''The Headquarters'' ( fi, Päämaja) is a 1970 Finnish

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Matti Kassila Matti Kassila (12 January 1924 – 13 December 2018) was a Finnish film director who achieved fame as one of the most prominent Finnish filmmakers in the 1950s and 1960s. He is most famous for the series of four Inspector Palmu movies, based on t ...

. Based on the 1966 Finnish play ''Päämajassa'' by

Ilmari Turja Ilmari Turja (28 October 1901 – 6 January 1998) was a Finnish writer, best known as a journalist and playwright, with a career spanning nearly eight decades from the 1920s to the 1990s. Early life and education Kaarlo Ilmari Turja was born t ...

, the film describes the mood and atmosphere of the

Finnish army The Finnish Army (Finnish: ''Maavoimat'', Swedish: ''Armén'') is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: the infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft ...

headquarters led by Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim in

Mikkeli Mikkeli (; sv, S:t Michel; la, Michaelia) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Etelä-Savo region. The municipality has a population of () (around 34,000 i ...

in the summer of 1944 during the breakthrough of the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...

. Marshal Mannerheim is played by

Joel Rinne Toivo Joel Rinne (6 June 1897, Asikkala – 3 December 1981) was a prolific Finnish actor of stage and screen. Among his most memorable film parts was the title role in the Inspector Palmu movie series, which started in 1960's ''Komisario Palmun e ...

in his last film role. Differences of opinion regarding the role of Mannerheim caused dispute between Kassila and Rinne during the filming and led to polemics in the press after the premiere. The film's second main character, lieutenant general A. F. Airo, is played by Jussi Jurkka, who won the

Jussi Award for Best Actor Jussi Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually at the Jussi Awards, the premier film industry event in Finland. The 1st Jussi Awards ceremony was held in 1944, with Joel Rinne winning the first Jussi Award for Best Actor for his perfo ...

for his performance.

Plot

In the summer of 1944, in the

headquarters of the

Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (which i ...

, in the moments of the resolution of the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...

, General Airo gives the attack order without asking the commander-in-chief,

Marshal Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comm ...

, as the major attack on the Karelian Isthmus approaches. When the war turns into defeat, dissension in the staff is caused not only by nervous pressure, but also by an anonymously published newspaper article inciting a defeatist mentality and a list of ministers drawn up by the Germans in case of Finland's withdrawal from the war.

Cast

References

External links

* 1970 films Cultural depictions of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Films directed by Matti Kassila Films set in 1944 Finnish black-and-white films Finnish drama films Finnish films based on plays Finnish war films Finnish World War II films {{Finland-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links