The TV series about this story came out in 1975 and was a masterpiece. My expectations for this version were therefore not high. A modern Maja for our time, it was said. Will they change the whole story, perhaps?
How wrong I was! One part of the movie in the middle could maybe have been shortened a little bit but otherwise the film was perfect. Maja was very different here than 49 years ago. She was stronger and happier and had a greater sense of humor. She was also more playful. I don't know what kind of woman the real Maja was (yes, there was a real Maja and a real Janne!) but I guess she must have been very much like this Maja. The actors playing Maja and Janne were perfect.
Some key scenes were very different in this version compared to the 1975 version, but they were no less moving. One of the most moving episodes from the 1975 version was in fact longer and more detailed here and left a greater impression on me. Director Tiina Lymi added details that were literally surprising, but they added to the beauty of the film. In one scene I really wondered what on earth the director was thinking. That very scene was one of the strongest in the whole movie, so Lymi knew what she was doing! They couldn't have done that in 1975. The budget probably would not have allowed it.
Any scenes that were left out from this new version did not hurt the story in my opinion. The incidents that moved me the most in 1977 when I saw the series were all in this version - different but still very powerful.
