Calamari Union
| Calamari Union | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Aki Kaurismäki |
| Produced by | Aki Kaurismäki |
| Written by | Aki Kaurismäki |
| Starring |
Timo Eränkö Kari Heiskanen Asmo Hurula Sakke Järvenpää |
| Music by |
Mikko Mattila Jone Takamäki |
| Cinematography |
Harri Laakso Mikko Mattila |
| Edited by |
Aki Kaurismäki Raija Talvio |
Production company |
Aki Kaurismäki/Villealfa Film Productions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | Finland |
| Language |
English Finnish |
Calamari Union is a 1985 Finnish surreal[1] comedy film, the second full-length film by director Aki Kaurismäki. It stars Timo Eränkö, Kari Heiskanen, Asmo Hurula and Sakke Järvenpää.
Plot
Calamari Union tells the story of sixteen men, all called Frank (inspired by Frank Armoton) apart from one man called Pekka. Collectively the Franks and Pekka are unhappy with life in Kallio, a working-class district of Helsinki, and decide to move to Eira, an upper-class district, imagining it to be unspoiled. In fact the two districts are not very far apart, but the journey across the city takes on epic proportions, as each of the men falls by the wayside through marriage, work or death.
Reception
An absurdist comedy,[2] the film is considered to be satirical cult classic.[3] Caryn James of The New York Times described the film as "gleefully absurdist", adding that Kaurismäki "takes over the American gangster film and flavors it with his improbable humor".[4] Others have drawn connections between The Saimaa Gesture and Calamari Union and the Finnish punk movement.[5]
References
- ↑ Kääpä, Pietari (January 2010). The National and Beyond: The Globalisation of Finnish Cinema in the Films of Aki and Mika Kaurismäki. Peter Lang. p. 76. ISBN 978-3-03911-966-0.
- ↑ Fotheringham, Richard; Jansohn, Christa; White, R. S. (2008). Shakespeare's World/world Shakespeares: The Selected Proceedings of the International Shakespeare Association World Congress Brisbane, 2006. Associated University Presse. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-87413-989-1.
- ↑ Thorsen, Isak; Andersson, Lars Gustaf (31 August 2012). Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 233. ISBN 978-0-8108-5524-3.
- ↑ James, Caryn (August 23, 1990). "Calamari Union (1985) – From Tragedy to Absurdity With Finland's Prolific Upstart". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ The Cinema of Aki Kaurismaki: Contrarian Stories. Columbia University Press. 20 August 2013. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-231-85041-4.