This Finnish sorta cross between Bing Crosby - with his deep dulcet toned voice, and Frank Sinatra - with his ladykiller good looks, was a famed and beloved carouser ('King of Tango' dance singing) of often lachrymose songs in post war and fifties Finland: yet for such a huge personality, entertainer in the country's popular culture, this unfortunately comes across as frustratingly anodyne; Finnish style perfunctory, even mundane!

You don't really learn anything much at all of insight, other than he gets to become a loser lush on the demon drink - (but which is not that revelatory for many a touring entertainer) - of what 'drove' (see on cars below!) this otherwise gifted guy - other than the fact that his poor put upon wife (Irene, played by Malla Malmivaara) must have been idiotically loyal or truly besottedly in love, to put up with all his philandering and frequent on the touring road absences.

The best part is played by Raimo Gronberg, as the elder Olavi, but whose only brief wistful appearances (despite tellingly poor singing lip-synching: surely the contuinuity team should have easily spotted that?!) convey some of the most moving emotional parts of the whole film.

Otherwise, main star Lauri Tilkanen playing the younger Olavi (who never looks different throughout - or did I spot a bit of a paunch forming in one through the changing leaves window shot?),with the requisite lady killer gorgeous handsomeness, for in an profession, industry that would surely take collossal self control (loyalty, love?) to have NOT partaken of its associated temptations, merely goes through the required paces to portray.

E.g. great focus is made of the fact that he had his own (solitary?) record store, but there is little explained of how he could have consistently raided it for his exploits, nor how the trials and tribulations and indeed thrill of life on the touring road, affects the genius master blessed with that sumptuous tenor voice. Even with his many (legitimate! - that's hinted at in the film's scrpit, by director writer Koivusalo) children shown, we get little feel - if any - for if they were much relevant to him, let alone their feelings of a father almost permanently absent (eldest daughter - unfortunately couldn't make her out from the credits - especially occasionally shown presumably heartbroken) - indeed, there seems nothing in the credits anywhere indicating if they were consulted or approved; yet, conversely, there is more focused on the estranged father (Juhani Niemela) who (surprise, surprise) apparently only returns into Virta's life when he is famous, whilst his wife, Olavi's mother (Jonna Jarnfelt) is more or less marginalised, despite apparently having raised him as a single parent, and that in the pre-war years .. (Probably good ol' Finnish patriarchal loyalty.) As for Virta's considerable (fifteen?) film career appearances: in effect virtually excised from this selective 'bio-pic'.

Although what you do enjoyably get is a rich colour palette used, which especially renders Olavi's pet fondness for cars stand out*: although even here, it just seems for gleaming effect (they are all - even taxis- impossibly shiny clean!) e.g. at one time a (direct from U.S. imported?) crated Ford Fairlaine, is, oddly, just plonked on an otherwise deserted beach front, and when opened, Olavi just cruises out of it (the crate) in it (the Fairlane): no customs officers or bureaucracy or whatever around - presumably / obviously indulgent of the stunning star's foibles - or just gobsmacked at the audacity of delivery and possession of in those days.

On the whole, mere good ol' Finnish storytelling perfunctoriness - but at its finest.

* kudos to Jussi Myllymaki, auto wrangler 'coordinator', as seemed an important part of the production too, from the DVD making of extras.