Jäniksen vuosi (1977)

Director:

Risto Jarva

Writers:

Risto Jarva (writer)
Kullervo Kukkasjärvi (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

23 December 1977 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Young advertising executive Vatanen suddenly quits his job and his whole life in Helsinki, and decides to spend a while in the Finnish wilderness...

Plot Keywords:

Lapland | Wilderness | Advertising | Forest | Animal In Title

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Antti Litja	...	Kaarlo Vatanen
Kauko Helovirta	...	Desk Sergeant
Markku Huhtamo	...	Taxi Driver
Paavo Hukkinen	...	Taxi Driver in Heinola
Juha Kandolin	...	Photographer Miettinen
Kosti Klemelä	...	U. Kärkkäinen
Anna-Maija Kokkinen	...	Lawer Leila Heikkinen
Martti Kuningas	...	Hannikainen, former rural police chief
Ahti Kuoppala	...	Kaartinen
Hannele Lanu	...	Kiosk Vendor
Hannu Lauri	...	Advertising Manager Huhtinen
Heikki Nousiainen	...	Tourist guide Toropainen, "Mr. Toro"
Esa Pakarinen	...	Police Officer #2 (as Esa Pakarinen Jr.)
Martti Pennanen	...	Hunter #1
Tuija Piepponen	...	Irja (scenes deleted)
Eija Pokkinen	...	Italian Tourist
Rita Polster	...	Mrs. Vatanen
Elis Sella	...	Judge of City Court
Jukka Sipilä	...	Salosensaari, maker of moonshine
Arto Tuominen	...	Karlsson
Aapo Vilhunen	...	Police Officr #1
Georges Copeloussis	...	Foreign Tourist
Masaaki Hashimoto	...	Foreign Tourist
Rostislav Holthoer	...	Guide at Computer Centre
Henrik Jankes	...	Man at Pet Clinic (scenes deleted)
Leni Katajakoski	...	Woman at Pot
Pekka Litja	...	Vatanen as a Child
Marja Mykkänen	...	Ulkomainen turisti
Helena Notkonen	...	Woman at Pot
Eija Nousiainen	...	Foreign Tourist
Antti Peippo	...	Man at Police Station / Captain
Lia Petersen	...	Pirkko
Jorma Pulkkinen	...	Vaulonen, Manager of the cosmetic company
Riku Rinkama	...	Accuser
Eero Rinne	...	Tractor Driver
Pertti Sarkio	...	Professor at Pet Clinic
Markku Söderström	...	Laaksonen, Vatanen's friend at Kuopio railway station
Orvokki Taivalsaari	...	Foreign Tourist
Irma Wafin	...	Vet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jussi Aalto	...	M.Sc. (Econ.) Bergström (uncredited)
Maarit Rinne	...	Young girl in the bus (uncredited)
Juha Rosma	...	Member of city court (uncredited)
Richard Tenholinna	...	Guest in the coputer centre (uncredited)

Directed by
Risto Jarva

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Risto Jarva		writer
Kullervo Kukkasjärvi		writer
Arto Paasilinna		novel
Arto Paasilinna		screenplay

Produced by
Kullervo Kukkasjärvi	....	producer

Original Music by
Markku Kopisto

Cinematography by
Juha-Veli Äkräs
Antti Peippo
Erkki Peltomaa

Film Editing by
Risto Jarva
Matti Kuortti
Tuula Mehtonen

Costume Design by
Marja Mykkänen

Makeup Department
Inkeri Terävä	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pirjo Hokkanen	....	assistant director
Matti Turunen	....	assistant director
Olli Väänänen	....	assistant director

Art Department
Matteus Marttila	....	set designer (as Matti Marttila)

Sound Department
Tuomo Kattilakoski	....	sound mixer
Matti Kuortti	....	sound
Timo Linnasalo	....	sound

Music Department
Ole Halén	....	musician
Seppo Hovi	....	musician
Antti Hytti	....	musician
Paul Jyrälä	....	music recordist
Kari Karjalainen	....	musician
Markku Kopisto	....	music arranger
Vesa Mäkelä	....	musician
Risto Pensola	....	musician
Mikko Salo	....	musician
Esa-Pekka Salonen	....	musician
Tero Sarikoski	....	musician
Heikki Simola	....	musician

Other crew
Pirjo Hokkanen	....	production assistant
Orvokki Taivalsaari	....	script supervisor
Matti Turunen	....	production assistant
Olli Väänänen	....	production assistant

Thanks
Arto Paasilinna	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Filminor

Distributors

• Suomi-Filmi

Other Companies

• Cinemix  sound mixing
• Finnish Film Foundation  production support
• Korkeasaaren Eläintarha  thanks
• Love Records  music recorded at
• Mainostelevisio (MTV)  production support
• Oy Foto-Nyblin AB  still photographs
• Ähtärin Eläinpuisto  thanks

Also Known As:

Harens år (Finland: Swedish title)
The Year of the Hare (International: English title) (informal literal title)
A nyúl éve (Hungary) [hu]
Das Jahr des Hasen (West Germany) [de]
God zaitsa (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
L'année du lièvre (France) [fr]
L'anno del coniglio (Italy) [it]
O Ano do coelho (Portugal) [pt]
Zajeczy rok (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish | English

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Filminor

Trivia:

Last film of Risto Jarva.

Quotes:

Photographer Miettinen: I lost my pal in the woods.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Taiteilijaelämää: Antti Litja (#2.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Kauppaopiston naiset

Accessible magic

This film is more accessible to a foreign public than many other Finnish films, partly due to the limited dialogue. The point being that feelings often cannot be put aptly into words (at least not in Finland), but they can be communicated by visual impressions.

The plot is like that of a road movie, except that the buddies here are a man and a hare (hence the limited dialogue). The background is mostly formed by the Finnish pine forests.

Central to the film is the tension between the modern life style and the traditional Finnish closeness to nature and its magic. This magic and some twists of idiosyncratic, under cooled Finnish humour make the watching of this flick quite enjoyable.