A film by Timo Koivusalo
SHADOW OF THE EAGLE
All those pretty love songs That I used to listen to
I'd like to Sing them now, my darling
All those childhood summers So far and yet so near
I can almost hear them calling
And now, into tomorrow We're walking side by side
You bring the warmth Into the coldest evening
My friend, as autumn comes And steals away the light
I am not afraid, I know the spring is coming
So many times, I used to wonder Will I ever find
The one to share my affection
If we have the courage To follow the Greater Plan
It leads us to the right direction
Now, you reach for me To give your trusting hand
And show me a bright new tomorrow
In time, when on your face The years will stamp their brand
I want to kiss away your sorrow
All those pretty love songs That I used to listen to
I'd like to Sing them now, my darling
All those childhood summers So far and yet so near
I can almost hear them calling
Listen to me... - You're talking nonsense.
Your father hid me and wouldn't co-operate with the Russians.
I'm sure he's all right.
Trust me
Trust me!
Have you seen anyone here today?
Answer me!
Where did he go? - Who?
Aaro Manner
Where is that man?
What is he accused of? - A lot. Of murdering the vicar!
He tried to help arrest Manner, who killed the poor man cold-bloodedly.
You know the parish vicar, don't you?
I should think the hiding days of that traitor are over.
If you see anything, let me know. And put the word around.
We have everything from cutthroats to canasters!
If someone sells it cheaper, go get it from him!
That's right, come and get it from me!
Shut your mouth, Verneri!
He's so stingy about his household stuff -
that he even had his kids by the woman next door.
So your wife confessed, then?
Well, if it isn't our very own orator
They came for me last night. Luckily, I was awake.
Well, verse is a versatile weapon.
I hid in the church and they took the vicar.
Can you put me up for a while?
My cozy cabin is open for creative minds to come in.
Go straight to my place, I'll bring you some food. Go.
I'll cause some confusion here...
Enough of this junk! Here, folks make their own shit -
they don't buy it from the market!
The soldiers are on Aaro's heels, let's entertain them.
What the heck, it's work and pleasure combined!
Don't throw those things around! Damn you!
The chief of staff of the brigade is just showing how weak he is.
He's not strong enough for his job.
I will silence any anarchist churning out propaganda.
The order to put an end to that poet's actions -
came from the Governor General. That's an order I will obey.
It's not just a local problem.
Te whole of Finland regards him as their freedom fighter.
He claims he's not an activist but is pursuing peaceful solutions.
Nonsense.
Once we show them what we're capable of, they'll realize that -
such a chief of staff can easily be replaced with a more efficient one.
Then, this area will need a new commander, who fears no one, -
to follow me. - I'll mobilize the men.
It's not easy for you, poor girl -
taking care of a big vicarage all by yourself.
The vicar should've hired someone after your mother died.
Good evening, my delicacies!
Wrap me up a loaf or two, will you?
What's making you so downcast, then?
You know Aaro, don't you?
Yes, Aaro... - Shut your mouth now!
You can say that, yes. - Do you know where he is?
Well...
I don't really know about that...
What if you come out with me, so we can chat a little.
Thank you.
Does Verneri know that Saara is back?
Performing at the tavern tonight, I heard. - Just like in the old days.
Well, let's go then, girl.
You don't feel like talking, do you?
Well, the world's full of noise in any case.
Is Aaro in there? - I reckon he is.
Maybe I shouldn't... - Shall I say hello for you?
No! Don't say anything to him. - No, I won't...
Good night. - Good night.
Who were you talking to? - Just muttering to myself.
I'm mad at myself, dragging innocent people into this.
I'm fine then, if it's just the innocent ones.
The vicar hid me -
though he doesn't approve of... - You chasing his daughter!
How come you know about that? - I learned as a child -
that with a stallion and a mare, there'll soon be a pair.
Are there many who know? - Well, every horseman does.
No, I don't think so. I just happen to know myself.
She's a pretty girl.
Ella's in danger, if the Russians hear about it.
So they took the preacher man...
It's me they're after, because of that article of mine.
Is he still here? - Well, I don't know...
They're talking about you. - How did you find your way here?
What are they saying? - That you killed my father!
Don't let them play with your mind. - What if they...
No, they're just trying to scare you.
They want to turn people against you and make them turn you in.
No one must connect us with each other.
I'll see you home, they won't do anything to you.
I'll send Verneri over to say where we can meet.
Was it the raven, The bird of ill omen
That brought the message From high up in the skies?
This is the day That never should have happened
Not today, not ever in my life
Rivers never changed direction
Birds still sing their lullabies
Yet my little world Is crumblin' down
'Cause it's lies I hear, only lies
I'll be fine now, thank you for the company.
Are you sure? I don't mind... - Maybe Father's home by now.
Thank you again and good night. - Good night.
I can't even trust The days of yesteryear
Or the sweetest of memories
If those words of love You whispered in my ear
Were but lies, only lies
Father?
So it's you!
I heard the vicar had a beautiful daughter, but this is really sweet.
How did you get in?
I heard the vicarage is open for all people in need of help -
and I really need help.
So, you came back. - I came back.
Your voice is as beautiful as ever. - The voice is, but the woman's not?
I didn't mean that. - I did.
It's been a long time.
Life is so short that it can't be a long time since anything.
I see, you've been studying philosophy.
More like chemistry, I'm afraid.
Are you still playing music?
I've been earning my bread as a cheap jack -
and that I've always been, I reckon.
Do I detect self-pity in the voice of our valiant Verneri?
When you're poor, you do everything yourself, even the pitying.
And who better to do it?
Where's the girl?
She's so pretty!
Gone are the days, The years, if there were any
I wish there were ways To get even a dime
A dime for every song That I ever knew
I know, they are not few
Gone are the minutes, The hours, if there were any
I wish there were ways To get just a moment
A moment for every night That I have spent awake
They're many, make no mistake
What we once had
Is what we had
And nothing can ever take it away
What is now gone
Is past and gone
It's time to get, time to forget
Gone are the days of laughter, If there were any
I wish there were ways To get even a part
Even a smallest part Of the joy in my heart
That were once weaved into my songs
What we once had
Is what we had
And nothing can ever take it away
What is now gone
Is past and gone
It's time to get, time to forget
Saara!
Why don't you give some more of yourself, you're so good at it.
What a nice surprise.
We have many beautiful memories, haven't we?
Like so many others have, of you. - Saara
This is a rescript from the Governor-General.
The agitator named Aaro Manner must be arrested on sight.
For what reason?
Demagoguery, provocation and murder.
The murder of a vicar!
The daughter can tell what has happened.
Has something happened to your father?
Yes!
I'm warning you not to help that criminal.
Well, it was worth advertising, clients are pouring in. - Come on...
Quite a homecoming. - I was wondering if...
Who's there, Mummy? Mummy!
It's nobody, go back to sleep.
It does sound unbelievable, I must say. - It's all a lie.
Do you know Aaro Manner well?
No, I don't.
Do you know where he might be? - No, I don't.
I see...
I'll go to the Russian garrison tomorrow -
to ask if your father is held captive there.
Do you want me to see you to the vicarage?
There's no need, thank you.
I told you not to come.
They forced me to tell people that Father has disappeared.
I hate it that others must suffer for me. - Will this ever end?
People are beginning to stir in Russia
They're sick of the tyrant. If the emperor falls, our time may come.
There'll be new ones. - A falling giant has no time to look around.
You must just be careful not to get crushed.
Oh my, you really are cold.
"Why is it so hard to understand that man is at his happiest -
when fretting over an everyday matter, worrying, yearning?"
"He's happy, since all that misleads us away -
from thinking about the limited nature of existence."
"Happy without knowing it, like little children." -Leave it be.
Don't you believe that there'll be something else after this?
After this...
I don't know. But there must be something -
something that surpasses our comprehension many times.
Something that gives all this a reason -
a reason that has nothing to do with our non-existent intellect.
Father would say that's blasphemy.
How can you blaspheme against something you're part of?
As if the leaves blasphemed against the branches -
or the waves against the sea.
Have you ever thought that -
it's not the wish of a wave to crash on a rock?
Yet it does not die when brushing to shore, -
it's still part of the sea.
The wind is the will of the waves.
I wonder why I love you so much!
Verneri!
If I were you, I'd go in for another pint, maybe two -
before going home. - Oh yes, that might just be...
...if that's the way things are. - Yes, they are.
Why not, if a man of the force insists.
Can you believe it, a policeman just forced me to go for a beer!
Right, that's what they do... - You don't believe me?
I'll bet you four mugs of beer, shake hands on it! - Crazy man.
Excuse me, Mister Man of the Force! Could you repeat what you said -
so that this belly brother of blockheads understands it.
Go home! I said go home now!
What the hell, you can't trust even a policeman anymore.
When I was a lad, I already knew Just a breeze can't knock me over
Pretty girls, I've known those a few There's even one for this rover
And if I should ever soil my coat I would lick it clean on my own
I know it grows somewhere, that oak To make a coffin for my bones
The player's pillow is full of holes His mattress as hard as a dome
Somewhere deep inside his soul He misses a place like home
For scattered around, everywhere Are the earnings of the minstrel
All the player leaves for his heir Is IOU's and debts and loans
All those sins are hard to confess If all you want to do is deny
There's a lot in the soul to express But it's hard if your tongue is dry
So, I drink up all them toasts That are offered to a strummer
Somewhere, I know, that barley grows That'll make our beer next summer
The player's pillow is full of holes His mattress as hard as a dome
Somewhere deep inside his soul He misses a place like home
Your soup may be cold, Your bread may be tough
But there's no use of complainin'
You can choose If you cry or laugh
As long as the music's playin'
For scattered around, everywhere Are the earnings of the minstrel
All the player leaves for his heir Is IOU's and debts and loans
His biggest dream is that even one Of his songs would still live on
So after he is dead and gone People would sing his song...
Morning
There's no need to be shy before an old man.
There's coffee on the stove and bread in the larder.
I have to go to work, so I can support this big family of mine.
When did you come here? - It was after Christ -
and before his new coming, or thereabouts.
Sorry, Miss Vicarage, mustn't be blasphemous -
but industrious, always industrious. So, I have to go.
Must find a new nest for our Prince of Poetry.
I'll ask around and look around. Take your time with waking up.
Where are you going to go? - It's better that you don't know.
When can I see you?
Not before it's safe.
I'll make you a list of things that Verneri can pick up from my place.
I can do it. - It wouldn't be wise.
Please let me help, I promise no one will see me.
All right, but don't come back here.
Take the things to Verneri, I can pick them up from him.
Mission understood!
You wanted to see me. - That's right.
Go and stop the printing press. - Why?
Just go. And destroy all the newspapers printed so far.
But... - This newspaper keeps refusing to follow -
the instructions by the Censorship committee.
The publication of this newspaper ceases immediately.
"Even in this region, people have been forced to submit -
to the terror and violence exercised by a troop commander."
"This cannot serve the interests of those in power..."
That was not written by us. It's from an outside... - Writer -
the printing of whose books is forbidden!
As the editor, you answer for this.
What are the conditions for a new printing license?
First, you publish an article saying that poet Aaro Manner -
has chickenheartedly betrayed his people by murdering their vicar.
But of course...
Secondly, you will promote Russian -
as the language of administration and schools -
and the unrestricted admission of Russians to any office.
Who in this country would read such a newspaper? - Do you have a choice?
Find all the books and burn them!
You're coming with us now.
One day, the wind Blew the scarf off my hair
A fox found it And hid it in her lair
On an autumn day Someone saw, so they said
A boy with the scarf around his head
But will the wind remember it yet?
If I was the wind, I'd never forget
The wind even told me The story I heard
About a tree in love with a bird
The tree was blessed With a sweetest thing.'
The gentle brush Of the feathery wing
Every night, the tree Guards its sleeping love
Watching gently from above
Its branches can't bend Into a caress
When it hears the bird Sing with true happiness
It can only listen And hope in its heart
That they will never part
The spring reveals Its greatest mystery.'
The bird comes back, Returning to its tree
Not even scared Of the winds of the fall
It never wants to leave at all
One day, the tree Will fall into history
The bird on its branch Sleeps into eternity
And the wind that blows high above
Tells the story of genuine love
When harebells ring, You'll hear the sound
Though the bell-ringer Can never be found
I'll be near you Whenever they ring
They will echo The song that we sing
When harebells ring, You'll hear the sound
Though the bell-ringer Can never be found
I'll be near you Whenever they ring
They will echo The song that we sing...
What a pretty young lady you've grown into.
I saved all your letters. - So did I, they are my greatest treasure.
Veera! Come inside, will you! - Mummy, Daddy's here!
He has to work. - Let her come with me to the marketplace.
Mummy? - Maybe later. We haven't unpacked our things yet.
Do as your mother wishes, see you soon.
You promise? - I do, I promise!
Verneri and Saara put together makes... - Veera.
Correct, ten points!
The rest of you go under my command -
to the Manner croft farmed by his father. Execute your mission!
They found the store and closed the printing press.
Do you dare start the machines at night?
It won't be safe for now. We'll try and find another printing press.
Here's a soap that the very foam of the ocean is made of. Three?
A soap that washes away the sins from your soul.
And I'm not talking rubbish.
What makes you think that the vicar is here?
There are all kinds of rumors... - Rumors!
We have clear evidence that there has been a cold-blooded murder.
One should think the police were interested! - Where's the body?
The body?
You tell me.
Besides, we could use the vicar right now. This is a rescript -
signed by the emperor, on the new military service act.
It is to be read aloud in all churches.
Finally some serious action.
I have work to do, please leave.
Look around, goddammit!
You need dungforks so you can spread the manure, too?
The boy's been living in town for a long time. - When was he here last?
Last? If you see him, tie him up and bring him here.
He's scribbling fairytales while we're working our heads off here!
What's he done now?
Check the outhouses. - Yes, and serve our cow while you're at it -
for we could do with another calf.
I'm warning you, stop wagging your tongue!
I'd wag my tail at you -
if you were a bitch and not just the son of one.
You are to inform the garrison immediately, if you hear anything.
He's facing some serious charges.
Did my brother up and write the emperor's name in minuscule?
I'm warning you for the last time!
Is it wise to get mixed up with what the activists are doing?
Good for you to say, you're too young to be drafted. - Aaro said...
Aaro's been in the military and has had his school paid.
It's good for him to scribble! - About those meetings you go to...
He said they're planning attempts... - Leave it be!
Better if you know nothing at all.
What are you two doing here, poetry?
The damned potatoes don't roll into the bin by you talking!
Either you do as I demand or get a ticket to far, far away.
I will personally check every issue of the newspaper -
and nothing else will be printed here, a guard will see to that.
Since meetings are subject to license, I want to know -
about anyone putting an ad for one in the newspaper.
Any questions?
WRITER AARO MANNER WANTED FOR MURDER
RUSSIAN FOR OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
THE FINNISH MARK TO BE ABOLISHED
Antti told me they came to look for Aaro at their home yesterday.
They turned the place upside down.
You haven't told anyone about Aaro and me? - Of course not.
I'm afraid that Antti is mixed up in something dangerous.
He's speaking so strangely nowadays.
A restless spirit, full of fire and courage.
Just like Aaro. - Aaro is more moderate.
Remember when we dreamt of a double wedding with the Manner boys?
I remember.
And we had a bet that if our wedding nights were at the same time...
...who'd have a child first. I remember.
I have something to confess to you.
We broke the rules and we practiced!
Ella! What is it? - Nothing.
What? - Nothing!
Ella! You have to tell me everything!
Never!
Nearly half a million names already. Quite an expression of will!
Such petitions have no effect at all.
The emperor himself has passed the laws, why would he repeal them?
I agree, they won't listen to any talking.
Passive resistance is the best way, they can't do anything about it.
If we resist as one, they can't make us yield even with weapons.
With weapons, you can do anything you ever want to.
Even abroad, they're aware of Finland's difficult situation.
It's no use waiting for their help, they won't lift a finger for us.
In Helsinki, they are planning to form a secret army -
with the help of Germany and Sweden.
Activists all over the country are planning radical measures.
With bows and arrows and catapults?
We can set barracks on fire. - Right.
We can destroy their equipment and try to get hold of their weapons.
That will only give them reason to impose harsher measures.
You keep writing your goddamn petitions, someone must take action!
Antti!
Please don't do anything stupid. - We'll just do what we have to do.
What meeting are you having here? - We have permission.
They're rehearsing for the harvest festival.
Search the house!
You can come to my place, no one will look for you there.
I must appear before the people, to nip the rumors in the bid.
People here know the truth, but the rest of the country doesn't.
There's no one in here!
Once the fiddler starts his reel
There's a happy rhythm that we feel
It makes us all laugh and cheer
Hail to him who will buy the beer
We're dancing like you never knew
Fill up our pints, we'll sing to you
The sturdiest of men will sway soon
Celebrating under the harvest moon
Gone is the winter and the icy wind
The swinging skirts make you grin
Hands dance their own gavotte
Warm is warm, hot may be too hot
We'll dance the polka until tomorrow
The beer's on me, beg steal or borrow
Men go crazy, girl, over you
Harvest is done, so sweet the brew
The floor's spinning under the heels
The band knows polka, waltz and reels
Few notice it at the first glance.'
Girls don't glow just from the dance
Gone is the sadness and the sorrow
I'll be only half my weight tomorrow
No rest for us this evening
Now's the time to enjoy this feeling
Pity the bride of that scoundrel!
He's in full gallop, chasing mares
Shoe him soon, with no warning
Bridle him and marry in the morning
It is my duty to deliver the gracious proclamation -
of his Majesty the Emperor, Nicholas II.
The armed forces of the Grand Duchy of Finland have been abolished.
All men fit for service must enlist in the Imperial Army of Russia.
They will be trained to defend the great country of Russia.
Everyone who does not abide by this order -
will be punished most severely.
Antti!
Aaro, you must leave!
Aaro, go!
Oh my God, what has happened? - He bumped into a horse, that's all.
Mother can go now. We'll be fine. - Help him inside.
They brawled with the Cossacks?
You don't dare to stay, do you?
I reckon we'll have to leave too. - What are you talking about?
I was asked at the manor today.
They're pressuring the master to cancel our crafting contract.
On what grounds? - On the grounds of the probity clause.
Probity? You're as conscientious a crofter as can be.
There's been some troublemaking. - You?
Not me!
Me...
I'll talk to the master...
It won't do any good. - It has to!
Please stay the night.
You have lied to an officer and aided an enemy of Russia.
For such action, there's only one kind of punishment -
and I'm sure you know what it is!
Yet it would be a shame to waste such a pretty girl -
without enjoying her first.
I'm sure we can reach an understanding, can't we?
You'll cheer up the grim life of a soldier, whenever I send for you.
I've met many young women like you -
and after we've broken the ice, we've got along just fine.
Before we indulge in the charms of youth -
you will tell me the whereabouts of that agitator.
I thought it was a murderer!
Soldiers!
Father!
What have they done to you?
You know the options now.
No reason to throw you in jail, I know you won't go anywhere.
Unless you tell me where that coward is hiding -
letting his woman suffer for him, we will turn him into a murderer!
Which means that you've seen the last of your father.
It's your choice father or fianc�.
Decide, quickly!
Get out!
They can't make you cancel the contract.
They can do whatever they want to.
You know that! - There must be a way...
You can buy the croft land. - Father doesn't have that kind of money!
We'll draw up a contract with you with a long payment time.
Once your father owns the croft, there's nothing they can do.
That's the only way.
It was just early morning
When shadows Changed places so suddenly
They stopped the day from dawning
The day That was barely there to see
Is it so soon that Our time together is but history
Like the blossoms of spring So briefly in bloom
Is it over so soon?
Is this all there will be?
It was just an early morning