Obscure Finnish movie, shot in glorious, haunting black & white, with the visual style of Carl Dryer and at times, Bergman, "Passionate Power" is basically the study of what happens to the soul when it is denied the love that it needs. A young girl, Aino is the daughter of a tyrannical father, an insufferable snob that refuses to let his daughter marry the man she loves because of his status as a "lowly farmhand." The Ylitalo clan is the richest family in this fairytale-like village, and young Aino is forced to marry some dunce, simply because of his noble lineage. He turns out to be a spineless, amoral drunk who proceeds to destroy the very family empire that her father was so proud of. Aino wants to be with Olavi, the flaxen haired Aryan logger, who gives up his exciting life of adventure to stay in this village and attempt to convince Aino's father to let them be together. When this union is denied, the poison of hate spreads to all involved. Aino becomes an embittered shrew who takes a whip to her drunken loser of a husband, while Olavi sticks around, builds a house and becomes a success, if only to spite Aino and her family. The film gets darker as it progresses, and the characters sink further into madness and desperation, up until it's violent and sad conclusion. "Passionate Flower" is very similar to "Wuthering Heights" in it's observations of the torment inflicted on two lovers when unkind fate keeps them apart. A glorious show of light and shadow and high drama, this one will be most appreciated by fans of the Silent film era.
2 Reviews
Melodrama 'passion' overdrive= don't mess with those tough Finn femmes!
Bofsensai12 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Perhaps more properly, literally translated as 'Overwhelming (engulfed by!) Passion' and by which is a better hyperbolic titling for this offering, although even then, that more likely reflecting the director's passion to portray the subject, in another of his well known for wartime era 'haystack' torrid affair = yep, 'passionate' - romances: in this one, the haystack yields the result that in the very end, is another of which George Lucas pinched for his famed Star Wars sequel! Enough said, since you'll have to watch to the very end to get that 'oh, I never expected that', frisson!
In the meanwhile unwinding of this heated 'passionate' tale, you'll discern little passion from his frequent lead actress, Regina Linnanheimo, a sort of Finn Betty Davis' eyes performer, unless in that emotion, also covers furious outrage, too. Then it soars! How this country girl turns on her cruel, oppressive, good for nothing drunken husband, is thoroughly stupendous (worthy of a sort of Crawford, 'Johnny Guitar' style) and surely gave a thrill to all those post war downtrodden wives - (and I'd conjecture, not a few of their husbands, in truth (desire?!) too!)* as Regina wrests her husband's implement of oppression from him to to give a worm turns, what's good for the goose, is darn well also good for the gander, too, to then stand proud, uncowed, now gripping tight said oppressive implement, menacingly firmly in her hands to no more nonsense stand announce: 'I am now the master (sic!) of this homestead now'; then on having taken just such masterful control of the farmstead, with all its hands, latterly gives as good as she gets in another battling tussle with him on a grain pile (!), to leave him now cowering at her command: 'Get thee into the house, now, you drunkard'! Whew; as director Tulio in like a sort of Finn Cukor, 'women's director, portrays in what I've assessed before, a 'don't mess with those Finn women', coz cross 'em and beware, for they are renowned to be tough indeed!
Plus, with first beginning with a terrific atmospheric set piece that resembles more of would a thirties Universal horror film, to be soon onto a thrilling true life 'documentary' like section of genuine loggers riding the rapids, pasted in seemingly to only pad out the length, as merely the excuse to introduce the rugged square jawed hero (Kullervo Kalske) as a lumberjack, since he immediately turns blacksmith throughout rest of the film this is absolute schlock, and belying the post war made in date, delivered mostly as almost silent style (as the director himself first began in). (Actually taken from longer scenes he'd obtained for 9 year earlier made film, 'The Song of the Scarlet Rose' - that another similar passionate affairs stuff, too.)
* Although for this one, box offices were already beginning to wane, to date, apparently, these dramas had been very popular with the wartime era audiences attendances, (courtesy Anu Koivanen, researcher), so it really does make you wonder about those post war Finnish mores!
In the meanwhile unwinding of this heated 'passionate' tale, you'll discern little passion from his frequent lead actress, Regina Linnanheimo, a sort of Finn Betty Davis' eyes performer, unless in that emotion, also covers furious outrage, too. Then it soars! How this country girl turns on her cruel, oppressive, good for nothing drunken husband, is thoroughly stupendous (worthy of a sort of Crawford, 'Johnny Guitar' style) and surely gave a thrill to all those post war downtrodden wives - (and I'd conjecture, not a few of their husbands, in truth (desire?!) too!)* as Regina wrests her husband's implement of oppression from him to to give a worm turns, what's good for the goose, is darn well also good for the gander, too, to then stand proud, uncowed, now gripping tight said oppressive implement, menacingly firmly in her hands to no more nonsense stand announce: 'I am now the master (sic!) of this homestead now'; then on having taken just such masterful control of the farmstead, with all its hands, latterly gives as good as she gets in another battling tussle with him on a grain pile (!), to leave him now cowering at her command: 'Get thee into the house, now, you drunkard'! Whew; as director Tulio in like a sort of Finn Cukor, 'women's director, portrays in what I've assessed before, a 'don't mess with those Finn women', coz cross 'em and beware, for they are renowned to be tough indeed!
Plus, with first beginning with a terrific atmospheric set piece that resembles more of would a thirties Universal horror film, to be soon onto a thrilling true life 'documentary' like section of genuine loggers riding the rapids, pasted in seemingly to only pad out the length, as merely the excuse to introduce the rugged square jawed hero (Kullervo Kalske) as a lumberjack, since he immediately turns blacksmith throughout rest of the film this is absolute schlock, and belying the post war made in date, delivered mostly as almost silent style (as the director himself first began in). (Actually taken from longer scenes he'd obtained for 9 year earlier made film, 'The Song of the Scarlet Rose' - that another similar passionate affairs stuff, too.)
* Although for this one, box offices were already beginning to wane, to date, apparently, these dramas had been very popular with the wartime era audiences attendances, (courtesy Anu Koivanen, researcher), so it really does make you wonder about those post war Finnish mores!
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