Melodrama needs no translation. Raw human emotion and drama makes sense in any language. When there is that much intensity on screen, who needs language? Melodrama is a genre that transcends not only history but also language barriers. We have classic melodrama from Almodóvar, Fassbinder Sirk, and even Finnish director Tulio. I know what you are asking yourselves: Who the hell is Teuvo Tulio? It is rare to find a director who is virtually unknown to sophisticated modern audiences, but Tulio is such a case. Teuvo Tulio is worthy of our attention, a director of wild melodramas during the 1930's and 1940's. His influence can be felt in the films of melodrama masters, ranging from Sirk and Fassbinder to even Buñuel. Tulio was born in Latvia, then moved to Finland became an actor in silent films, earning the name of "Finland Valentino." Soon, he shifted to film making, bringing to his films an erotic passion he developed from the silent films. His spectacular cinematography, coming-of-age stories, embellished orchestral music, and editing even rival Eisenstein. We'll let you be the judge of that. All these elements merged to create intense, captivating melodrama, which brought a needed sexual frankness to only to the genre but also to film overall, dealing with premarital sex, prostitution, sexual inequality, and female objectification. Looks like the root of good drama. Who could ask for more?
Peter Bayuk
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