"The Rose of the Sloven"
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Finland 2001 colour 99min Artista Filmi oy

***

Drama, musical

cast: Martti Suosalo (Irwin Goodman), Ilkka Koivula (Vexi Salmi), Esko Nikkari, Riitta Salminen (Riitta), Pertti Koivula, Vexi Salmi (himself), Eeva-Maija Haukinen (Irwin's mother), Matti Mäntylä (Toivo Kärki), Taneli Rinne
credits: dir. (& script with Vexi Salmi) Timo Koivusalo, music Irwin Goodman, DOP Timo Heinänen

Somehow it’s amazing, somehow not, but you can be a singer star with a rusty and nasal voice. At least Irwin Goodman could. He was a protest singer, a bit like Bob Dylan, and a beloved folksman. This movie tells his story, how he became into the stardom, how the Irwin Goodman character took him over and finally, how he died. His friend and ex-manager Vexi Salmi is telling this story.

Timo Koivusalo gets better as director and writer a film by film but he’s still not perfect. Using real Vexi Salmi as the story teller the director makes a mistake. Mr. Salmi is not an actor and it shows. There’s also some scenes which look just amateurish. Luckily Mr. Koivusalo has again got Martti Suosalo into this project. A good actor saves much.

TRIVIA: Actor Matti Mäntylä re-creates his role as the music man Toivo Kärki in this movie. He played the very same role in Timo Koivusalo's Kulkuri ja joutsen which also told about Finnish musicians.

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