Movielogr
The Harvest Month (1956)
Directed by Matti Kassila
Overview
The title of the Finnish film Elokuu translates to August. Directed by Matti Kassila, one of Finland’s premiere filmmakers, Elokuu was adapted from a novel by Nobel prize winning finnish author F.E. Sillanpää. Simply put, the story concerns the decline and fall of a once-proud family, thanks to the alcoholism of its paterfamilias. Toivo Makela delivers a powerfully effective performance as the inebriated protagonist, avoiding the usual “drunken” cliches. The overlong running time, coupled with the downbeat nature of the subject, limited the film’s worldwide appeal.
Length 94 minutes
Actors
Toivo Mäkelä | Emma Väänänen | Rauni Luoma | Aino-Maija Tikkanen | Rauni Ikäheimo | Senni Nieminen | Heikki Savolainen | Tauno Kajander | Sylvi Salonen | Topi Kankainen | Pentti Irjala | Olavi Ahonen | Keijo Lindroos | Mauri Jaakkola | Severi Seppänen | Kaija Siikala | Matti Kassila | Kari Åkerberg | Tommi Rinne | Leo Jokela | Leo Lastumäki | Seppo Sariola