![Erkki Karu and Eino Kari, 1927](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Erkki_Karu_and_Eino_Kari%2C_1927.jpg)
Erkki Karu (born Erland Fredrik Kumlander) (10 April 1887
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
– 8 December 1935
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
) was a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
,
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
and
producer. He was one of the pioneers of the
Finnish cinema
The Finnish cinema has a long history, with the first public screenings starting almost as early as modern motion picture technology was invented (the first screening in the world was in 1895, in Finland in 1896). It took over a decade before the ...
.
Career
Karu started his career as a member of a theater troupe in 1907. He became interested in cinema during the 1910s and was reportedly interested in starting his own film company as early as 1915.
[Uusitalo 1994, p. 22] Karu dabbled in filmmaking, and directed, wrote, edited and produced the comedy short films ''Ylioppilas Pöllövaaran kihlaus'' and ''Sotagulashi Kaiun häiritty kesäloma'' for Suomen Biografi Oy, both of which were released in 1920.
Karu founded the film production company
Suomi-Filmi in 1919, which by the end of the 1920s had grown into the largest company in its field in Finland.
Karu not only worked as the
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
, but was also the head director for most of his stay in the company. Working to secure the finances of his company, Karu had to wait until 1922 before starting work on his feature-length debut, an adaptation of the
Väinö Kataja novel ''Koskenlaskijan morsian'', which saw its release on New Year's Day 1923. The film was a success, as was Karu's next work, the
Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi (; born Alexis Stenvall; 10 October 1834 – 31 December 1872) was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, ''Seitsemän veljestä'' ("Seven Brothers") in 1870. He is also known for his 1864 p ...
adaptation ''Nummisuutarit'', released in the same year.
[Uusitalo 1972, p. 92] Because of both the popularity and artistic merit of these works, the year 1923 has been called the pinnacle of Karu's directing career.
Throughout the rest of the decade and the early 1930s, Karu continued to direct popular films, such as ''Myrskyluodon kalastaja'' (1924), ''Suvinen satu'' (1925), ''Muurmanin pakolaiset'' (1927) and ''Nuori luotsi'' (1928). He remained the most successful director during the early years of Suomi-Filmi.
[von Bagh, p. 412]
Suomi-Filmi ran into financial difficulties after the global depression stemming from the
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
caused the attendance figures of cinemas to drop. Karu was accused of financial irresponsibility by the rest of the company's shareholders and in 1933 had to resign from the company he had started. After leaving Suomi-Filmi, Karu wasted no time, and only months later started what would become his old company's main rival,
Suomen Filmiteollisuus. Karu had originally intended to start the company alongside an assistant director from Suomi-Filmi,
Risto Orko
Risto Orko (born Risto Eliel William Nylund; 15 September 1899 – 29 September 2001) was a Finnish film producer and director.
Orko was born in Rauma. With a career of over 60 years at the film studio Suomi-Filmi, he rose to be head of prod ...
, but Orko eventually chose to remain in Suomi-Filmi when he was offered the spot of head director. Instead, Karu found another partner,
Toivo Särkkä
Toivo Jalmari Särkkä (20 November 1890, Mikkeli – 9 February 1975, Helsinki), born Toivo Hjalmar Silén, was a Finnish film producer and director. He was CEO of the production company Suomen Filmiteollisuus.
Before his career in filmmakin ...
, who himself would go on to become the most prolific director in not only Suomen Filmiteollisuus but the whole of Finland.
Karu held the title of head director in his new company, but during his short stay there could only direct two films, ''Syntipukki'' and ''Roinilan talossa'', both in 1935, neither of which was very successful.
He died unexpectedly on December 8, 1935.
[Uusitalo 1994, p. 128]
Family
Karu married Elli Kylmänen, at the end of 1915.
The couple had two children, Olavi (1916-1992) and Sinikka (1917-1994).
Filmography
*''Ylioppilas Pöllövaaran kihlaus'' (1920)
*''Sotagulashi Kaiun häiritty kesäloma'' (1920)
*''Se parhaiten nauraa joka viimeksi nauraa'' (1921)
*''Finlandia'' (1922)
*''Koskenlaskijan morsian'' (1923)
*''
The Village Shoemakers
The Village Shoemakers ( fi, Nummisuutarit, sv, Sockenskomakarne) is a Finnish silent comedy film made in 1923, directed and produced by Erkki Karu, written by Artturi JärviluomaArto Pajukallio, Elokuvat, Helsingin Sanomat 30 April 2012, siv ...
'' (''Nummisuutarit'', 1923)
*''Kun isällä on hammassärky'' (1923)
*''Myrskyluodon kalastaja'' (1924)
*''Suvinen satu'' (1925)
*''Muurmannin pakolaiset'' (1927)
*''Runoilija muuttaa'' (1927)
*''Nuori luotsi'' (1928)
*''Meidän poikamme'' (1929)
*''Tukkipojan morsian'' (1931)
*''Meidän poikamme merellä'' (1933)
*''Voi meitä! Anoppi tulee!'' (1933)
*''Ne 45000'' (1933)
*''Meidän poikamme ilmassa – me maassa'' (1934)
*''Syntipukki'' (1935)
*''Roinilan talossa'' (1935)
*''Onnenpotku'' (1936; posthumously completed by
Glory Leppänen
Glory Leppänen ( Renvall; 28 November 1901 — 26 October 1979) was a Finnish actress, theatre and film director, and writer.
She was the first Finnish woman film director.
Personal life
Glory Renvall was born in Paris to a wealthy Finnish fa ...
)
Notes
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Karu, Erkki
Finnish film directors
Finnish film editors
Finnish film producers
Finnish screenwriters
1887 births
1935 deaths
20th-century screenwriters