The Manila Rope (1976)
Manillaköysi is a cult status holding TV-movie adaptation of the satirical war novel by Veijo Meri. Manillaköysi has an endless list of classic one-liners, but it is still not based on cheap laughs or anything like that. The whole humouristic aspect of it comes from describing the absurdity of war, and the whole military system, by looking it with the eyes of a simple man, who's thrown into it, and who simply does not give a rats ass of it all. The tone of it is not overly preachy or moralizing. If I would have to describe it with one word, it would be: unglamourizing. The main point of Manillaköysi is pretty much compressed in one of the most famous quotes of it: There is nothing supernatural about war, it is just work like anything else.
Director: Veli-Matti Saikkonen
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Erkki Pajala as Joose Keppilä |
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Vesa Mäkelä as Fiksu |
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Martti Kuningas as Iso |
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Esko Hukkanen as Vääpeli |
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Hannu Kahakorpi as Seonnut alikersantti |
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Iris-Lilja Lassila as Sylvia |
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Yrjö Parjanne as Eversti |
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Harri Tirkkonen as Lääkäri |
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Leila Itkonen as Elviira |
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Heikki Nousiainen as Korpraali |
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Pirkka-Pekka Petelius as Sotapoliisi |
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Mikko Nousiainen as Keittiömies |
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Kari Franck as Hullu katolla |
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Henri Kapulainen as Soittajan kaveri |
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Asko Sarkola as Sotapoliisi |
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Martti Kainulainen as Asemamies |
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Matti Tapio as Saksalainen vääpeli |
| Directing | Veli-Matti Saikkonen | Director |
| Crew | Raimo Hartzell | Cinematography |
| Writing | Veli-Matti Saikkonen | Writer |
| Sound | Toivo Vilkkula | Sound Recordist |
| Costume & Make-Up | Anneli Wirtavuori | Costume Design |
| Writing | Veijo Meri | Writer |
| Sound | Lasse Litovaara | Sound Recordist |
| Editing | Risto Salo | Editor |
| Costume & Make-Up | Eila Vaittinen | Makeup Designer |
| Sound | Heikki Valpola | Music |
| Art | Georg Sikow | Production Design |
| Crew | Osmo Savolainen | Special Effects |