Nummisuutarit

Once again we watch the adventures of Esko as he goes to his wedding with his friend Mikko Vilkastus- only to find out his "bride" is marrying somebody else.Nummisuutarit (1957) is directed by Valentin Vaala.The author of the original play is of course Aleksis Kivi.There has been three versions shot of the play, this being the last one.This was one of the early movies filmed in color.Martti Kuningas does a terrific job as the childlike Esko.The recently passed away Helge Herala is brilliant as Mikko.Lauri Leino is excellent as Esko's father Topias.Great job by Alice Lyly as mother Martta and Ernest Ervasti as brother Iivari.Jalmari Rinne is marvelous as Sepeteus.Holger Salin is very good as Niko.Heidi Krohn does wonderful job as Jaana.Heikki Heino plays Kristo while Jussi Oksa is Karri.Eila Auer portrays Kreeta.Kosti Klemelä is her fresh husband Jaakko.Ismo Kallio is seen as First Wedding Guest.Also Pertti Palo appears as Wedding Guest.On Friday we heard sad news that Palo, the eldest son of Tauno Palo, has died after a long illness at the age of 75.Nummisuutarit has a lot of memorable stuff.One of them is when Esko makes a riot at the wedding, breaking all that glass.And when he becomes drunk after Mikko gives him booze.And when Niko is made to look like a wanted criminal so that he could get a ride back home to his daughter Jaana.Esko's character is a character you just have to like.You feel sorry for him when he has all that misfortune.But after a while things look good again.

The third filming of the famous play is also the first to make this story look more garish than ever - not less because of this time "Nummisuutarit" can be seen the very first time in shining colors! It was just a question of time when Suomi-Filmi's routine director Valentin Vaala, who was on the top of his career, was ordered to re-direct this tale once more. The direction and the use of music is decent (as it should be) but Vaala fails to keep up the speed it would need to roll the comic aspects through as it stands.

After all the most interesting point to look at is the work of Martti Kuningas in the leading role. The energetic character lifts this version up near it's forerunner from 1923.

Valentin Vaala's retelling of Aleksis Kivi's famous 1864 play is the third film version of the tale, and the first one in shot in colour. The movie's plot follows the play fairly closely: a poor shoemaker Topias and his wife Martta (Lauri Leino and Alice Lyly) are keen on getting their simpleminded son Esko (Martti Kuningas) married as soon as possible, because a significant inheritance will be given to the kid who marries first; not to mention that Martta cannot stand the fiancé of their adopted daughter Jaana. With his sly friend Mikko Vilkastus (Helge Herala), Esko travels to the home of Kreeta, the girl who he thinks has been betrothed to him, but finds her celebrating her marriage to another man. Misunderstandings and other comedic incidents follow, as Esko begins his journey back home.

The most enjoyable part of the film is the visual style. The charmingly faded Sovcolor cinematography makes the people and the green forests look like they're in a painting, always complimenting the beauty of the scenery. Unfortunately, some other aspects of the movie haven't dated as well: particularly the crass overacting and constant shouting get tiresome quickly, even if some exaggeration is acceptable in such a down-to-earth comedy. The quickly spoken, old-fashioned dialogue doesn't sound very natural to modern ears, but retains echoes from Aleksis Kivi's original play and can be enjoyed as change from the normal language heard in most Finnish films.

Even with its flaws (mainly the over-the-top rampaging by the lead actors and the unresolved storyline regarding Mikko), there are successful details in the film too. Some of the more quiet characters, such as Karri and Antres (Jussi Oksa and Niilo Sale) are actually quite pleasantly portrayed and bring balance to the overall style of the film. As already mentioned, the scenery looks fine too and the cheery music is enjoyable as well. If you like old Finn-comedies and don't mind the overly loud and folksy performances, Vaala's Nummisuutarit might well be right up your alley – giving it a chance is not necessarily a bad idea.