Noidan kirot

Evil Spells by the first Finnish film director, Teuvo Puro (1884-1956), is based on a novel called Noidan kirot by Vaino Kataja, written in 1914. The film is about life in a secluded house, cursed by an ancient sage of Lapland. The characters of this melodrama are subjected to uncontrollable forces. A burden of the past, a dark family secret, becomes almost magical set against the nights of Lapland. Hannes Närhi's character, the mighty sage Jantukka, was killed by the Finns on one of their attacks of retaliation. The leading lady is played by Heidi Blåfield-Korhonen, who died of very young age and was one of the most popular Finnish silent film actresses. Evil Spells first premiered in August 1927, simultaneously in five cities; in Tampere the film was shown in cinemas Kinema and Scala. (Tampere Film Festival)