Teuvo Tulio’s oldest surviving film follows a spoilt and arrogant young man, the son of a landowner, playing fast and loose with the affections of a number of young women. In fact, he’s so busy seducing the women of the region that it’s a wonder any actual farming gets done at all. But eventually he finds himself forced to face up to his social and sexual responsibilities.
Director: Teuvo Tulio. AKA The Song of the Scarlet Flower.
Writers: Johannes Linnankoski (novel), Yrjö Kivimies, Regina Linnanheimo (uncredited), Teuvo Tulio (uncredited).
Stars: Kaarlo Oksanen, Rakel Linnanheimo, Mirjami Kuosmanen, Nora Mäkinen, Birgit Nuotio, Maire Ranius, Sylvi Palo, Aku Peltonen, Veikko Linna, Lauri Korpela, Ida Kallio, Onni Veijonen, Elli Ylimaa, Paavo Kuoppala.
Ravishing to look at. Almost every frame is breathtaking. And the extended scenes of lumberjacks running the rapids are very impressive. The lead male’s very expressive, very effective. And the young woman who plays Gazelle/Elli ( I think her name is Nora Makinen) is a dazzling beauty, also a fine actress.
Beautiful! Yes, the rapids, the SUP on a log, saying SUP sounds blasphemous compared with the ravishing beauty of the scenes in this movie. It has speed, tension, emotion! Overwhelming!
Very beautiful movie and touching. Makes me sad when I think of Kaarlo Oksanen who died in the war 1941, same year he and Rakel Linnanheimo got married…