Rauni Mollberg (April 15 1929 – October 11 2007) was a
Finnish
film director who
directed movies and TV movies.
In 1963 Mollberg directed movies for
YLE. He
directed a version of
The Unknown Soldier in
1985, 30 years after
Edvin Laine
directed the original version of it. Mollberg's movie's plot was
same as Laine's movie. But Mollberg used unknown actors and the
movie was colourised and shot by a handhold camera.
Mollberg did not begin directing films for the cinema until he was
well into his forties. He made a notable splash on the
international festival circuit in 1974 with
The Earth is a
Sinful Song (1973), his debut feature, an earthy,
erotically-charged, blood-soaked tale of a young village girl's
ill-fated affair with a Lap reindeer herdsman. Based on a novel by
the late
Timo K. Mukka, one of Finland's most controversial
young writers, the film "stunned Scandinavian critics and audiences
alike with its simple, terrible power and its authentic sensuality"
(Peter Cowie), and went on to become one of the biggest box-office
successes in the Finnish cinema's history. It also introduced
Mollberg's trademark style: "a realistic naturalism full of
expressive force with which he merges the people with the scenery,
stripping them bare of life's illusions and the polished veneer of
culture" (Sakari Toiviainen). Despite Peter Cowie's efforts, and
the acclaim of many other critics and "independent" festivals,The
Finnish National Film board has stubbornly sequestered this
masterpiece, only releasing it in a DVD format incompatible with
international viewing, and lacking English subtitles.
During his career he was used to get wide audiences in Finland. To
his film
The Earth is a Sinful Song (1973) was sold
709,664 tickets and it is 11th on the list of most admissions to a
Finnish film. 590,271 tickets were sold to the screenings of
The Unknown
Soldier (1985) making it 17th highest grossing movie in
the history of Finland.
Awards and nominations
Berlin International Film Festival: Nominated for Golden Berlin
Bear (1974 and 1981 for films
The Earth is a Sinful Song
and
Milka).
Locarno International Film Festival: Won Special Price for
The
Earth is a Sinful Song (1974).
Napoli Film Festival: Won Best Director award for
Pretty Good
for a Human (1978).
Jussi Awards: Best Director award for
Sotaerakko (1973),
The Earth is a Sinful Song (1974),
Pretty Good for a
Human (1978),
The Unknown Soldier (1986), Best
Producer award for
Milka (1981).
Filmography
- "Lapsuuteni", 1967
- Tehtaan varjossa, 1969
- Sotaerakko, 1972
- Maa on syntinen
laulu, 1973
- Aika hyvä
ihmiseksi, 1977
- Milka – elokuva tabuista, 1980
- Tuntematon
sotilas, 1985
- Ystävät, toverit,
1990
- Paratiisin lapset, 1994
- Taustan Mikon kotiinpaluu, 1999
- Ison miehen vierailu, 1999
- Puu kulkee, 2000
- Heikuraisen nauru, 2001
- Korpisen veljekset, 2002
- Reissu, 2004
External links
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