Director, screenwriter, and editor Valentin Valaa (1909–76) was one of the most significant figures in the history of Finnish cinema. Starting his career in the late 1920s and early 1930s, he made many feature-length films as well as some documentary shorts, including Wake Up, Helsinki! (1939) with a scenario by Turo Kartto (1910–42). In this impressionist film, Valaa depicts the awakening of the Finnish capital. Opening with footage of empty streets, a lonely pedestrian, churches, a sleeping harbor, water surfaces, trees with long shadows, the film gradually draws attention to bustling city life. Trams leave the depot and buses depart from their parking lots. Street sweepers and market vendors appear, followed by a crowd at a market near the harbor. Trains with huge steam clouds are visible in the background. The film ends with some shots of the Havis Amanda fountain near the town hall.
Steven Jacobs
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