Sleeping Beauty
Prinsessa Ruusunen (Prinsessan Törnrosa)
La Princesse à la Rose (French title)
Prinzessin Dornröschen (German title)

Available on DVD

Finland 1949 B/W 99min Oy Suomen Filmiteollisuus

**½

Fantasy

cast: Tuula Usva (Sleeping Beauty = Prinsessa Ruusunen), Martti Katajisto (Prince Florestan) , Mirjam Novero (the queen), Aarne Laine (the king), Pikku-Annika (princess at the age of 5), Uuno Montonen (the cook), Siiri Angerkoski (Kunigunda), Jalmari Rinne, Tarmo Manni, Kalle Viherpuu, Aku Korhonen, Arvo Lehesmaa, Elsa Turakainen, Olga Tainio (Leena), Laina Laine (Sanna at the age of 105), Rauha Rentola (Barbra), Ritva-Leena (Doriina), Eeva-Kaarina Volanen (the good fairy = Valotar), Enni Rekola (the evil fairy = Tuonetar)
credits: dir. Edvin Laine, prod. T.J. Särkkä, DOP Kalle Peronkoski, music Erkki Melartin and Heikki Aaltoila, story by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, costumes Fiinu Autio

We all know this old story. There is a happy royal family. A princess is just born. Her godfairies are arrived - all but not bad one, who didn't get an invitation - and given her fine presents (beauty, fine character...). Then arrives that one angry fairy and says that there is a curse on, because she didn't get the invitation. When the princess starts to spin, she will hurt herself and fall in sleep with the whole castle. They will never awake after that. Well, as we know one good fairy change the curse a bit. After a 100 year's sleep a prince can wake them up, if he kisses the princess.

Okay, Tuula Usva was a pretty girl and won the Miss Finland contest, but she wasn't an actress. The film is still fine. All star cast (cameos after cameos).

TRIVIA: The actress of the queen was the director's wife and the actor of the king was his brother in reality.
TRIVIA#2: Actress Siiri Angerkoski's daughter Sirkka is the second lady-in-waiting and Kalle Peronkoski's daughter Eeva-Liisa is one of the little girls in the movie.

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