The Village Shoemakers ( fi, Nummisuutarit, sv, Sockenskomakarne) is 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 ...

silent

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 ...

made in 1923, directed and produced by

Erkki Karu Erkki Karu (born Erland Fredrik Kumlander) (10 April 1887 Helsinki – 8 December 1935 Helsinki) was a Finnish film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema. Career Karu started his career as a memb ...

, written by Artturi JärviluomaArto Pajukallio, Elokuvat, Helsingin Sanomat 30 April 2012, sivu D 7 (in Finnish) and starred by Axel Slangus. The film is based on the 1864 play ''

Heath Cobblers ''The Cobblers on the Heath'' (or ''Heath Cobblers''Aleksis Kivi's ''Heath Cobblers'' ('Nummisuutarit') ''A Comedy in five acts'', translated by Douglas Robinson (1993, St Cloud, Minnesota) in Douglas Robinson's 1993 translation; fi, Nummisuutarit) ...

'', written by Aleksis Kivi, and is the first of several film versions of the play. The film was shot at Suomi-Filmi's Vironkatu studio in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

and outdoor filming was made in the villages of Pilpala and Hunsala in

Loppi Loppi (; Swedish also ) is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region, located about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) south of the city of Hämeenlinna. Loppi was founded ...

Tavastia Proper Tavastia or Tavastland may refer to: * Häme (Swedish: ''Tavastland'', Latin: ''Tavastia'') * Tavastia (historical province), a historical province of the kingdom of Sweden, located in modern-day Finland * Tavastia (constituency), formerly Tavas ...

. The film was a great spectator success, although it was not as popular as another Erkki Karu film completed the same year, ''Koskenlaskijan morsian''. The film has been criticized as the most silent Finnish silent film to watch in Finnish. Kurt Jäger's cinematography in the final scene gets a special mention.Päivän elokuvia, Tv-maailma, 17/2012 sivu 13 (in Finnish) It is said to continue to successfully defy the ruthless tooth of time. ''The Village Shoemakers'' premiered on 11 November 1923 in the Bio-Bio and Edison Theaters in Helsinki. The film was also distributed in Sweden and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

References

External links

* 1923 films Silent films Finnish comedy films Finnish romantic drama films Finnish films based on plays {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub