Salamas Midsommardansen (1971) observes the events of a fateful Midsummer night in the countryside, when young people gather to let loose in the form of boozing, loose sexual relations and brawling. Hannu Salama‘s scandalous novel was adapted to the big screen by Finland’s Western neighbours under the direction of cinematic multi-hyphenate Arne Stivell (1926–1997). In this faithful rendition of the original work, the Finnish protagonists are portrayed by Swedish actors. The result is a fascinating ethnographic view of the Midsummer goings-on of exotic Finland from a Swedish point of view.
Contemporary critics both in Finland and Sweden had little sympathy for Salamas Midsommardansen; the film was compared unfavourably to the source novel and denounced as sensational softcore porn. Despite its reputation the film is not without merit, as it constitutes both an interesting time-capsule as well as forgotten curiosity. Stivell’s background in documentary, one of the many genres he worked in, is evident in the assuredly realistic style of the film.
Finnish censorship cut out from the film the scandalous sequence of the blasphemous sermon, which has been returned into the archival print that is being screened here. (Pekka Pihkoluoma)
Language: Swedish, subtitles: Finnish