''Hilma's Name Day'' () is a 1954 Finnish romantic

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

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 ...

. It is based on the 1936 novel by Agapetus, telling the story of a small village preparing to celebrate the shopkeeper's wife's

name day In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, as well as Christian communities elsewhere. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively t ...

when a fire breaks out in the night and turns out to be more difficult to put out than expected. The film stars

Matti Ranin Matti Helge Ranin (21 November 1926 – 24 November 2013) was a Finnish actor. Ranin had an extensive career in film. He was in his prime as film-actor in the 1950s and 60s, most famously playing Captain Kariluoto in an Edvin Laine film '' The ...

Aino Mantsas Aino Mantsas (29 November 1922, Helsinki – 24 January 1979) was a Finnish actress. She worked for various theatres and appeared in films. She was married to director Matti Kassila from 1948 until her death, and was cast in many of his films, suc ...

Tauno Palo Tauno Valdemar Palo (born Tauno Brännäs; 25 October 1908 – 24 May 1982) was a Finnish actor and singer in what some consider the golden age of Cinema of Finland, Finnish cinema. In ''Guide to the Cinema of Sweden and Finland'' Peter von Bagh ...

and

Edvin Laine Edvin Armas Laine (13 July 1905 – 18 November 1989) was a Finnish film director and actor. Laine was born Bovellán. Laine directed a comedy '' Aaltoska orkaniseeraa'' and family film ''Sleeping Beauty'', both in 1949. '' The Unknown Sold ...

. Like the novel, Kassila wanted set the film in the 1930s, and for that, a possible authentic shooting environment was needed to get the impression of the period. In the end, a suitable destination can be found in the Nurmijärvi village, where the film was filmed. The film received a positive reception from critics when it was released. In 1955, the film won two

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 Hel ...

: for

best direction The MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction is an award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and the director of the music video. From 1984 to 2006, the full name of the award was Best Direction in a Video, and in 2007, it was briefly renam ...

(Matti Kassila) and best set design (Aarre Koivisto).

Cast

as Heikki, a young judge *

as a girl from post office *

as Yrjö, an old judge *

as Kalervo Verto, a shopkeeper and firechief * Kaija Paasi as Hilma Verto, a shopkeeper's wife * Vieno Kekkonen as a pharmacy girl *

Salli Karuna Salli Karuna (1902–1987) was a Finnish film actress.Hammer p.117 She was married to the actor Ilmari Unho. Selected filmography * '' Gabriel, Come Back'' (1951) * '' Mother or Woman'' (1953) * ''Shamrock A shamrock is a type of clover ...

as Eeva, a housekeeper of old judge *

Tarmo Manni Tarmo Manni (30 July 1921, in Saarijärvi – 24 September 1999, in Helsinki) was a Finnish theatre and film actor. He worked for the Finnish National Theatre 41 years of his 44-year career and appeared in 65 films from 1944 to 1999. Manni was ...

as Mr. Kipala, a blacksmith *

Pentti Irjala Pentti Irjala (23 September 1911 – 25 June 1982) was a Finnish actor. Career Since 1959, Irjala worked for the Finnish National Theatre. He appeared in over a hundred films, making him the actor with one of the longest careers in Finnish film ...

as an old man of Vekkula * Oke Tuuri as Alpertti, a cab driver * Arvo Lehesmaa as a pharmacist * Leo Riuttu as a doctor The film's producer

Toivo Särkkä Toivo Jalmari Särkkä (20 November 1890, in Mikkeli – 9 February 1975, in 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 film ...

is seen in a

cameo role A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking one ...

among the party guests.

Reception

''Hilma's Name Day'' has often been called one of Kassila's best directorial works, and even Agapetus, who wrote the original novel, is said to have been exceptionally pleased with the result. Leo Nordberg from ''

Uusi Suomi ''Uusi Suomi'' () was a Finnish daily newspaper that was published from 1919 to 1991. The headquarters was in Helsinki, Finland. History and profile ''Uusi Suomi'' was established in 1919 as a continuation of two earlier newspapers, ''Suometar' ...

'' called the film as Kassila's "most intact work up to that point", adding that he also appreciates the film's "homely Finnish tone". Paula Talaskivi from ''

Helsingin Sanomat , abbreviated ''HS'' and colloquially known as , is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that of the Finnish capital ...

'' wrote that "Kassila has done more work than usual for his portrayal of people." Also, the acting work of Tauno Palo and Edvin Laine was praised across the board. Timo Malmi from ''

Ilta-Sanomat is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid-size evening newspapers and the largest paper in the country. Its counterpart and biggest rival is '' Iltalehti''. According to the National Media Research done in 2019, ''Ilta-Sanomat'' is also the bi ...

'' estimates that "Edvin Laine in particular has the role of his life as the chief of the volunteer fire department in this warm Agapetus film adaptation."Timo Malmi: ''Elokuvat'', p. 38. ''

'', 17 November 2009. (in Finnish)

References

External links

* 1954 comedy films 1950s Finnish-language films 1950s Finnish films Films about fires Films based on Finnish novels Films directed by Matti Kassila Films set in the 1930s Films shot in Finland Finnish black-and-white films Finnish romantic comedy films {{1950s-comedy-film-stub

Cast

Reception

See also

Further reading

References

External links