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    Unique ID Code: 0000120329
    Added by: David Beckett
    Added on: 13/9/2009 14:37
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    The Man Without a Past

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    aka `Mies vailla menneisyyttä`
    Certificate: 12
    Running Time: 96 mins
    Retail Price: £12.99
    Release Date:
    Content Type: Movie

    Synopsis:
    A delirious mixture of black comedy, film noir and love story, acclaimed Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki`s (Leningrad Cowboys Go America, Take Care of your Scarf, Tatjana) rapturously received The Man Without a Past triumphed at the 2002 Cannes film festival, carrying off multiple awards including Best Actress and the Grand Jury Prize.

    Markku Peltola (Juha) plays `M`, who arrives in Helsinki only to be viciously set upon by thugs and pronounced dead by medics. By some miracle he revives but with no memory of his past or his identity. Rebuilding his life from scratch, `M` acquires a melancholy dog (a recurring Kaurismäki motif) named Hannibal and falls in love with a Salvation Army soup kitchen volunteer (the muse-like Kati Outinen, Drifting Clouds). But the past inevitably catches up with him, forcing him to confront his future.

    Nominated for an Academy Award, The Man Without a Past is a beautifully observed and effortlessly charming masterpiece stylishly infused with Kaurismäki`s keen eye for the surreal - nowhere more in evidence than in the deadpan dialogue - and the film-maker`s warming compassion for the dispossessed. Containing nods to Hollywood amnesiac pictures of the 1950`s and the director`s beloved rock and roll, it`s a unique work existing in an ultimately tender universe all of its very own.

    Special Features:
    Cast and Crew Biographies
    Forthcoming Attractions

    Video Tracks:
    Widescreen Anamorphic 1.78:1

    Audio Tracks:
    Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 Finnish

    Subtitle Tracks:
    English

    Directed By:
    Aki Kaurismäki

    Written By:

    Starring:
    Sakari Kuosmanen
    Kaija Pakarinen
    Juhani Niemelä
    Kati Outinen
    Markku Peltola

    Director of Photography:
    Timo Salminen

    Editor:
    Timo Linnasalo

    Costume Designer:
    Outi Harjupatana

    Producer:
    Aki Kaurismäki

    Distributor:
    Optimum Home Entertainment

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