''Komisario Palmun erehdys'' (Swedish title: ''Mysteriet Rygseck''; international titles: ''Inspector Palmu's Mistake'' or ''Inspector Palmu's Error''; US DVD title: ''The Rygseck Mystery'') is a 1960 Finnish crime comedy film 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 ...

for

Suomen Filmiteollisuus Suomen Filmiteollisuus (SF), lit. ''Finland's Film Industry'', is a Finland, Finnish film production company founded by Erkki Karu in 1933 after financial problems with Suomi-Filmi. The CEO, director, producer and writer Toivo Särkkä, T.J. Sär ...

. It is set in 1930s

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

and centers on

Inspector Palmu Inspector Frans J. Palmu (), depicted as "a gruff detective of the Helsinki Police Department", is one of the most popular characters created by Finnish writer Mika Waltari (who is, however, better known outside Finland for his historical novels) ...

's investigation of the murder of rich and decadent Bruno Rygseck. It is based on

Mika Waltari Mika Toimi Waltari (; 19 September 1908 – 26 August 1979) was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel ''The Egyptian'' (). He was extremely productive. Besides his novels he also wrote poetry, short stories, crime novels, plays, ...

's 1940 novel of the same name, and was the first film adaptation of his Inspector Palmu novels. The film was premiered on September 9, 1960, and at the time of its premiere, the film was already a great success with both audiences and critics.Komisario Palmun erehdys
–

Elonet is a website run by the Finnish National Audiovisual Institute which provides a database of about 150,000 films created or screened in Finland. It was launched in 2006. In 2024, the National Audiovisual Institute launched the free streaming s ...

(in Finnish) It has enjoyed great popularity over the years, and in 2012, it was voted the best Finnish film of all time by Finnish film critics, journalists and bloggers in a poll organized by

Yle Uutiset ''Yle Uutiset'' is the Finnish news production unit of Yle. ''Yle Uutiset'' also produces news in Northern Sámi, Swedish, Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia ...

. The film was also shown at the

Tampere Film Festival The Tampere Film Festival () is a short film festival held every March, mostly at the Finnkino Plevna movie theatre, in Tampere, Finland. It is accredited by the film producers' society FIAPF, and together with the short film festivals in Oberhau ...

in 1999. The film was followed by three sequels, ''

Gas, Inspector Palmu! Gas, Inspector Palmu! (original Finnish title: ''Kaasua, komisario Palmu!'') is a 1961 Finnish crime movie directed by Matti Kassila. It is a sequel to Inspector Palmu's Mistake and is followed by The Stars Will Tell, Inspector Palmu. The main c ...

'' (1961), ''

The Stars Will Tell, Inspector Palmu ''The Stars Will Tell, Inspector Palmu'' (Finnish: ''Tähdet kertovat, komisario Palmu'') is a 1962 Finnish comedy-crime film directed by Matti Kassila. It is the third film in the ''Inspector Palmu'' series and the second one produced by Fennad ...

'' (1962) and ''

Vodka, Inspector Palmu ''Vodkaa, komisario Palmu'' (''Vodka, Inspector Palmu'') is a 1969 film directed by Matti Kassila. It is the fourth and final part of the Inspector Palmu series and the only part of the series to be filmed in color. The film is also the only one ...

'' (1969), which were produced by a different studio,

Fennada-Filmi Fennada-Filmi was a Finnish film production company which was in operation from 1950 to 1982. It was one of the largest companies in its field in Finland from 1950s to 1970s. Mauno Mäkelä was the head of the company during its entire run. Be ...

, but directed by Kassila and featured the same core cast.

Plot

The film opens with a scene of guests arriving at the crime-themed dinner party of Bruno Rygseck, the rich and decadent heir of the Rykämö concern. The guests are his cousins Airi and Aimo Rykämö, Airi's fiancé Erik Vaara, who works for the concern and strongly dislikes Bruno, and Irma Vanne, the daughter of

vuorineuvos (, 'mining councilor', literally Finnish for 'mountain councilor'; Swedish: ) is both a Finnish honorary title and a historical Swedish role on the Swedish Board of Mines. The Finnish title is granted by the President of Finland to leading f ...

Vanne. In order to scare them as they arrive, Bruno has dressed up as the

Grim Reaper The Grim Reaper is a popular personification of death in Western culture in the form of a hooded skeletal figure wearing a black robe and carrying a scythe. The next morning, inspector Frans J. Palmu and detectives Virta and Kokki are informed that Bruno has drowned in his indoor swimming pool after slipping on a bar of soap. They head to the Rygseck house to conduct a routine investigation. The party guests (with the exception of Vanne), as well as Bruno's aunt Amalia Rygseck and his estranged wife Alli Rygseck, are present at the house, as all of them had had something to discuss with Bruno that morning. As Palmu inspects the bathroom, he begins to suspect that Bruno was in fact murdered. When the policemen are shown around the house by Bruno's manservant, Veijonen, they find Vanne and famous author K.V. Laihonen engrossed in lively conversation in the basement. They are oblivious to the morning's events, as they had entered the house through the back door when coke was delivered in the early morning and have since been in the basement. Although Laihonen does not know Bruno or Vanne from before, he had been invited to the house by her to get back the stolen manuscript of his unpublished novel. The atmosphere in the house becomes increasingly hostile towards the investigation as Palmu asks more detailed questions about the morning's events. He learns that the previous night, Aimo had stolen Amalia's cat and brought it with him to the dinner party, where Bruno had poisoned it and invited her to view the cadaver for his amusement. Despite Palmu's suspicions, the investigation is closed due to pressure from the powerful Rygsecks and because there is no evidence to prove that the death was anything other than an accident. Laihonen asks the policemen and Vanne to join him at the luxurious

Hotel Kämp Hotel Kämp () is a historic hotel in Kluuvi, Helsinki, Finland. It is a member of Leading Hotels of the World. The hotel, originally built in 1887 by Carl Kämp, was designed by Theodor Höijer. The building was demolished and the facade was reb ...

for a late lunch. At Kämp, Vanne tells the policemen more about the previous night. They had been playing a game in which each contestant had to commit a crime that the victim could not report to the police. The winner was to be chosen by Vaara at the party. Her crime had been to steal the manuscript; Aimo's to steal the cat; and Airi's to have ten of Aimo's

promissory note A promissory note, sometimes referred to as a note payable, is a legal instrument (more particularly, a financing instrument and a debt instrument), in which one party (the ''maker'' or ''issuer'') promises in writing to pay a determinate sum of ...

s signed by Bruno. She had refused to reveal how she had gotten them, other than that it was blackmail. Bruno had then asked Vaara to come to his bedroom in order to show him his crime in private. Afterwards, Vaara had stormed out of the house in fury, after stating that Bruno had won the contest. When Palmu and the detectives arrive back at the police station late in the afternoon, they are told that Alli Rygseck has been poisoned with

prussic acid Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an industrial s ...

mixed in her

absinthe Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavored Liquor, spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. His ...

. She had been back at the Rygseck house to discuss with the family members who was to inherit from Bruno: she had insisted that she should get the house. Bruno's case is now also re-opened, and the policemen head back to the house. Palmu interrogates Airi about the promissory notes, and she reveals that Aimo had been forging Bruno's signature to pay off his gambling debts. Bruno had told her that he would contact the police about it unless she were to agree to do something, although she refuses to specify exactly what. In Bruno's bedroom, Palmu finds an album of nude photographs he had taken of his female friends, with one page torn off. That evening, the policemen meet Bruno's uncle Gunnar Rygseck, the head of the Rykämö concern, at his office. He tries to bribe Palmu and claims that Bruno was suicidal and had intended the poisoned absinthe for himself before dying accidentally. Next, Palmu confronts Vaara, whose office is in the same building, about what Bruno showed him. It is revealed to have been a nude photograph of Airi, which Palmu notices is a forgery. He tells Vaara that Aimo killed Bruno and that Airi will be imprisoned as an accomplice as she has tried to protect her brother: this leads Vaara to confess to Bruno's murder. Palmu asks for Airi, who also works for the concern, to come to Vaara's office. She confirms that the photograph is forged, and finds the idea that her brother killed Bruno laughable. Vaara takes back his confession, and Palmu admits that he never truly believed either him or Aimo to be the murderer. Palmu calls the Rygseck house, where Amalia is moving in, and is told by her that Veijonen has disappeared. Palmu goes to interrogate Vanne again, and she confesses to having secretly stayed in Alli Rygseck's old bedroom on the night of the party. When she walked through the corridor leading to the bathroom the next morning in order to get to the back door, she thought that a stair creaked behind her, as if someone else was there as well. Palmu places her under house arrest at Laihonen's apartment. In order to get the murderer to act, Palmu sends detective Virta to tell all the suspects that Vanne knows something about the murders. He is also to get Bruno's photo album from the Rygseck house and to go show it to Vanne. At the house, Amalia convinces Virta to give her his gun for protection as she is scared of Veijonen. When Virta returns to the station, he learns that Veijonen has been caught and is cleared of the murders. Soon after, Palmu calls Laihonen and asks to speak to Vanne. He admits that she has gone to help Amalia search the house – he had lied to the gullible Virta earlier that she was asleep. The police rush back to the Rygseck house, and stop Amalia from shooting Vanne. In the struggle, Virta is shot in the shoulder. In the final scene, it is revealed that Amalia has been mentally ill for some time and that she murdered Bruno as revenge for killing her cat. The murder weapon was her umbrella with a sturdy wooden handle that she always carried with her. As she is elderly and not of sound mind, she is not prosecuted but is left to the care of her brother.

Cast

* Joel Rinne as Inspector Frans J. Palmu *

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 ...

as Detective Toivo Virta * Leo Jokela as Detective Väinö Kokki * Jussi Jurkka as Bruno Rygseck * Saara Ranin as Amalia Rygseck * Elina Salo as Airi Rykämö *

Pentti Siimes Pentti Kalevi Siimes (10 September 1929 – 27 October 2016) was a Finnish actor. He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows between 1946 and 2008. Siimes starred in the film ''Miriam'', which was entered into the 8th Berlin In ...

as Aimo Rykämö * Leevi Kuuranne as Veijonen *

Elina Pohjanpää Armi Elina Annikki Pohjanpää (8 April 1933, in Helsinki – 13 January 1996) was a Finnish actress. Her theatrical career lasted for 40 years, and in addition, she appeared in several Finnish films by directors such as Ilmari Unho, Aarne Tarkas ...

as Irma Vanne * Matti Oravisto as Erik Vaara * Leo Riuttu as K. V. Laihonen *

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 ...

as Alli Rygseck * Arvo Lehesmaa as Gunnar Rygseck *

Risto Mäkelä Risto () is a masculine given name, found in Finnish, Estonian and South Slavic. In South Slavic, it is a hypocorism derived from '' Hristofor'' or ''Hristivoje''. It may refer to: Estonia * Risto Järv (born 1971), folklorist *Risto Joost (b ...

as Police chief Hagert *

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 Doctor Dahlberg *

Toivo Mäkelä Toivo Mäkelä (26 September 1909 – 20 April 1979) was a Finnish film actor, appearing in more than 50 films between 1951 and 1979. He won a Jussi Award for Best Actor in 1978 and was awarded a Pro Finlandia medal in 1960. Partial filmogr ...

as Pianist at Hotel Kämp *

Irja Rannikko Irja is a given name. Notable people with the given name include: *Irja Aav (1944–1995), Estonian actress *Irja Askola (born 1952), Finnish bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland *Irja Agnes Browallius (1901–1968), Swedish teacher ...

as Bruno's cook * Anton Soini as Coke delivery man * Arttu Suuntala as Driver of coke truck Uncredited * Kaarlo Wilska as a policeman * Oiva Luhtala as a policeman * Arno Carlstedt as a man in Café Kappeli *

Leo Lastumäki Leo Antero Lastumäki (28 December 1927 – 29 January 2012) was a Finnish actor, born in Liminka. He worked in theaters, films and on television, often collaborating with Spede Pasanen. Lastumäki worked as a freelancer from 1973. He died in Kem ...

as a carpenter *

Tauno Söder Tauno Söder (13 January 1927 – 2 May 2009) was a Finnish actor. He appeared in 99 films and television shows between 1954 and 1979. He starred in the film '' Yksityisalue'', which was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festiv ...

as a crime scene investigator * Leo Pentti as a crime scene investigator * Paavo Hukkinen as a crime scene investigator * Arvo Kuusla as a crime scene investigator *

Rose-Marie Precht ''Rose-Marie'' is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a Fre ...

as a girl in Bruno's swimming pool * Katriina Rinne as a girl in Bruno's swimming pool *

Esko Salminen Esko Salminen (born 12 October 1940) is a Finnish actor with careers on television, the stage and on the silver screen. Personal life Born in Helsinki, Salminen's parents were actor and actress . He is of partial Russian descent through his b ...

as a boy in Bruno's swimming pool * Eero Maijala as a boy in Bruno's swimming pool * Orma Aunio as a boy in Bruno's swimming pool

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inspector Palmu's Mistake 1960 films 1960 crime films 1960 comedy films Films based on Finnish novels Films based on crime novels Films based on works by Mika Waltari Films directed by Matti Kassila 1960s Finnish-language films 1960s Finnish films Films set in the 1930s Films set in Helsinki Films shot in Finland 1960s mystery films Finnish crime comedy films 1960s crime comedy films Murder mystery films Films about mental health Finnish detective films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links