The Headquarters (1970)

Original title

Päämaja

Directed by

Matti Kassila

Genre

drama film, war film

Country

Finland

Runtime

1h 28m

Rated

S

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 4 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Finland's military command tries to hold the line against a Soviet offensive in the summer of 1944. The film focuses on the strained decision-making inside the army headquarters where Marshal Mannerheim and his officers deal with the pressure of the war.

tension-filledsomberreflectiverestrainedhistoricalquietly intenseatmosphericpensive

What happens

The Headquarters (Finnish: Päämaja) is a 1970 Finnish historical war drama film written and directed by Matti Kassila. Based on the 1966 Finnish play Päämajassa by Ilmari Turja, the film describes the mood and atmosphere of the Finnish army headquarters led by Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim in Mikkeli in the summer of 1944 during the breakthrough of the Karelian Isthmus. Marshal Mannerheim is played by Joel Rinne in his last film role. Differences of opinion regarding the role of Mannerheim caused dispute between Kassila and Rinne during the filming and led to polemics in the press after the premiere. The film's second main character, lieutenant general A. F. Airo, is played by Jussi Jurkka, who won the Jussi Award for Best Actor for his performance. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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