Intohimon vallassa

Obscure Finnish movie, shot in glorious, haunting black & white, with the visual style of Carl Dryer and at times, Bergman, "Passionate Power" is basically the study of what happens to the soul when it is denied the love that it needs. A young girl, Aino is the daughter of a tyrannical father, an insufferable snob that refuses to let his daughter marry the man she loves because of his status as a "lowly farmhand." The Ylitalo clan is the richest family in this fairytale-like village, and young Aino is forced to marry some dunce, simply because of his noble lineage. He turns out to be a spineless, amoral drunk who proceeds to destroy the very family empire that her father was so proud of. Aino wants to be with Olavi, the flaxen haired Aryan logger, who gives up his exciting life of adventure to stay in this village and attempt to convince Aino's father to let them be together. When this union is denied, the poison of hate spreads to all involved. Aino becomes an embittered shrew who takes a whip to her drunken loser of a husband, while Olavi sticks around, builds a house and becomes a success, if only to spite Aino and her family. The film gets darker as it progresses, and the characters sink further into madness and desperation, up until it's violent and sad conclusion. "Passionate Flower" is very similar to "Wuthering Heights" in it's observations of the torment inflicted on two lovers when unkind fate keeps them apart. A glorious show of light and shadow and high drama, this one will be most appreciated by fans of the Silent film era.