Heikki Alho

After the death of an old bandmate, the surviving musicians head to the funeral.

This biographical film celebrates the little-known life of the Finnish novelist and revolutionary Maiju Lassila (Asko Sarkola), born in 1868. Lassila's early years are briefly shown, then the film richly details his active and paradoxically reclusive adult life, beginning with his sojourn in St. Petersburg, working as a businessman. Unable to stay away from politics, he caused the assassination of a high-ranking Czarist and as a result, had to run back to Finland to hide. Once established in the comparative safety of a small village, he taught school in order to support his real vocation as a writer. Always living on the edge of poverty, if not square in the middle of it, Lassila continues to avoid public contact - he keeps his identity low-key and camoflages it by publishing under a variety of pseudonyms.

In the 1970s, Turku City Theater staged an adaptation of Aleksis Kivi's Seven Brothers, directed by Kalle Holmberg. The premiere was in 1972, and performances continued for three years. The play was the biggest theatrical event of its time and a huge success with audiences. The brothers were played by the stars of the decade, with music by Kaj Chydenius. The TV movie was recorded from two public performances and close-ups were edited in.