Mikko Niskanen
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Mikko Johannes Niskanen (31 January 1929 – 25 November 1990) was a Finnish
film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
, actor, producer and
screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
. He directed more than 40 films between 1956 and 1988. His most acclaimed films include '' The Boys'' (1962), '' Under Your Skin'' (1966) ''
The Song of the Blood-Red Flower ''The Song of the Blood-Red Flower'' () is a romance novel by Finnish writer Johannes Linnankoski, published in 1905; and is considered the author's most famous and personal work. Loosely based on the legend of Don Juan, it tells the story of a ...
'' (1971), and '' Eight Deadly Shots'' (1972). He won a record number of six
Jussi Award The Jussi Awards are Finland's premier film industry prizes, awarded annually to recognize the achievements of directors, actors, and writers. History The first Jussi Awards ceremony was held on 16 November 1944 at the Restaurant Adlon in Hel ...
s for direction over his career.


Career

Mikko Niskanen was born in Äänekoski,
Central Finland Central Finland (; ) is a Regions of Finland, region ( / ) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, North Savo, and Southern Savonia, South S ...
. He was the third of six children, and his father worked as a timber barge pilot. His mother too had a job outside the home, so the children often spent summers with their grandmother in
Viitasaari Viitasaari is a Finnish town and municipality located in the Central Finland region. It is located between the neighbouring municipalities of Pihtipudas to the north and Äänekoski to the south. The town has a population of () and covers an are ...
.Argillander, Eino 2009: Proomukärrärin pojasta professoriksi. Viitasaaren Seutu 5 February 2009. At the age of 13, Mikko Niskanen started working in timber felling and floating. Two years later he enrolled in a vocational school in
Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Central Finland. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Jyväskylä is approximately , while the Jyväskylä sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately ...
to become a car mechanic. He took a serious interest in amateur theatre and was accepted to study at the Finnish Theatre Academy in
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
from 1947 until 1950. He then acted in Jyväskylä and
Kuopio Kuopio ( , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Savo. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Kuopio is approximately , while the Kuopio sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mos ...
theatres until 1954 when he landed an actor's job at the film studios of Suomen Filmiteollisuus in Helsinki. One of his first film roles was in
Edvin Laine Edvin Armas Laine (13 July 1905 – 18 November 1989) was a Finnish film director and actor. Laine was born Bovellán. Laine directed a comedy '' Aaltoska orkaniseeraa'' and family film ''Sleeping Beauty'', both in 1949. '' The Unknown Sold ...
's '' The Unknown Soldier'' (1955). Between 1958 and 1961 Niskanen studied at the Moscow Film School in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Niskanen's 1962 film ''The Boys'' was entered into the
3rd Moscow International Film Festival The 3rd Moscow International Film Festival was held from 7 to 21 July 1963. The Grand Prix was awarded to the Italian film ''8½'' directed by Federico Fellini. Jury * Grigori Chukhrai (USSR - President of the Jury) * Shaken Ajmanov (USSR) * Se ...
. He continued his directing career focusing on themes such as rural life and youth. His second breakthrough was ''Under Your Skin'' (''Käpy selän alla'', 1966), a story of two young couples spending a weekend camping in the countryside. The film received six Jussi Awards and was followed by another story about young lovers, ''Asfalttilampaat'' (1968). Niskanen's ''tour de force'' as both actor and director was the five-hour television drama ''Eight Deadly Shots'' which was also released as a 145-minute theatrical version edited by
Jörn Donner Jörn Johan Donner (5 February 1933 – 30 January 2020) was a cinema of Finland, Finnish writer, film director, actor, film producer, producer, politician and founder of Finnish Film Archive. He produced Ingmar Bergman's film ''Fanny and Alexan ...
. Based on a true story from late 1960s Finland, it is a naturalistic drama about a poor farmer struggling to make a living for his family. He gradually becomes a violent alcoholic who goes on killing spree when the police arrive to calm him down. Besides directing, Niskanen gave a powerful and intense performance in the leading role. The film, like many of Niskanen's works was shot on locations around his home province north of Jyväskylä. Mikko Niskanen died of cancer at the age of 61. He was buried in the
Malmi Cemetery The Malmi Cemetery (; ) is a large cemetery located at the corner between Ring I and the Lahti Highway ( E75) in the Malmi district in Helsinki, Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Euro ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Niskanen, Mikko 1929 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Finnish male actors 20th-century Finnish people Finnish expatriates in the Soviet Union Finnish male film actors Finnish film directors Finnish film producers People from Äänekoski 20th-century Finnish screenwriters