The Manila Rope

The Manila Rope

1976 · 75 min · ★ 5.4 · War, Drama

Manillaköysi is a cult status holding TV-movie adaptation of the satirical war novel by Veijo Meri. Manillaköysi has an endless list of classic one-liners, but it is still not based on cheap laughs or anything like that. The whole humouristic aspect of it comes from describing the absurdity of war, and the whole military system, by looking it with the eyes of a simple man, who's thrown into it, and who simply does not give a rats ass of it all. The tone of it is not overly preachy or moralizing. If I would have to describe it with one word, it would be: unglamourizing. The main point of Manillaköysi is pretty much compressed in one of the most famous quotes of it: There is nothing supernatural about war, it is just work like anything else.

Directed by Veli-Matti Saikkonen · Written by Veijo Meri

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Cast

Erkki Pajala Joose Keppilä
Vesa Mäkelä Fiksu
Martti Kuningas Iso
Esko Hukkanen Vääpeli
Hannu Kahakorpi Seonnut alikersantti
Iris-Lilja Lassila Sylvia
Yrjö Parjanne Eversti
Harri Tirkkonen Lääkäri
Leila Itkonen Elviira
Heikki Nousiainen Korpraali
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius Sotapoliisi
Mikko Nousiainen Keittiömies

Make it a double feature

3h 21m together

The Manila Rope

Marathon Man

A close match in mood and era.

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