Review: Beljakovin talvi
Revolution
which did not come
Belyakov’s Winter is an excellent description of recent history
Ilpo Tuomarila’s Beljakov’s Winter is a much better play than I dared to expect. Not because I don’t think Tuomarila is an excellent playwright, but because it’s damn hard to turn recent history into captivating theatre. But that’s just the way it’s been done!
A play at the top level The President and the Mining Counsellor ponder the radicalisation of young people and the intentions of the new ambassador Alexei Belyakov .
At the intermediate level, Beljakov flatters Väinö Leskinen , who has just turned his coat, and promises that he will become Finland’s Allende. Standing on the table in the tavern, Leskinen already sees himself almost as the ruler of the world.
At the lower level, there are young people who have just experienced the rock, love and sex frenzy of the 60s, but in the early 70s they start looking for boundaries. And the limits can be found in Marxism-Leninism. Strict study circles (teachers) harp on the theory and practice of the revolution, the most sensitive ones are grilled.
But still, I do not believe that the Taisto circles would have gone en masse to create a revolutionary situation. I myself belonged to the so-called Revi Youth, but I knew enough Taisto members that even if they drank toasts to the Soviet tanks and called Kansan Uutiset a Conservative newspaper, they would not have been good enough for a revolution, just a telephone terror.
There are young people
easy to seduce
Alexei Belyakov himself certainly believed in a favourable state of affairs for revolutionaries in Finland. Pekka Laiho captivatingly plays a believer in his ideology, a seductress who is allowed to use all means when the goal is a “better world”.
Pertti Koivula, who plays Väinö Leskinen, may be too silly at first, but pretty soon he starts to come to his senses, especially when his head clears up. The situation in Finland is certainly not the same as in Chile, even though the strike movement is widespread.
Young people, on the other hand, are completely under Belyakov’s spell. I don’t think Belyakov saw young people in real life more than once or twice, and he was probably not as brilliant a folk charmer as Laiho. But the idea becomes clear.
Some young people are ready to follow the charismatic leader, be it Hitler, Stalin or now Tsar Putin.
That is why Tuomarila’s sermon at the end of the sermon on the good intentions of young people is a bit false. Of course young people are against environmental pollution, of course young people want a more equal world, of course young people want to eradicate poverty.
But young people can also be exploited, young people can burn books, young people can subjugate each other.
Niko Saarela plays the sensitive Lefa, who doesn’t really understand the strict world of study circles. He would like only a little love, but that is philistine leaven. Eventually, Lefa kills herself, not just because of the study circles, of course, maybe she couldn’t stand the world.
Vuokko Hovatan I’ve known many passionate study group girls like Riitta. Today, they work in colleges and banks and listen to Ultra Bra in a small wine.
Fearful President,
a solid economic life
Antti Litjan The president is a multi-layered person, even fearful. He no longer understands the youth, just a few years ago he was the idol of progressive youth.
Aarno Sulkanen Vuorineuvos is a combination of many influential figures in the business world, even though his equal friendship with the President brings to mind Kalle Kaihari.
Vuorineuvos, or the economic community, is a solid support for the president, and so the UKK agreement and national agreement were born, and Belyakov was allowed to leave defeated after only six months as ambassador.
Director Milko Lehto has a great solution to build the events on different levels of the stage, (even though I couldn’t see everything from the last row of the Small Stage as a half-blind person). In any case, the stage image is clear, for which I thank the set designer.
The use of background film also works great. The background image shows the youth riots that took place in front of the Soviet embassy after the occupation of Czechoslovakia.
A couple of years later, the same young people emphasised the right to occupy – not all, of course.
Belyakov’s winter is highly recommended to watch, especially for those interested in recent history. It creates a nice debate even after the trip home. And besides, it’s very well-made theatre.