Salaviinanpolttajat

Salaviinanpolttajat
Advertisement for the film, published in the 31 May 1907 issue of Helsingin Sanomat.[1]
Directed by	Louis Sparre Teuvo Puro
Written by	JV-s
Produced by	Karl Emil Ståhlberg
Starring	Eero Kilpi Teppo Raikas Teuvo Puro Jussi Snellman Axel Rautio
Release date	29 May 1907 (1907-05-29)
Running time	20 minutes
Country	Finland (Russian Empire)
Language	Silent film

Salaviinanpolttajat (The Moonshiners) (Swedish: Lönnbrännare) is a 1907 Finnish film. It is generally considered to be the first fictional film made in Finland and in the Russian Empire and as such, the starting point of Finnish cinema industry.[2] In 2017, a remake of the film was made based on the synopsis of the original film.

Origin

The film's origins were in a screenplay writing contest commissioned by Atelier Apollo, owned by photographer and engineer Karl Emil Ståhlberg, who is now regarded as the father of Finnish cinema.[3] The contest was won by the pseudonym "J. V-s", who some speculated was actually Ståhlberg himself, but other sources say he was a local sheriff.[4] The screenplay was adapted and the film was directed by a friend of Ståhlberg, the Swedish count and artist Louis Sparre.

Plot

No prints of the film have survived so the film is considered lost. The original screenplay has also been lost. However, some plot descriptions are still known based on contemporary newspaper advertisements of the film.

As the name would indicate, the film tells about two local men who are making moonshine in the woods. A customer comes to them, and while sampling the product they start a game of cards, which eventually leads to a fight. While the fight is going on, the local police shows up and arrests the makers while the customer manages to escape.[5]

References

1. "Salaviinanpolttajat advertisement", Helsingin Sanomat, p. 1, May 31, 1907
2. Bagh, Peter von (2005). Suomalaisen elokuvan uusi kultainen kirja (in Finnish). Otava. p. 8.
3. "Ikimuistoinen / YLE Viihdeohjelmat 2004" (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
4. von Bagh, op. cit., p. 18
5. Translated and paraphrased from an original advertisement for the film, as quoted by Hans Kutter in Uutisaitta magazine (1/43). The quote itself was included in the book by von Bagh, listed above.

Further reading

• Uusitalo, Kari, ed. (1989). The Finnish national filmography vol. 1. Edita.
• Piispa, Lauri (2008). "Venäläisen elokuvan synty". Venäjän Aika (in Finnish). No. 3.

External links

• Salaviinanpolttajat at IMDb