
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.
Flame Top
Rating
5.5/10
Release Date
1980-10-17
Runtime
155 minutes
Status
Released
Cast

Asko Sarkola
Writer Algot Lassila, aka Maiju Lassila, aka Irmari Rantamala

Rea Mauranen
Olga Esempio

Kari Franck
Gunnar Avanto

Ari Suonsuu
Kalle

Ritva Juhanto
Kurttuska

Esko Salminen
Arwid

Heikki Alho
Pikku-Pouvali

Tuomo Railo
Sulo Esempio

Yuri Rodionov
Rawitz

Galina Galtseva
Magda

Soli Labbart
Maria Lassila

Pirkka Karskela
Young Algot
Production Companies
P-Kino