Olli's Apprenticeship

Finnish take on the Dickensian child-in-trouble story, with the protagonist, Olli ("Olle" in the Swedish intertitles), resembling Oliver Twist even by his name. The film was based on a classic of Finnish children's literature by Anni Swan, then fresh from the presses (serialized in 1916, published in 1919). It's of considerable historic interest as the first feature film made in Finland after the country gained its independence in 1917, as well as the earliest one to have survived in its entirety. (The very first Finnish film, The Moonshiners of 1907, was made by the same director, Teuvo Puro, but is now considered lost.) The premiere of the film on 19 December 1920 was a big event, with several notables of Finnish society attending, including the President of Finland, K. J. Ståhlberg.