Finnish stories, themes and characters in the world cinema
by pekka-linnainen | created - 12 Feb 2017 | updated - 29 Aug 2020 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Leaves From Satan's Book (1920)
TV-14 | 167 min | Drama
In 4 episodic tales of human suffering: the temptation of Jesus, the Spanish Inquisition, the French Revolution and the Russo-Finnish war of 1918, Satan attempts to win God's favor.
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer | Stars: Helge Nissen, Halvard Hoff, Jacob Texiere, Hallander Helleman
Votes: 1,356
2. Fänrik Ståls sägner (1926)
184 min | War
A story that takes place during the Finnish War between Sweden and Russia 1808-1809.
Director: John W. Brunius | Stars: Edvin Adolphson, Olga Andersson, Hugo Björne, Artur Cederborgh
Votes: 34
3. Ski Patrol (1940)
64 min | Adventure, Drama, War
In 1939 a Finnish reserve unit defends the border and their town in the valley below from Russian invaders who are excavating an explosive-laden tunnel under their mountaintop encampment.
Director: Lew Landers | Stars: Philip Dorn, Luli Deste, Stanley Fields, Samuel S. Hinds
Votes: 217
4. Mission to Moscow (1943)
Approved | 124 min | Drama, History, War
Ambassador Joseph Davies is sent by FDR to Russia to learn about the Soviet system and returns to America as an advocate of Stalinism.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Walter Huston, Ann Harding, Oscar Homolka, George Tobias
Votes: 1,020
– Yeah, how about poor little Finland? – This gentleman has asked the question: How about Finland. My friend, you have only heard one side of the story. I'll tell you the other. – I suppose you're gonna tell us she attacked Russia. – Russia knew she was going to be attacked by Hitler, so the soviet leaders asked Finland's permission to occupy strategic positions to defend herself against German aggression. She offered to give Finland twice as much territory in exchange, but Hitler's friend Mannerheim refused, and the red army moved in.
5. The Farmer's Daughter (1947)
Unrated | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After leaving her family's farm to study nursing in the city, a young woman finds herself on an unexpected path towards politics.
Director: H.C. Potter | Stars: Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Charles Bickford
Votes: 2,883
6. The Egyptian (1954)
Approved | 139 min | Drama
In ancient Egypt, a poor orphan becomes a genial physician and is eventually appointed at the Pharaoh's court where he witnesses palace intrigues and learns dangerous royal secrets.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Gene Tierney, Michael Wilding
Votes: 4,463
7. Rear Window (1954)
PG | 112 min | Mystery, Thriller
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 522,407 | Gross: $36.76M
And the nylons and those six-ounce lingerie.
- Three. - Alright, three.
8. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Not Rated | 161 min | Drama, Mystery
An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell
Votes: 71,383 | Gross: $11.90M
E.g. Toivo, the bartender in the opening scene.
9. Moonwolf (1959)
74 min | Sci-Fi
Dr. Peter Holmes (Carl Moehner), zoologist and veterinarian, relectantly agrees to permit his dog, Wolf, to be used in a launch project commissioned by the International Conference of ... See full summary »
Directors: Georges Friedland, Martin Nosseck | Stars: Anneli Sauli, Carl Möhner, Helmut Schmid, Paul Dahlke
Votes: 39
10. 2 x Adam, 1 x Eva (1959)
91 min | Comedy
Director: Franz M. Lang | Stars: Heidi Brühl, Matthias Fuchs, Brigitte Grothum, Alfred Balthoff
11. The Day the Earth Froze (1959)
Not Rated | 67 min | Adventure, Fantasy
The evil witch Louhi kidnaps Lemminkäinen's sister to build for her a Sampo, a device that creates salt, grain, and gold. When Lemminkäinen fails to recover the Sampo, Louhi steals the sun, plunging the world into frozen darkness.
Director: Aleksandr Ptushko | Stars: Urho Somersalmi, Anna Orochko, Ivan Voronov, Andris Osins
Votes: 1,465
12. Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti (1960)
97 min | Comedy, Musical, Drama
The sole film version of one of his plays that the demanding Brecht approved of: A drunken rich man breaks up the engagement of his daughter to a respectable ambassador and wants her instead to wed his trusted valet.
Director: Alberto Cavalcanti | Stars: Curt Bois, Heinz Engelmann, Maria Emo, Erika Pelikowsky
Votes: 61
13. The Farmer's Daughter (1963–1966)
30 min | Comedy
Katrin Holstrum seeks the help of Congressman Glen Morley just when she needs a governess for her sons Steve and Danny. Morley hires Katy and her solutions contrast with the complicated shapes of the refined Glen.
Stars: Inger Stevens, William Windom, Cathleen Nesbitt, Mickey Sholdar
Votes: 307
14. Make Like a Thief (1964)
80 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Arrested for a murder he didn't commit, American adventurer Bart Lanigan is about to be deported from Finland on a freighter. In the Helsinki harbor, he himself becomes a target for a hit ... See full summary »
Directors: Åke Lindman, Palmer Thompson | Stars: Richard Long, Åke Lindman, Pirkko Mannola, Aulikki Tarnanen
Votes: 94
15. Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
Not Rated | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
British spy-turned-detective Harry Palmer stumbles upon an oil tycoon's plot to overthrow Communism using a supercomputer.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Michael Caine, Karl Malden, Ed Begley, Oscar Homolka
Votes: 6,017
16. Mûmin (1969–1970)
30 min | Animation
The adventures of Moomintroll and his associates in the fictional valley of Moominvalley.
Stars: Kyôko Kishida, Hitoshi Takagi, Reiko Mutô, Kôsei Tomita
Votes: 55
17. Sleuth (1972)
PG | 138 min | Mystery, Thriller
A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Alec Cawthorne, John Matthews
Votes: 50,194 | Gross: $4.08M
Tea is a Karelian Goddess. Her golden hair smells of pine, and her cobalt eyes are the secret forest pools of Finlandia.
18. The Curse (1973)
100 min | Drama
An old man who works for a landlord brings a young worker to paint the house for him. The old landlord is alcoholic and has a young wife and together they manage a ranch. Little by little ... See full summary »
Director: Nasser Taghvai | Stars: Jamshid Mashayekhi, Mohammad Taghi Kahnemoui, Fakhri Khorvash, Behrouz Vossoughi
Votes: 189
19. Moomins (1977–1982)
9 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
A stop-motion animated children's television series, often referred to as the Fuzzy Felt Moomins, based on the stories and illustrations by the Finnish author Tove Jansson.
Stars: Hans Clarin, Stanislaw Kwasniak, Stanislaw Wyszynski, Richard Murdoch
Votes: 580
20. Fedora (1978)
PG | 114 min | Drama, Romance
Down-on-his-luck Hollywood producer Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler attempts to lure Fedora, a famous but reclusive film actress, out of retirement only to discover the horrible truth behind her success.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: William Holden, Marthe Keller, Hildegard Knef, José Ferrer
Votes: 5,189 | Gross: $2.20M
Countess Sobryanski: Anton, when those musicians come back, tell them we've heard enough of that "Valse triste." It's rather tacky! Doctor Vando: [disbelieving] Jean Sibelius tacky?
21. Za spichkami (1980)
100 min | Adventure, Comedy, History
In Eastern Finland, in Liperi to be exact, Anna-Liisa Ihalainen asks her husband Antti to get some matches from the Ihalainen household. Unfortunately that trip takes a little longer than expected.
Directors: Leonid Gaidai, Risto Orko | Stars: Evgeniy Leonov, Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Rita Polster, Ritva Valkama
Votes: 1,250
22. The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
R | 109 min | Comedy, Drama
A New Englander and his odd family run a hotel in Vienna, as unexpected events change their lives forever.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Rob Lowe, Jodie Foster, Paul McCrane, Beau Bridges
Votes: 9,120 | Gross: $5.10M
Finnish Doctor
23. Flucht in den Norden (1986)
117 min | Drama
A film based on Klaus Mann's novel about a woman's escape from Nazi Germany to Finland.
Director: Ingemo Engström | Stars: Katharina Thalbach, Jukka-Pekka Palo, Käbi Laretei, Lena Olin
Votes: 113
24. Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)
PG | 100 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A Southern California girl befriends three furry aliens after their spaceship lands in her swimming pool.
Director: Julien Temple | Stars: Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans
Votes: 25,227 | Gross: $3.92M
25. Night on Earth (1991)
R | 129 min | Comedy, Drama
An anthology of 5 different cab drivers in 5 American and European cities and their remarkable fares on the same eventful night.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Winona Ryder, Gena Rowlands, Lisanne Falk, Alan Randolph Scott
Votes: 66,041 | Gross: $2.02M
26. King Ralph (1991)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Romance
A regular guy from America becomes king of England after a royal wipe-out puts him next in line.
Director: David S. Ward | Stars: John Goodman, Peter O'Toole, John Hurt, Camille Coduri
Votes: 16,956 | Gross: $34.00M
Kingdom of Finland
27. Comet in Moominland (1992)
70 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
Moomin, Sniff and My set out to stop a comet approaching the Moomin valley. Along the way they meet Snusmumriken, the beautiful Snorkfröken, Snorken and a Hemul, who join them in their quest.
Directors: Masayuki Kojima, Hiroshi Saitô | Stars: Rabbe Smedlund, Jyrki Kovaleff, Elina Salo, Ulla Tapaninen
Votes: 2,346
28. Look Who's Talking Now (1993)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
The dogs can talk at a family of 4, where mom loses her job the same day dad gets a job as pilot for a cute, single boss.
Director: Tom Ropelewski | Stars: John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, David Gallagher, Tabitha Lupien
Votes: 30,965 | Gross: $10.34M
Santa is really from Finland. Finland. Give me a break. No. He is.
- How could he get around the world in a night?
- Finland Airlines.
29. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
PG | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Charles Durning
Votes: 85,107 | Gross: $2.87M
Thorstenson Finlandson
30. Peculiarities of the National Hunt (1995)
Not Rated | 93 min | Comedy
The men go hunting. Russian men.
Director: Aleksandr Rogozhkin | Stars: Ville Haapasalo, Viktor Bychkov, Sergey Russkin, Aleksey Buldakov
Votes: 4,699
31.
Home Improvement (1991–1999)
Episode:
It's My Party
(1995)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Family
Tim puts a dance floor in the basement for Randy's birthday party, but he over-waxes it, causing Randy's friend Michelle to sprain her ankle; Randy is embarrassed that Tim is now sending his friends to the hospital.
Director: Andy Cadiff | Stars: Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson, Earl Hindman, Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Votes: 247
Tent sauna, an old Finnish tradition. Tim: Wilson, are you naked? Wilson: No, Tim, I am wearing a hat.
32. Mother Night (1996)
R | 114 min | Drama, Romance, War
An American spy behind the lines during WWII serves as a Nazi propagandist, a role he cannot escape in his future life as he can never reveal his real role in the war.
Director: Keith Gordon | Stars: Nick Nolte, Sheryl Lee, Tony Robinow, Michael McGill
Votes: 5,594 | Gross: $0.39M
Major Frank Wirtanen
33. Peculiarities of the National Fishing (1998)
94 min | Comedy
The men go fishing. Russian men.
Director: Aleksandr Rogozhkin | Stars: Aleksey Buldakov, Viktor Bychkov, Semyon Strugachyov, Sergey Russkin
Votes: 4,030
34. Train Birds (1998)
87 min | Comedy, Romance, Crime
Hannes is a beer-truck driver in Dortmund. His biggest dream is to win the first prize at the International Time-Table Contest in Inari (Finland). When his new boss cancels his extra ... See full summary »
Director: Peter Lichtefeld | Stars: Joachim Król, Outi Mäenpää, Peter Lohmeyer, Jochen Nickel
Votes: 1,242
35. Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998)
R | 112 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
In Lapland's cold Arctic Circle, under the eternal midnight sun, unfavourable circumstances reunite two kindred spirits. And governed by circular motifs woven by faith and love, they must answer a pivotal question. Can they deny destiny?
Director: Julio Medem | Stars: Najwa Nimri, Fele Martínez, Nancho Novo, Maru Valdivielso
Votes: 20,213 | Gross: $0.50M
36. Charlie's Angels (2000)
PG-13 | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Three women, detectives with a mysterious boss, retrieve stolen voice-ID software, using martial arts, tech skills, and sex appeal.
Director: McG | Stars: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray
Votes: 196,380 | Gross: $125.31M
Finnish as the secret language
37. Swordfish (2001)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell led by Gabriel Shear wants the money to help finance their war against international terrorism, but it's all locked away. Gabriel brings in convicted hacker Stanley Jobson to help him.
Director: Dominic Sena | Stars: John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle
Votes: 196,320 | Gross: $69.77M
Axl Torvalds
38. 28 Days Later (2002)
R | 113 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer
Votes: 446,178 | Gross: $45.06M
The jet pilot says in Finnish: "Lähetätkö helikopterin?" ("Could you send a helicopter?")
39. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
R | 113 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
An adaptation of the cult memoir of game show impresario Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell), in which he purports to have been a C.I.A. hitman.
Director: George Clooney | Stars: Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts
Votes: 92,026 | Gross: $16.00M
Montreal as Helsinki
40. Elina: As If I Wasn't There (2002)
77 min | Drama, Family
Elina is sinking in the quicksand and she is going under and she got the white thing on her hair.
Director: Klaus Härö | Stars: Natalie Minnevik, Bibi Andersson, Marjaana Maijala, Henrik Rafaelsen
Votes: 1,931
41. Kamome shokudô (2006)
102 min | Comedy, Drama
Where are we welcome? On a quiet street in Helsinki, Sachie has opened a diner featuring rice balls. For a month she has no customers. Then, in short order, she has her first customer, ... See full summary »
Director: Naoko Ogigami | Stars: Satomi Kobayashi, Hairi Katagiri, Masako Motai, Jarkko Niemi
Votes: 2,724
42. Om Gud vill (2006)
87 min | Drama, Romance
Immigrant Juan meets Finnish tango singer Juli in the summer of 1975 in Stockholm, and romance blooms.
Directors: Amir Chamdin, Erik Eger | Stars: Nina Persson, Amir Chamdin, Julia Alenius, Emil Almén
Votes: 382
43. Georg (2007)
105 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A movie about the life of legendary Estonian singer Georg Ots.
Director: Peeter Simm | Stars: Marko Matvere, Anastasiya Makeeva, Renars Kaupers, Tõnu Kark
Votes: 423
44. Kinnunen (2007 TV Movie)
85 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Director: Andri Luup | Stars: Sesa Lehto, Maria Peterson, Hilje Murel, Ivo Uukkivi
Votes: 115
45. Max Manus: Man of War (2008)
Not Rated | 118 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The true story about one of the most brilliant saboteurs during World War II and his battle to overcome his inner demons.
Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg | Stars: Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Ken Duken
Votes: 29,789
Finnish soldier
46. Taarka (2008)
94 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
An ethnographic musical drama about a Seto (regional ethnic minority in South-Eastern Estonia) folk-singer Hilana Taarka.
Director: Ain Mäeots | Stars: Inga Salurand, Siiri Sisask, Marje Metsur, Tanel Jonas
Votes: 166
47.
Poirot (1989–2013)
Episode:
The Clocks
(2009)
Not Rated | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Four clocks surround an unidentified corpse in a blind woman's house, and a young typist is summoned to the crime scene. However, Poirot is convinced that the complicated setup is merely hiding a simpler solution.
Director: Charlie Palmer | Stars: David Suchet, Olivia Grant, Anna Skellern, Tom Burke
Votes: 2,218
A Finn in the theater: "Punasilliä"
48. Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Romance
A college grad lands a job as a financial journalist in New York City to support where she nurtures her shopping addiction and falls for a wealthy entrepreneur.
Director: P.J. Hogan | Stars: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack
Votes: 83,142 | Gross: $44.28M
Jani Virtanen
49. Cornelius, the Howling Miller (2017)
107 min | Drama
A village is visited by a mysterious visitor, Cornelius Bloom, who starts building a mill. The new miller is welcomed at first, but unfortunately he has a flaw: every night he howls at the moon, preventing the villagers from sleeping.
Director: Yann Le Quellec | Stars: Bonaventure Gacon, Anaïs Demoustier, Gustave Kervern, Christophe Paou
Votes: 146
50. Columbus (I) (2017)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
A Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams.
Director: Kogonada | Stars: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Michelle Forbes
Votes: 20,985 | Gross: $1.02M
The modernist buildings by Eliel ja Eero Saarinen
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