The Match Factory Girl is, IMO, by far the best of the Proletariat Trilogy, and there would be no problem watching it first, even though it’s last in the trilogy.
The Match Factory Girl, Ariel, The Man Without a Past
My favorites are Ariel, Leningrad Cowboys Go America, and La Vie Boheme. The Proletariat Trilogy (Shadows in Paradise, Ariel, The Match Factory Girl) is a great place to start.
Not the best film, but the most funny of all is Hamlet goes Bussiness, a gem, the best may be Drifting Clouds and The Man Without a Past, but every movie i´ve seen from Aki is a precious film.
Lights in the dusk is also great…
the proletariat trilogy, for sure. imo SHADOWS IN PARADISE is the best and ARIEL next, but THE MATCH FACTORY GIRL is amazing as well
Since I have a weakness for Jean Pierre Leaud I’d suggest “I hired a contract killer”: Kaurismaki’s subtle irony at its best.
does anyone know where I might find the soundtrack to Match Factory Girl? For purchase, digital or otherwise.
sorry, skip, i have no earthly idea where to find the match factory girl soundtrack. it’s wonderful, and i’m curious myself. i saw the film a while back and especially loved the melrose song identified in the credits as “i’m gonna get high”. some digging informs me that it’s also known as “getting high”, the last track on their sophomore LP, another piece of cake, but that doesn’t help you much. i’ve looked, but i haven’t ever found any clues to an official soundtrack for the film. :(
anyway, as far as recommendations go, la vie de bohème is one my very favorite films, so that.
Indeed the Eclipse series of the Proletariat Trilogy would be a good start. Got it for X-Mas some years back from a friend, neither of us had seen Kaurismaki before. Best blind buy gift I’ve ever received, I have loved him for it.
Print out the titles on a piece of paper, hang the paper on the wall, toss a dart at the paper. They’re all pretty great and unique in their own way. Maybe an interesting way to approach it is a reverse chronological order and start with the whimsical Le Havre.
That being said, I started with Shadows in Paradise which successfully kicked off my unabashed love for his work. And there’s a lot to be said of the wackiness that is Leningrad Cowboys.
I’ve yet to see a bad Kaurismaki film. In addition to the more popular ones already mentioned I’d also throw in Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana.
Ariel
Drifting Clouds
The Match Factory Girl
Check my recommendations for Aki Kaurismaki’s movies and other top directors:
http://alwayswatchgoodmovies.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_24.html
Rohit
Suggest films that I should check out by this film maker.