Total Balalaika Show
Total Balalaika Show is a 1994 film by director Aki Kaurismäki featuring a concert by the Leningrad Cowboys and the Alexandrov Ensemble.
| Total Balalaika Show | |
|---|---|
 Polish theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Aki Kaurismäki |
| Produced by | Aki Kaurismäki |
| Written by | Aki Kaurismäki |
| Music by | B. Alexandrov Tipe Johnson |
| Cinematography | Heikki Ortamo |
| Edited by | Timo Linnasalo |
Release date |
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Running time | 57 min |
| Country | Finland Sweden |
| Language | English, Finnish |
The concert took place on 12 June 1993 on Senate Square in Helsinki, Finland. The event drew a crowd of approximately 70,000 people from two nations – Finland and Russia – that had been engaged in a state of "peaceful coexistence" during the Cold War.
The concert featured an eclectic mix of Western rock and Russian folk music, and folk dancers performing to rock songs.
Total Balalaika Show was a critical success, scoring a 77% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Songs
The "rockumentary" features 13 songs from the concert:
- Finlandia
- Let's Work Together
- The Volga Boatmen's Song
- Happy Together
- Delilah
- Knockin' on Heaven's Door
- Oh, Field
- Kalinka
- Gimme All Your Lovin'
- Jewelry Box
- Sweet Home Alabama
- Dark Eyes
- Those Were The Days
DVD release
The film is available on three DVD releases. The first, released by Sandrew Metronome in 2004, is for DVD Region 2. The second, released by Facets, is for All Regions. The third is by The Criterion Collection in an Eclipse box set with the two original films.