Onnenpotku Explained

Onnenpotku
Director:Glory Leppänen
Editing:Yrjö Norta
Studio:Suomen Filmiteollisuus[1]
Distributor:Suomen Filmiteollisuus
Runtime:101 min
Country:Finland
Language:Finnish
Budget:FIM 706,745

Onnenpotku (Swedish: Lyckosparken; 'A Stroke of Luck') is a 1936 romantic comedy, notable for being the first feature-length Finnish film by a female director.[2] [3]

Background

The film is based on an earlier Swedish one, titled (1934).[4]

The project was started by director and producer Erkki Karu, but when he suddenly died in December 1935, a replacement was needed to continue the work. The production company's CEO Toivo Särkkä would have been the obvious choice, but he declined on the basis of lack of directing experience.

Instead, the project was given to Glory Leppänen, who had many years' experience as an actor and also some as a stage director. She did, however, have something most of the directors at the time lacked: formal training in direction, having attended a course at Regieseminar Max Reinhardt in Vienna.[5] She was ably assisted by the seasoned Yrjö Norta as editor and sound designer.

Much of the crew, as well as the lead cast, were also young and inexperienced. Leppänen later remarked on how difficult it was to direct especially the romantic scenes between the male and female leads, with both actors not only unused to such work but also very shy.

Cast

Plot

During the 1930s depression, the poor and unemployed engineer Reino Aro is secretly in love with Maire Rauta, the daughter of the wealthy industrialist K.L. Rauta; however, the father has other suitors in mind for her. Much confusion and many misunderstandings later, the situation finally resolves to a happy ending.

Legacy

Upon its release, Onnenpotku was a box office hit, with over 407,000 cinema tickets sold to date. As of February 2020, it retains the record for the most cinema-goers of any film by a Finnish female director.[6]

The film is in some respects technically flawed, but Leppänen's direction is considered to have brought out good performances of the inexperienced cast. Nevertheless, it remains her only film as a director; although she was invited to stay with the production company, she opted for a theatre career instead.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Onnenpotku . Elonet . National Audiovisual Institute . 3 March 2021.
  2. News: Glory Leppänen ohjasi elokuvan historiaa . 3 March 2021 . Helsingin Sanomat . 29 November 2011 . fi.
  3. Web site: Onnenpotku (1936) . IMDb.com . 3 March 2021.
  4. News: Ensimmäiset neljä naista – vain he saivat ohjata suomalaisen elokuvan kultakaudella . 3 March 2021 . Yle . 24 March 2017 . fi.
  5. Book: Kuka Kukin On (Who's Who) . 1978 . Otava . Helsinki . 521 . 3 March 2021 . fi.
  6. News: Frozen 2 rikkoi parikin ennätystä: tilastoidun historian katsotuin animaatio ja naisohjaajan elokuva . 3 March 2021 . Elokuvauutiset . 3 February 2020 . fi.