The unknown genius of Kaurismäki brothers

[pick-me-up]

I was looking after, but coudn’t find anything on the subject, so I just have to start this thread.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Man_without_a_past.jpg

There are two brothers in Finland who have made some awarded movies.
If you don’t know a thing about them. I’ll recommend you to take a look. Otherwise you are missing a lot! But perhaps it’s not very easy to be found.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aki_Kaurismäki

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/71/TheMatchFactoryGirl.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mika_Kaurismäki

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/I_Hired_a_Contract_Killer.jpg

Their style is a kind of finnish Film noir.

[John Cantrell]

Aki Kaurismäki is the director of one of my favorite "music" films - Leningrad Cowboys Go America. A very dry-humored depiction of a band on the fringe.
Highly recommended :righton:

[pick-me-up]

Wow!

Finally somebody answers to my thread …
I hope there will be some followers also!

I think he is genius! :righton:

[jkauff]

Aki Kaurismäki is the director of one of my favorite "music" films - Leningrad Cowboys Go America. A very dry-humored depiction of a band on the fringe.
Highly recommended :righton:
Agreed. Not the easiest title to find, though.

I believe Kaurismaki also wrote one of the five segments in Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth. Jarmusch has a bit part in Leningrad Cowboys Go America.

There are two other Leningrad Cowboys movies: Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses, and a concert film with the Red Army called Leningrad Cowboys Total Balalaika Show. I've never seen either one.

[zobalob]

There have recently been a few DVD sets released here in the UK....http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=aki+kaurismaki&Go.x=13&Go.y=11

[yasujiro]

I saw 'Lights in the dusk' today in a theatre. It was truly moving ... in the tradition of 'City Lights'.
The narrative style is as simple as Bresson's works. And the cimematography is incredibly beautiful. Easily one of the very best of this great director's opera.

[Solaris]

I saw Man Without a Past a few years ago with a friend of mine and we just scratched our heads. It wasn't exactly bad, but the humor seems to have been lost on us. Perhaps it's a Finnish thing, but we're both fans of international cinema, so we were a little surprised that we didn't like it more. It was shot well, though. From that film it seems like the light in Finland is all dusk, all the time, which makes everything practically glow.

[yasujiro]

I guess 'Lights in the dusk' is worth trying, Kruppa. Better than 'Man Without a Past' to me.

[Solaris]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[Matthew B.]

The Match Factory Girl and Drifting Clouds are my favourites so far. Leningrad Cowboys Go America is actually my least favourite, though in my experience that's the one most people have seen. It's all very, very deadpan stuff; I can see why Jim Jarmusch detected a kindred spirit.

[rauer]

The Kaurismäki brothers make actually pretty different films. Aki is nowadays by far the more famous and I think it's his films people think when they talk about Kaurismäki films.

I was in my teens when the first films (like Arvottomat) came out and they made a huge impression on me and my friends. I actually believe we started talking a little like the characters in the films. Perhaps I still do a bit. Many of the characters tend to talk unusually formally and with very little emotion.

Today I'm not so much of a fan anymore. The films seem to become more and more preaching. Preaching against the modern world where nothing good seems to happen according to Aki. That seems to be his opinion in interviews also. He just wants the good olde days back with 50s technology, 40s mentality and most importantly, smoking everywhere.

I admit Aki's a unique film maker and will probably have a permanent placement in the (Finnish) film history. Not just my kind of films anymore.

[yasujiro]

I admit Aki's a unique film maker

Work by work, it became more and more apparent to me that he is under heavy influence of Ozu.

[rauer]

Work by work, it became more and more apparent to me that he is under heavy influence of Ozu.

Yasujiro Ozu? (I Googled) Any particular films by him you'd recommend?

EDIT: Just noticed your nick. So I take it is him in question...

[yasujiro]

Yasujiro Ozu? (I Googled) Any particular films by him you'd recommend?

Criterion Collection issued his great works (http://www.criterion.com/asp/explore.asp?id=107).

'Noriko Trilogy' (Tokyo Story, Late Spring and Early Summer) are essential.
Floating Weeds
The box set 'Late Ozu' is also indispensable.

The extra disc of Tokyo Story contains 'Talking with Ozu': a 40-minute tribute to Yasujiro Ozu featuring reflections from directors Stanley Kwan, Aki Kaurismaki, Claire Denis, Lindsay Anderson, Paul Schrader, Wim Wenders, and Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Kaurismaki gave the most impressive interview among all. You will see why Kaurismaki always shows something red in quite many shots of his works.

Also, The extra disc of Late Spring is Wim Wenders' feature film 'Tokyo Ga' that may be a good introduction to the works by this great director.

[rauer]

:righton:

[pick-me-up]

Work by work, it became more and more apparent to me that he is under heavy influence of Ozu.

I’m quite sure that you know this stuff. He has certainly taken influence of Ozu but perhaps of a couple more directors too.

What comes to my mind also is that Aki Kaurismäki use pretty decent sound track on his movies. Quite sentimental and old music and perhaps a bit odd.

I’ll have to check Yasujiro Ozu films as well, when I can.

[yasujiro]

I’m quite sure that you know this stuff. He has certainly taken influence of Ozu but perhaps of a couple more directors too.
Agreed. And IMO one of the biggest is from Ozu.

What comes to my mind also is that Aki Kaurismäki use pretty decent sound track on his movies. Quite sentimental and old music and perhaps a bit odd.
Though it just may be a coincident, Ozu used many sentimental and old (even for his time) music in his flicks as well. (Not a rock'n roll, of course ;) )

I’ll have to check Yasujiro Ozu films as well, when I can.
I am so sure that it will bring you something. :righton:

[yasujiro]

I placed an order for UK DVD of 'Lights in the dusk'.
It turned up that the R1 DVD has no significant extra, while UK R2 has the director's interview.

Does anybody know any local version of this great flick with interesting extras? (I need the English subs though.)

[yasujiro]

The DVD hit my door. The transfer is very beautiful. I am 100% satisfied with it.

[claypool]

I saw Man Without a Past a few years ago with a friend of mine and we just scratched our heads. It wasn't exactly bad, but the humor seems to have been lost on us. Perhaps it's a Finnish thing

I'm Finnish and I don't understand the "humor" either :)

[pick-me-up]

I'm Finnish and I don't understand the "humor" either :)

It’s not really humor at all. I guess it’s just his style to make movies.
The Finnish people are not at all like that, as somebody might believe, after seing his movies.
I mean, nobody talks that way normally. Very short meanings and often very deep too.
No, it’s just black noir à la Aki Kaurrismäki. ;)

We are very emotional, but have allways great humor at hands.
And we certainly do like to party! Of course, depending what the word means … :D

BTW!

What is this red meaning? :)

You will see why Kaurismaki always shows something red in quite many shots of his works.

[yasujiro]

What is this red meaning? :)
OZU.

[claypool]

It’s not really humor at all. I guess it’s just his style to make movies.
The Finnish people are not at all like that, as somebody might believe, after seing his movies.
I mean, nobody talks that way normally. Very short meanings and often very deep too.
No, it’s just black noir à la Aki Kaurrismäki. ;)

We are very emotional, but have allways great humor at hands.
And we certainly do like to party! Of course, depending what the word means … :D

He has a very unique way to make movies. I guess the dry, weird humor in his films is more like a satire about the Finns :) You're also right about nobody in Finland talking like Aki's characters do and your definition of the Finns is quite accurate ;)

I can't stand his movies, I'd say I even hate them :shh: Despite that, I find his movies still interesting in many ways and can very well understand that many people love his movies :)

[johnnyyen]

He is highly regarded but the only one I've seen is A Man Without A Past and it left me cold. I've never bothered with anything else but might give him another go just in case I'm missing something.

[pick-me-up]

He is highly regarded but the only one I've seen is A Man Without A Past and it left me cold. I've never bothered with anything else but might give him another go just in case I'm missing something.

I love this movie, but we are all different. And that’s good!

Perhaps you should try some movie of his they are talking mostly english.
Maybe you could try I Hired a Contract Killer (1990).