Flame Top

Flame Top

155 mins | Drama | Oct. 17, 1980

This biographical film celebrates the little-known life of the Finnish novelist and revolutionary Maiju Lassila (Asko Sarkola), born in 1868. Lassila's early years are briefly shown, then the film richly details his active and paradoxically reclusive adult life, beginning with his sojourn in St. Petersburg, working as a businessman. Unable to stay away from politics, he caused the assassination of a high-ranking Czarist and as a result, had to run back to Finland to hide. Once established in the comparative safety of a small village, he taught school in order to support his real vocation as a writer. Always living on the edge of poverty, if not square in the middle of it, Lassila continues to avoid public contact - he keeps his identity low-key and camoflages it by publishing under a variety of pseudonyms.

Flame Top

155 mins | Drama | Oct. 17, 1980

Flame Top
This biographical film celebrates the little-known life of the Finnish novelist and revolutionary Maiju Lassila (Asko Sarkola), born in 1868. Lassila's early years are briefly shown, then the film richly details his active and paradoxically reclusive adult life, beginning with his sojourn in St. Petersburg, working as a businessman. Unable to stay away from politics, he caused the assassination of a high-ranking Czarist and as a result, had to run back to Finland to hide. Once established in the comparative safety of a small village, he taught school in order to support his real vocation as a writer. Always living on the edge of poverty, if not square in the middle of it, Lassila continues to avoid public contact - he keeps his identity low-key and camoflages it by publishing under a variety of pseudonyms.
IMDb rating 6.4
Producers P-Kino Oy
Original title Tulipää
Directors Pirjo Honkasalo, Pekka Lehto, Jaakko Talaskivi
Writers Maiju Lassila, Daniel Katz, Pirjo Honkasalo, Pekka Lehto

Cast

Asko Sarkola

as Writer Algot Lassila, aka Maiju Lassila, aka Irmari Rantamala

Rea Mauranen

as Olga Esempio

Kari Franck

as Gunnar Avanto

Ari Suonsuu

as Kalle

Ritva Juhanto

as Kurttuska

Esko Salminen

as Arwid

Heikki Alho

as Pikku-Pouvali

Tuomo Railo

as Sulo Esempio

Yuri Rodionov

as Rawitz

Galina Galtseva

as Magda

Soli Labbart

as Maria Lassila

Pirkka Karskela

as Young Algot

Markku Blomqvist

as Lundberg

Esa Suvilehto

as Pöntinen

Matti Oravisto

as Commandant Carl von Wendt

Gunvor Sandkvist

as Anna Belostotskaja

Pentti Kotkaniemi

as Russian Army Captain

Aleksandr Zakharov

as Von Plehwe

Vadim Mikheyenko

as Terrorist

Antero Harpf

as Rebel officer

German Lupekin

as General Porunov

Esko Pesonen

as Chief editor

Arno Virtanen

as Circus manager

Vitali Iljin-Shapiro

as Terrorist

Jan Kulik

as Terrorist

Toivo Tuomainen

as Oskari Skoff

Elvi Saarnio

as Olga Esempio in prologue (voice)

Yrjö Tähtelä

as Narrator (voice)

Mauno Blomqvist

as Ploughman (uncredited)

Mauri Front

as News photographer (uncredited)

Pentti Louko

as Orthodox priest (uncredited)

Esko Salmesvirta

as Algot's father (uncredited)

Rauha Wolska

as Restaurant hostess (uncredited)