Prinsessa Ruusunen (Sleeping Beauty)
Starring: Aarne Laine, Mirjam Novero, Annika Sipilä, Tuula Usva, Martti Katajisto, Siiri Angerkoski, Eeva-Kaarina Volanen, Enni Rekola, Rauha Puntti, Maija-Liisa Ilmari, Birgit Kinnunen, Leena Häkinen
Director: Edvin Laine
Suomen Filmiteollisuus, Finland, 1949.
This is my contribution to the Fairy Tale Blogathon event (November 9.-11. 2014) hosted by Fritzi Kramer at
moviessilently.com
This adaptation of Sleeping Beauty tells the story of Princess Ruusunen (the story known as Sleeping Beauty or Briar Rose in English). The Queen (Mirjam Novero) has recovered from illness and the citizens bring her gifts. However the Queen is sad because she doesn't have her own children. The Fairy of Light Valotar (Eeva-Kaarina Volanen) hears Queen's and King's (Aarne Laine) wishes and announces the coming birth of princess. Valotar asks them to invite all the seven fairies to the birthday party.
 |
| The citizens plan Queen's party |
 |
| The Queen |
When the princess is born a party is planned. The Master Chef (Uuno Montonen) has lost a golden plate so his young apprentice Sam (Birger Kortman) suggests not inviting one of the fairies. Marshal of the Court (Jalmari Rinne) and the King decide not to invite the Fairy of Death Tuonetar (Enni Rekola). Sam is overworked with organizing the party. He has three lazy bosses and he would prefer to rest. Sam is assigned to send the invitations to the fairies. Sam makes a wish that he would be grown up so he could have better pay.
 |
| The Queen and baby Princess Ruusunen (Eeva Maaria Aro) |
 |
| Marshal of the Court, Little Sam and Master Chef |
 |
| Little Princess Ruusunen' birthday party |
The child is named Ruusunen. The invited fairies appear and gift Ruusunen with love, goodness, understanding, beauty, richness and longevity. Tuonetar also appears and curses Ruusunen so that as soon as she turns fifteen she will hurt herself with spindle and fall into sleep of death. Only thing that Valotar can do is to change the destiny so that Ruusunen will sleep for hundred years.
 |
| The Fairy of Light Valotar |
 |
| The six good fairies |
 |
| Fairy of Death Tuonetar |
When Princess Ruusunen (Annika Sipilä) is almost five she visits old Leena (Olga Tainio). Leena shows her the spinning wheel she uses to make yarn. Ruusunen would like to try the spinning wheel, but she is too young to try it. Ruusunen gets new pair of shoes from the Shoemaker (Arvo Lehesmaa). She gives the shoes to a poor little girl Sanna (Ritva Waltari). Then Ruusunen goes playing and gets herself dirty, which horrifies snobbish Counsellor of State Kunigunda (Siiri Angerkoski). Ruusunen wants a spinning wheel and a spindle as her birthday present. The Queen and King are horrified and all spindles in the kingdom are destroyed except Spinner-Liisa's spindle (Elsa Turakainen) because the court needs gold yarn for clothes.
 |
| Princess Ruusunen visits old Leena and sees her spinning wheel |
 |
| Counsellor Kunigunda (middle) is strict on etiquette |
At Ruusunen's fifth birthday party wise men come to meet Ruusunen. Also the Eldest Gnome (Aku Korhonen) and little gnomes come to congratulate her. Little Sanna brings flowers and wool socks from Leena. Valotar turns the Wheel of Time and Ruusunen (Tuula Usva) turns suddenly 15 years old. This surprises Ruusunen's chamber maid Leukoija (Sirkka Hirvonen). Tuonetar appears again and reminds of the curse.
 |
| The gnomes congratulate Ruusunen |
 |
| Little Sanna brings flowers and wool socks |
 |
| Princess Ruusunen and chamber maid Leukoija |
Ruusunen brings roses to Spinner-Liisa who is living alone in the castle tower. At this point all the people in the castle are getting
sleepy. Ruusunen tries spinning yarn and gets pricked by the spindle. Everyone in he castle falls asleep with the help of happy little
Sandman. Only the gnomes stay awake taking care of the castle and dusting the royal family from time to time.
 |
| Ruusunen brings flowers to Spinner-Liisa |
 |
| Sandman sprinkles magical sleeping sand |
The castle is covered by rose bushes, being unreachable for 100 years. Meanwhile the life in the village goes on. Various unlucky princes try to enter the castle. Little Sanna turns 105 years (Laina Laine). She tells her grand-daughter about Princess Ruusunen. One day a handsome Prince Florestan (Martti Katajisto) appears and asks the road to the castle. Tuonetar has assigned spiders to guard the castle. After fighting a giant spider the prince gets inside the castle. He kisses Princess Ruusunen who awakes. She does not know that hundred years have passed. The other people awake too and the partying continues. Little Sam awakes with a beard, now he can get better pay! The villagers can now visit the castle again and the castle residents are astonished at how much fashion has changed in hundred years. Florestan proposes Princess Ruusunen and they live happily ever after, with the blessings from the good fairies.
 |
| Prince Florestan |
 |
| Prince kisses and awakes Princess Ruusunen |
 |
| Princess Ruusunen and Prince Florestan get blessings from the fairies |
The script was adapted from Brothers Grimm story and also from Zacharias Topelius' play Prinsessa Ruusunen. In it's time (1949) this was a huge production in Finland. After all it was filmed only four years after the war and ten years before the Disney adaptation. The movie has imaginative sets and beautiful costumes. However the movie is a bit slow at times and the acting style is quite theatrical. The movie has a lot of old-fashioned fairy tale charm. In Finland the movie has been popular across many generations. To my knowledge there is no English subtitled version.
The movie has many popular Finnish film actors in smaller roles such as Uuno Montonen, Jalmari Rinne, Tarmo Manni, Elsa Turakainen and Rauha Rentola. The movie has many child actors who are sweet and act naturally.
The music in the movie is partly composed by Erkki Melartin and originally used in the play Prinsessa Ruusunen. Heikki Aaltoila composed also music for the movie. The movie has also many songs and ballet numbers. The main title music "Festival March" composed by Melartin is one of the most popular wedding marches in Finland, you can listen it for example here:
Rating:
Very Good
Thank you so much for participating and sharing this intriguing film. My knowledge of Finnish cinema is very slight so I really appreciate this introduction. Even if there are no subtitles, I think I will have to track this down.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments! From time to time I try to review also other Finnish classics, here is a short review I wrote about Finnish silent movie "Pohjalaisia" that has been released on DVD with English subtitles:
Deletehttp://shamelesspile.blogspot.com/2014/07/movie-review-bothnians-pohjalaisia.html
This film looks wonderful! I've seen only 3-4 Finnish films, but I've liked every one. I know I'll like this one, too. Thanks for including it in the blogathon! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your interest! That Zolushka looks like an interesting film also, it seems that many fairy tales were filmed soon after the WWII.
DeleteThis looks like a wonderful telling of a classic story. It's funny how those tales just don't get old. The costumes too - a total flight of fancy. I'm woefully under-schooled in Finnish cinema - it looks like this might be a good place to start!
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to learn about an older Finnish movie. Finnish films are hard to come by in America. You make this sound intriguing. Thank you for sharing with all of us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review and pictures. I would like to purchase this movie in english and would greatly appreciate your help.
Delete