Song of the Scarlet Flower
Feb 09, 2008
Mikko Niskanen, 1971, Finland, 35mm, 62 min
Sponsored by the Finlandia Foundation, UW Department of Scandinavian Studies, American Scandinavian Foundation
SISU CINEMA: NINE FROM THE FINNISH NEW WAVE
SONG OF THE SCARLET FLOWER, previously adapted for the Finnish screen in 1938, is based on a novel by Johannes Linnankoski. A likable but difficult drifter moves from place to place, unable to put down roots. On the way, he becomes involved with a number of women, all of whom he eventually leaves behind. A film that questions the moral contradictions of the Finnish soul, SONG OF THE SCARLET FLOWER pulls no punches. In questioning the double standard to which women are held, the film allegorically renders the plight of modernity, in which individuals find themselves without boundaries.