Saturday, April 07, 2012

Taistelu Näsilinnasta 1918 / [The Battle of Näsilinna 1918]

Slaget om Näsilinna 1918. FI 2012. PC: Kinoproduction. P+D: Claes Olsson. SC: Robert Alftan, Claes Olsson - based on interviews of the Melin company conducted by Konrad Vestlin in 1936-1937. DP: Pertti Mutanen. PD: Oskari Löytönen. M: Yari. ED: Oskar Franzen. Loc: Tampere. C: Nicke Lignell (Erik Gunnar Melin), Petter Kevin (Holm), Anton Häggblom (Boström), Wilhelm Grotenfelt (Lundström), Thomas Holm (Oskar Backström), Mattias Asplund (Johannes Fagerholm), Markus Wilson (Oskar Åbb), Mike Nordlund (John Häger). 70 min. Spoken in Swedish, titles in Finnish, with Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Iira Mukka / Carina Laurila-Olin. Distributed by FS Film. 2K DCP viewed at Kinopalatsi, Helsinki, 7 April 2012.

An episode from the Civil War of Finland, from its decisive battle of Tampere. Based on documents, it is the story of Erik Melin's company of the White Army, its 212 men who managed to penetrate the Red front and proceed over the Tammerkoski falls to the Näsilinna castle on 3 April, 1918.

Documentary materials are incorporated in the enactment of the attack of the company who fights without military colours, managing to surprise and conquer Reds in every turn. Much of the film has been shot in close-ups in the manner of Samuel Fuller's low budget The Big Red One.

There has been a cycle of recent Civil War movies in Finland, including Käsky, Raja 1918, Missä kuljimme kerran, and Täällä Pohjantähden alla. Taistelu Näsilinnasta 1918 is the second movie in this cycle with a Swedish point of view. Missä kuljimme kerran focused on the Finnish Swedes of Helsinki; Taistelu Näsilinnasta tells about the Finnish Swedish fighters from Pohjanmaa. I like the sober pursuit of a balanced view about events that are still sensitive in our land.

There was a good attendance in the viewing, and the audience seemed receptive to the intelligent presentation.

The photograph enlargements in the end look great on the big screen. The archival moving image footage is in low definition, and there is a digital video look in the 2K DCP.

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