The Stolen Death

The film is set in Helsinki at the turn of the century. Finland is under Tsarist rule at that time. A group of Finns wages an underground struggle against that rule. At the head of the group is Robert Hedman. Hedman is a young and idealistic aristocrat. The group’s plan is to obtain weapons. For that they try to strike a deal with an arms dealer. But their impatience makes things harder. The attempt ends in failure. The film also looks at the divided loyalties of the Finnish middle class. On one side is holding on to economic privilege. On the other is taking a risk for independence. The account carries traces of German expressionism. Tuulikki Paananen and Ilmari Mänty take the leads in Nyrki Tapiovaara’s Finnish film of 1938.