Uuno Turhapuro is a Finnish comedy character and antihero[1] created by Spede Pasanen and played by Vesa-Matti Loiri. Originally appearing in Spede Show during 1971–1973,[2] the character gained popularity through the Uuno Turhapuro films.
Dramatis personae
Uuno Daavid Goljat Turhapuro is a ragged man, characterised by his tattered string vest, sparse row of teeth and untidy face, perhaps depicting a Finnish stereotype of a loser. Vesa-Matti Loiri, who played the character, has said that the look of Uuno was born when he was trying to get the impression of a "clown on the personal decline".[3] One of Uuno's personalities are that he tries to avoid working until the very end, and to emphasize that, he uses his ability to explain himself out of unpleasant situations, which is why he is unofficially titled as the "world championship of explaining" by his wife.[4] Uuno possibly also has a very big ego; he considers himself a born "leader" and, before his marriage, also the "most desirable bachelor in Helsinki" (Lottovoittaja UKK Turhapuro, 1976).[5]
Uuno's wife Elisabeth Turhapuro (played by Marjatta Raita) is the daughter of rich industrialist Councillor Tuura (Tapio Hämäläinen). In the beginning of the first film (Uuno Turhapuro, 1973), in the couple's wedding, Uuno is tidy and cleanly, but gets ragged and lazy immediately after marrying a rich woman. Uuno's main pastime is lying on the couch, overeating, and acquiring his father-in-law's money. His biggest virtue is his gift of gab that he uses in settling marital problems, cadging free hot dogs from the stand and seducing other women. Sometimes Uuno also has a bad habit of humiliating his wife or being otherwise just chauvinistic. This has been considered a reflection of Spede Pasanen, who created the film series, his own worldview, which has been classified as both chauvinistic and misogynistic over the years.[6][7]
The conventional plot of the films is based on the tension between Uuno and his father-in-law: the mining executive Councillor Tuura, disgusted by his dirty son-in-law, faces constant misfortune on his career, when Uuno pops up in the wrong places. Because of that, Tuura has tried several times to undermine the marriage of his daughter and Uuno (Uuno Turhapuron aviokriisi, 1981), but often with bad results. When Tuura, just appointed as defence minister, orders Uuno into the army (Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä, 1984), he attains the rank of major in a couple of days. When Tuura takes part in the presidential election (Uuno Turhapuro – herra Helsingin herra, 1991), Uuno becomes President of Finland by accident, ending up enjoying the luxury afforded by his new position (Uuno Turhapuro – Suomen tasavallan herra presidentti, 1992). Uuno's regular helpers are his auto mechanic friends Härski-Hartikainen (Spede Pasanen) and Sörsselssön (Simo Salminen), who help Uuno mainly because he has promised them a small share of Tuura's possible heritage. The films also contain numerous cameo appearances by Finnish politicians and celebrities, often as themselves.
A total of twenty Uuno Turhapuro films were made between 1973–2004. Originally there were plans for only one film, but due to its success, the film got 19 sequels. The two latest Uuno films are directed, produced and written by Ere Kokkonen. The Uuno Turhapuro films have never been praised by critics; in general, the reason was that the films were made mainly for money, and quality was not always main reason, and sometimes the films have been criticized for intervention the thread of the plot, the end result mostly looking like a "collection of sketches".[4] Despite the harsh criticism, the Uuno Turhapuro films have been favorites of the audience. The most popular Uuno film is Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä (1984), seen by more than 700,000 people in the theatres – an impressive figure in a country of 4.9 million inhabitants.[8] It remains Finland's most seen domestic film made since 1968.[9]
^Uuno Turhapuro is not seen in this film. Spede was having a falling-out with Loiri, and so Loiri wouldn't act in it. Later Spede considered the film a mistake, and has commented it by saying "forget the whole film".
References
^Koivunen, Anu (2003). Performative Histories, Foundational Fictions (in Finnish). Finnish Literature Society. p. 201.
Aitio, Tommi (2014). Uuno Turhapuro. Elämä (in Finnish). Helsinki: Johnny Kniga. ISBN978-951-0-40301-3.
Ikonen, Stiina; Marjamäki, Tuomas (2006). Uuno Turhapuron mietelmät. Legendaarisia leffalausahduksia ja Uuno-triviaa (in Finnish). Hyvinkää: Pupliser. ISBN952-99535-5-0.
Sihvonen, Jukka (1991). UT: Tutkimusretkiä Uunolandiaan (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kirjastopalvelu. ISBN951-692-279-1.
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