956. PC: Fennada-Filmi. P: Mauno I. Mäkelä. D+SC: Aarne Tarkas – based on the serial story and the novel Rintamalotta muistelee (1956) by Tuulikki Raja. DP: Esko Töyri. S: Gösta Salminen, Tuomo Kattilakoski. ED: Nils Holm. CAST: Leena Häkinen (Irma Vuori), Elina Salo (Soilikki), Ella Pehkonen (Mimmi Riipinen), Pia Hattara (Oili, lotta hostess), Vappu Jurkka (Katri), Tommi Rinne (private Heikki Nurminen), Sakari Jurkka (corporal Antero), Heimo Lepistö (Iisakki), Pentti Irjala (Captain Paukku), Jussi Jurkka (Erik Vuori), Uljas Kandolin (Riikonen), Leo Jokela (draftee), Pentti Viljanen (Räty). 83 min. A vintage print with Swedish subtitles. Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 16 Dec 2009.

Aarne Tarkas wrote and directed some 30 films in some 10 years at breakneck speed. He was a special talent from the late studio era of the Finnish cinema. He had a droll sense of humour and a way with the actors.

Rintamalotta I saw for the first time and was positively surprised. There is an impressive realistic approach and a powerful sense of the horror of the war in addition to the familiar Tarkas virtues of good direction of actors and that droll sense of humour.

This is the story of five lottas at the front during the attack against the Soviet Union. The performances by Leena Häkinen (Irma Vuori), Elina Salo (Soilikki), Ella Pehkonen (Mimmi Riipinen), Pia Hattara (Oili, lotta hostess), and Vappu Jurkka (Katri) are all individual and with an authentic feel. The women they portray do heavy service at the front without carrying arms.

In one of her very first roles, Elina Salo gets to play it for the humour at times, portraying a lotta who likes to sing although she cannot carry a tune, and imitating the sounds of weapons.

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