The Saimaa Gesture | |
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Directed by | Aki Kaurismäki, Mika Kaurismäki |
Produced by | Aki Kaurismäki, Mika Kaurismäki |
Starring | Juice Leskinen Martti Syrjä Ismo Alanko |
Music by | Eppu Normaali Hassisen Kone Juice Leskinen Slam |
Cinematography | Lasse Naukkarinen Timo Salminen Toni Sulzbeck Olli Varja |
Edited by | Antti Kari |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 128 minutes |
Country | Finland |
Language | Finnish |
The Saimaa Gesture (Finnish : Saimaa-ilmiö) is a 1981 film by Finnish directors Aki and Mika Kaurismäki. It is a documentary of three Finnish rock groups aboard the steamboat SS Heinävesi on their tour around Lake Saimaa.
The film was shot from 31 May to 7 June on the 1981 "Tuuliajolla" tour by groups Eppu Normaali, Hassisen Kone and Juice Leskinen Slam. The Saimaa Gesture features artist interviews, more than 20 live performances and several acoustic songs filmed aboard the steamer.
The original title Saimaa-ilmiö is an adaptation of the Finnish translation of the 1979 thriller film The China Syndrome (Finnish: Kiina-ilmiö).
The soundtrack album Tuuliajolla was released by Poko Rekords. It was re-released on CD in 1993 and 2007. [1]
Matti Pellonpää was a Finnish actor and a musician. He rose to international fame with his roles in both Aki Kaurismäki's and Mika Kaurismäki's films; particularly being a regular in Aki's films, appearing in 18 of them.
Anna Katriina "Kati" Outinen is a Finnish actress who has often played leading female roles in Aki Kaurismäki's films.
Aki Olavi Kaurismäki is a Finnish screenwriter and film director. He is best known for the award-winning Drifting Clouds (1996), The Man Without a Past (2002), Le Havre (2011) and The Other Side of Hope (2017), as well as for the mockumentary Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989). He is described as Finland's best-known film director.
The Leningrad Cowboys are a Finnish rock band who frequently perform rock and roll covers of other songs. They have exaggerated pompadour hairstyles and wear long, pointy shoes. They often work with Russian military band the Alexandrov Ensemble.
Mika Juhani Kaurismäki is a Finnish film director.
Rauli Somerjoki, known professionally as "Badding", was a Finnish rock singer born in the town of Somero into a family of five children. His records were published on such labels as Love Records.
The Members are a British punk band that originated in Camberley, England. In the UK, they are best known for their single "The Sound of the Suburbs", reaching No. 12 in 1979, and in Australia, "Radio" which reached No. 5 in 1982.
Eppu Normaali is one of the most popular rock bands in Finland. The band formed in 1976 in Ylöjärvi, a small town near Tampere. The band is the best-selling music artist in Finland, with certified sales of nearly two million records, and it has also gained success especially in the use of the Finnish language in rock lyrics. In addition to their studio albums, Eppu Normaali also released live records, DVDs, and over 20 singles.
Rocky VI is a 1986 nine-minute black-and-white short parody of Rocky IV by Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki. The film stars Antti Juhani "Silu" Seppälä as Rocky and Sakari Kuosmanen as Igor, his Soviet opponent. In the film, the two boxers fight at Töölö Sports Hall in Helsinki. The much bigger Igor quickly knocks out Rocky and wins the match.
Total Balalaika Show is a 1994 film by director Aki Kaurismäki featuring a concert by the Leningrad Cowboys and the Alexandrov Ensemble.
Ariel is a 1988 Finnish drama film directed and written by Aki Kaurismäki. The film tells the story of Taisto Kasurinen, a Finnish coal miner who must find a way to live in the big city after the mine closes.
Calamari Union is a 1985 Finnish surreal comedy film, the second full-length film by the director Aki Kaurismäki. The film's cast includes well-known Finnish actors and rock musicians.
Shadows in Paradise is a 1986 Finnish art house comedy-drama film written and directed by Aki Kaurismäki. The film stars Kati Outinen as Ilona and Matti Pellonpää as Nikander.
Total Balalaika Show – Helsinki Concert is a 1993 live concert album by the Leningrad Cowboys and the Alexandrov Ensemble. It was recorded at Senate Square, Helsinki on 12 June 1993. This concert was also documented on film by Aki Kaurismäki.
Le Havre is a 2011 comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Aki Kaurismäki and starring André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Blondin Miguel. It tells the story of a shoeshiner who tries to save an immigrant child in the French port city Le Havre. The film was produced by Kaurismäki's Finnish company Sputnik with international co-producers in France and Germany. It is Kaurismäki's second French-language film, after La Vie de Bohème from 1992.
Hassisen Kone was a Finnish rock band, founded in 1979 in Joensuu. The young musicians rose to popularity in 1980 after winning the Finnish rock championship in the new wave category. They recorded three highly successful albums before disbanding in 1982. The singer-songwriter Ismo Alanko has led several bands since then and continues to be an influential name in Finnish rock music.
The Worthless is a 1982 Finnish film directed by Mika Kaurismäki, who also co-wrote the film with his brother Aki Kaurismäki. It is a road movie about two men and a woman driving around the country as they are being chased by a group of criminals and the police.
The Other Side of Hope is a 2017 Finnish comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Aki Kaurismäki. The film was produced by Kaurismäki's Finnish company Sputnik. In December 2016, it was selected to play in competition at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. The story is about a Finnish businessman who meets a Syrian asylum-seeker looking for his missing sister. Kaurismäki has noted that this film will be his last as a director.
The Liar is a 1981 Finnish comedy film directed by Mika Kaurismäki.
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