The Murderer
In the film the murderer is revealed to be Kurt Kuurna. Although all the evidence points to Kaarle Lankela, the attempted suicide and false but accurate confession made by Kirsti Skrof (taken from details that were given to her by Virta) causes the whole affair to become untangled.
Palmu's suspicions about Kuurna are aroused due to his unusually proactive involvement in the murder case as well for delivering Kirsti's suicide note, which at first glance doesn't appear to concern him. After Kirsti's suicide attempt Kuurna is put under police watch. When he shines the light on a hanged mannequin on his window the police and Palmu first suspect he has killed himself. Kurt reveals himself to be the killer with his gruesome portrait of Palmu (where Palmu is depicted as Janus) where he accidentally painted the tipped pot over the gas-cooker, a detail only the murderer would have known.
The climax is heavily indicative that Kuurna is homosexual but the motives of the murder are also tied to the story about his ancestor's surrender of a horse to the King of Sweden. This similarity spotted by Virta late into the film believing that Kuurna has turned the event into a metaphor for his own motives. Though Palmu initially dismisses the idea, he later confronts Kuurna with the theory. It is revealed that Kurt had feelings for Kaarle and intended to have him framed for the murder in order to save him, believing the police could not establish a motive for Kaarle even though everything else points to him being the killer.
What ultimately motivates Kuurna to kill Alma Skrof is a remark about his and Kaarle's relationship being abnormal. Kuurna is a decisively complex killer, his motives being more psychological than practical, who also displays guilt over his actions. He intercepts the false confession made by Kirsti and he may have painted the tilted pot unconscious that it would ultimately tie him to the crime-scene. After Palmu points out the tilted pot in Kuurna's painting, Kurt attempts suicide by throwing himself down the spiral stairwell of his apartment building but is stopped by the police at the last second.
Have His Carcase is a 1932 locked-room mystery by Dorothy L. Sayers, her seventh novel featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and the second in which Harriet Vane appears. It is also included in the 1987 BBC TV series. The book marks a stage in the long drawn out courting of Harriet Vane by Wimsey. Though working closely with him on solving the book's mystery, she still refuses to marry him.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a detective novel by the British writer Agatha Christie, her third to feature Hercule Poirot as the lead detective. The novel was published in the UK in June 1926 by William Collins, Sons, having previously been serialised as Who Killed Ackroyd? between July and September 1925 in the London Evening News. An American edition by Dodd, Mead and Company followed in 1926.
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Taken at the Flood is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in March 1948 under the title of There is a Tide. .. and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in the November of the same year under Christie's original title. The US edition retailed at $2.50 and the UK edition at eight shillings and sixpence (8/6). It features her famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, and is set in 1946.
A Pocket Full of Rye is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 9 November 1953, and in the US by Dodd, Mead & Co. the following year. The UK edition retailed at ten shillings and sixpence (10/6) and the US edition at $2.75. The book features her detective Miss Marple.
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Murder in the Mews and Other Stories is a short story collection by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club on 15 March 1937. In the US, the book was published by Dodd, Mead and Company under the title Dead Man's Mirror in June 1937 with one story missing ; the 1987 Berkeley Books edition of the same title has all four stories. All of the tales feature Hercule Poirot. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) and the first US edition at $2.00.
The Honey Pot, also known as The Honeypot, is a 1967 American crime comedy-drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Rex Harrison, Susan Hayward, Cliff Robertson, Capucine, Edie Adams, and Maggie Smith. The film was based on the play Mr. Fox of Venice by Frederick Knott, the novel The Evil of the Day by Thomas Sterling, and loosely on the 1606 play Volpone by Ben Jonson.
Verdict is a 1958 play by British mystery writer Agatha Christie. It is unusual for Agatha Christie plays in more than one way: for example, it is an original play, not based on a story or novel; and though there is a murder in the story, it is a melodrama more than a typical 'whodunnit' mystery as the murder takes place on stage.
Inspector Frans J. Palmu, depicted as "a gruff detective of the Helsinki Police Department", is one of the most popular characters created by Finnish writer Mika Waltari.
Komisario Palmun erehdys is a 1960 Finnish crime comedy film directed by Matti Kassila for Suomen Filmiteollisuus. It is set in 1930s Helsinki and centers on Inspector Palmu's investigation of the murder of rich and decadent Bruno Rygseck. It is based on Mika Waltari's 1940 novel of the same name, and was the first film adaptation of his Inspector Palmu novels.
Murder on the Blackboard is a 1934 American pre-Code mystery/comedy film starring Edna May Oliver as schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers and James Gleason as Police Inspector Oscar Piper. Together, they investigate a murder at Withers' school. It was based on the novel of the same name by Stuart Palmer. It features popular actor Bruce Cabot in one of his first post-King Kong roles, as well as Gertrude Michael, Regis Toomey, and Edgar Kennedy.
Toivo Joel Rinne was a prolific Finnish actor of stage and screen. Among his most memorable film parts was the title role in the Inspector Palmu movie series, which started in 1960's Komisario Palmun erehdys, and continued in three sequels. Another well-known role in Joel Rinne is in the 1970 film Päämaja, directed by Matti Kassila, in which Rinne interprets in the role of Marshal Mannerheim.
The Stars Will Tell, Inspector Palmu is a 1962 Finnish comedy-crime film directed by Matti Kassila. It is the third film in the Inspector Palmu series and the second one produced by Fennada-Filmi. The novel was written by Waltari through the explicit request by director Kassila. It is also the last film in the series to be shot in black and white. The fourth film was made without Waltari's involvement.
A Man Lay Dead is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the first novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1934. The plot concerns a murder committed during a detective game of murder at a weekend party in a country house.
Pentti Kalevi Siimes was a Finnish actor. He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows between 1946 and 2008.
Flying Too High is a crime novel by Australian author Kerry Greenwood, and was published in 1990 by Penguin Books. It is the second novel by Kerry Greenwood that features the fictional detective Miss Phryne Fisher.
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Farewell, Mr. President is a 1987 Finnish action thriller film directed by Matti Kassila and starring Hannu Lauri. It tells the story of a disgruntled waiter planning to assassinate the Finnish President. The film is based on a 1979 thriller novel of the same name by Pentti Kirstilä. Unlike contemporary Finnish films, the film is a thrilling film strongly influenced by post-classic Hollywood films.
