''Sadan miekan mies'' ("The Man of a Hundred Swords" in English) is a 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 ...
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
from 1951 directed by
Ilmari Unho
Ilmari Unho (22 October 1906 − 3 April 1961) was a Finnish actor, film director, and screenwriter. Unho was employed by Suomi-Filmi for most of his filmmaking career.
Unho was born in Uusikaupunki in 1906. He started his film career as an actor ...
. The film takes place in the 1630s in the Finnish county
Varsinais-Suomi
Southwest Finland, calqued as Finland Proper ( fi, Varsinais-Suomi ; sv, Egentliga Finland), is a Regions of Finland, region in the southwest of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-H ...
, and tells the story of a heroic swordsman on an assignment from the king, and on their journey, the swordsman and he's partner encounter foes and damsels. The film was first shown on television on 7 March 1964.
[Sadan miekan mies](_blank)
- Elonet
Elonet is a website run by the Finnish National Audiovisual Archive
National Audiovisual Institute ( fi, Kansallinen audiovisuaalinen instituutti; sv, Nationella audiovisuella institutet or ') is a governmental bureau under the Finnish Ministry ...
(in Finnish)
Actors
Synopsis
Koskela manor
The year is 1634, two years after the king of Sweden
fell on the
battlefield of Lützen. Captain of Kaarnoja, also known as the "man of a hundred swords", "poor man beyond the seas" or "take-life-Olavi", rides with his companion Hannu Eerikinpoika to the manor house of Koskela. At the manor they meet Krister Kristerinpoika, and the captain ends up dueling with him in the maiden chamber of Krister's cousin, the beautiful Elisabeth Gyllenskiöld. Elisabeth doesn't like her cousin and reveals to the captain that Krister is secretly plotting against him. The captain is delivering a letter to one Ståhlhandske. He leaves the letter with Elisabeth before leaving Koskela. The secret plan of Krister is to ambush the captain and his companion near the abandoned Lehikko croft on their way to Turku. The duo approach the croft prepared, but when they arrive they meet only two goodhearted mercenaries with thick Karelia accent Koms and Taavetti, the comic characters of the movie.
The Three Pint tavern
After arriving in Turku the captain and his companion Hannu decide to stay in the Three Pint tavern. The tavern's maid warns the men about Mollerus, the errand boy of Martens van Heeren. Mollerus gives the heroes valuable information after the men threaten Mollerus with torture. The following scene takes place in the house of Kurki which van Heeren is renting. Van Heeren is scheming with Krister Kirsterinpoika, together with his cousin, the beautiful blond Kristiina Gyllenskiöld. Van Herren's motives are revealed: He wants to return the kingdom of Sweden under the protection of the holy church,
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
.
The captain and Hannu infiltrate the house of Kurki in the darkness of the night. Kristiina has been assigned to seduce the captain, but she mistakenly seduces Hannu who enters her bedroom instead. Hannu is enchanted by Kristiina. Meanwhile, the captain enters the bedroom of Kristiina's cousin Elisabeth. Captain and Elisabeth know each other, and after an argument they end up kissing. Kristen and van Heeren demand to know if the captain is with Elisabeth, and, while the captain is next to her in bed, she lies he is not with her.
Turku castle
The heroes can't escape the house of Kurki without a fight. They win the fight against superior numbers, and after saying their goodbyes to Elisabeth and Kristiina, ride to Turku castle with raised swords. Krister Kristerinpoika has set a trap there, and the captain and Hannu end up in a prison cell. Van Heeren and Krister interrogate the captain about the king's letter. The captain stays strong, and manages to capture Turku castle with the help of Koms and Taavetti. The adventure continues to the Koskela manor through the castle's dungeons.
Good triumphs over bad
The cousins Elisabeth and Kristiina return to Koskela manor before the captain and his friends. At Koskela, a farmhand tells the cousins that Ståhlhandske has arrived. This is however a lie, with van Heeren behind it. The women end up in a sword fight with van Heeren. The captain arrives, and van Heeren loses the fight. Van Heeren's true identity is revealed and he is handed to Ståhlhandske who by now has actually arrived. Elisabeth hands over the letter to Ståhhandske, and van Heeren's game is over.
The final act is played in Turku castle. Elisabeth is too nervous to approach the captain, but with the help a small ploy they end up together. On the castle wall the noble beauty and the hero, man of a hundred swords, embrace in the final kiss.
Production and awards
Outdoor shooting for the move took place in the surroundings of the medieval Kuitila manor in
Pargas
Pargas ( fi, Parainen) is a town and municipality of Finland, in the Archipelago Sea, the biggest archipelago in the world by the number of islands, 50,000. The big limestone mine in Pargas is the base of the main industry and except for the centr ...
and in
Luostarinmäki
Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum ( fi, Luostarinmäen käsityöläismuseo, sv, Hantverksmuseet på Klosterbacken; ''Cloister Hill Handicrafts Museum'') is an open-air museum in Turku ( sv, Åbo), Finland.
Cloister Hill
This area of Cloister ...
and the castle in Turku. The Turku castle appearing twice in a full frame shot is of a model, because the actual surroundings were not suitable for the 17th century period of the movie. The fencing instructor for the actors was the French Roger Blanc,
[Muut tiedot, Elonet.fi](_blank)
accessed 14.12.2012 who was the instructor of the Finnish fencing
team and also taught at the Theatre academy
for a few of year.
The producer successfully complained about high taxes and the movie was exempt from all taxes. Roy aka Tapio Vilpponen won the best set design -award in
Jussi Awards
The Jussi Awards are Finland's premier film industry prizes, awarded annually to recognize the achievements of directors, actors, and writers.
History
The first Jussi Awards ceremony was held on 16 November 1944 at the Restaurant Adlon in Hels ...
for this and the movie ''Gabriel, tule takaisin'' on 19.3.1951 at Hotelli Aulanko.
Reception
The editor of Suomen kansallisfilmografia -collection Kari Uusitalo chose ''Sadan miekan mies'' as one of top 100 significant Finnish films in the 1990 ''Mitä missä milloin -''book. Thanks to this movie, the lead actor Kalervo Nissilä was called the
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...
of Finland.
Contemporary reviewers generally agreed that the Finnish adventure film had earned its place, with some room for improvements in directing.
Aikalaisarvioita Elonet.fi
accessed 14.12.2012
Sources
Further reading
* Suomen kansallisfilmografia 4,
* Mitä missä milloin 1990,
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0127265, Sadan miekan mies
Synopsis and press reviews at Elonet.fi
(in Finnish)
Background information of the soundtrack and production at Elonet.fi
(in Finnish)
1951 films
1950s historical adventure films
Finnish adventure films
Finnish historical films
Films set in the 1630s
Films set in castles
Swashbuckler films
Finnish black-and-white films