Vehkleja - The Fencer

English

(Since this is an Estonian movie the posts for Estonian and English readers may be slightly different due to the differences between cultural backgrounds and the fact that Estonians simply know more about Estonia. I try to keep them more or less similar through)

All right. Cards on the table. It doesn't happen every day that I get to play a small part in a huge production. In fact it has never happened before the production of "Vehkleja". So this will be a bit of a vanity post too. I played an extra on the movie and if anyone wants to play a game of "Find Helina" I say - go for it! It's possible - I checked. Portraying a communist girl in Leningrad Soviet Russia in 1953. It was fun. If anyone ever gets a chance to be an extra I recommend it. I met many fun people on the set and got to say hi to the lead actor, the locally much loved Märt Avandi. Well, he said "hi" to me, but because it was something like 6 in the morning I said hi back and only realized a moment later who addressed me. Also - this is also hopefully the happiest I'll ever look next to an Soviet propaganda poster. I hope it doesn't need bringing out that this picture in no way actually reflects my political views. But hey - I think this is the only time I'll ever post a picture of me here(There is another one in different clothing below)

So now that I have gotten over myself I can actually talk about the movie. The production wasn't strictly Estonian, it was a collaboration between Estonia, Finland and Germany. The director was Klaus Häro and the writer Anna Heinämaa is also Finnish. Needless to say this resulted in a very nice multilingual soup on the set. 

Now I run at the mention of a sports movie, because I don't like sports and I'm not going to say this isn't a sports movie, because in a way it is, but it certainly isn't a one dimensional. It certainly isn't boring. In fact I go as far to say that it is exciting and good and I swear I say none of this, because I'm in it. Although I can't say if I would have gone to see it or not if I wasn't. 

It offers a good mix of all things that I like in a movie - it has a story that's based on real people.  I find that touching. The main character Endel is an actual historical figure who lived in his times and actually founded that fencing club in the movie. The school in Haapsalu is real and it has legitimately won many fencing tournaments. 

The main character is also an introvert guy who has a nice Sherlock-like coat and who seems cold, but whom you'll learn to utterly love and realize he has a big heart. He also has a dark secret and you're left wondering what exactly that is for a while so there's tension and thrill. It doesn't get mundane. 

There's a good villian. The sort you'll hate and find unlikeable. A guy whose sole object on the movie seems to be to mess it up for the good guy.

There's romance.

There's history and an whole other era portrayed for you done with great accurateness. 

There are a hell of a lot Hollywood movie cliché's, especially for a movie that's been done far far from Hollywood. There's the moment where all seems lost until one man stands up bravely and the rest will follow, there are sad sappy good-byes at the train station and there is some real drama when all seems lost just before victory seems so close. 

But I forgive it all that, because maybe that's what Estonian movies want in the end. The lead Märt Avandi said recently about this very film that everything under an Oscar nomination is now a failure. For those of you unaware Estonia had it's first Oscar nomination this year. Well, this certainly has the war and history theme to it that the Academy seems to favour so maybe his hopes aren't lost.  He also said he hoped women will cry in cinemas, I didn't, but my mum did so he has a half-victory there. 

Either way this is a good film and if you get a chance go and see it. It had English subtitles too. So far it's been premiered in Finland and Estonia, but it might yet make it out there.

Photo :IMDB

Eesti keeles

Ei juhtu just iga päev, et mul õnnestub ise mõnes suures filmis natuke kaasa teha. Tegelikult ei olegi seda enne "Vehklejat" kunagi juhtunud. Nii et eks see postitus teistest edevam saab olema. Ma olin statist ja kui keegi tahab minna kinno "leia Helinat" mängima minna lasku käia! On täiesti võimalik! Proovisin ise järgi! Otsida tuleb mind Leningradist! Kui kellelgi on kunagi võimalust statist olla soovitan järgi proovida, päevad on küll pikad, aga inimesed on toredad. Isegi Märt Avandi ütles hommikul grimmis tere! Olin peaaegu, et liiga unine, vastasin ära ja siis alles sain aru, kellega tegu. 

Ülal pool saab näha minust pilti Nõukogude propagandaplakati taustal. Loodan, et ma ei pea kellelegi selgitama, et see pilt ei peegelda kohe kuidagi minu poliitilisi vaateid. Ikka rõõmu, et sain natuke ka võtteplatsil olla. Erinevatel päevadel olid seljas erinevad riided:

Rohkem ma endast pilte ei postita ja asun filmist rääkima. Eestlased vist teavad, et tegu on Soome, Saksamaa ja Eesti ühisprojektiga. Režišöör on Klaus Häro ja stsenarist Anna Heinämaa, mõlemad soomlased. Suurem osa näitlejaid aga seevastu eestlased. Võtteplats oli ilus keeleline supp, aga toimis hästi. 

Mulle ei meeldi spordifilmid. See tähendab tegelikult, et ma ei vaata neid, sest mulle ei meeldi sport. Ma ei hakka ütlema, et see siin üldse ei olnud spordifilm, sest et tegelikult ikka on küll, aga ma võin öelda, et see ei olnud igav. See oli huvitav ja hea ning mitmetasandiline ja ma ei ütle seda kõike, sest ma ise "mängisin" seal, kuigi ma pole kindel, et ma oleks seda ka muidu vaatama läinud. 

Aga see oli tore. Mulle meeldivad filmid, mis põhinevad tõestisündinud lugudel, vähemalt natuke ja Haapsalus on see kool päriselt olemas ja Endel Nelis oli olemas ja tema algatatud tegevus tõi Eestile vehklemises mitmeid võite. Kindlasti polnud kõik täpselt nii nagu filmis, aga mind puudutab asi rohkem, kui ma tean, et see lugu pole lihtsalt midagi väljamõeldut, mida pole tegelikult väljaspool kinolina kunagi juhtunud. 

Asju, mis mulle hea loo juures meeldib oli veel teisigi. Introverdist peategelane, kes vaatamata külmale kestale vaatajale meeldima hakkab, sest temas on sisemist headust ja soojust ja tal on lahe mantel. Minu puhul aitab alati ka lahe mantel. Loomulikult peab tal olema ka tume saladus, selline, mis vaatajale pikaks ajaks veel mõistatuslikuks jääb ja vaatajas põnevust tekitab, eriti arvesse võttes juba niigi pinget tekitavat ajaloolist tausta. On paha tegelane, selline peaaegu muinasjutuline kurikael, kes tundub eksisteerivat puhtalt selleks, et kõigile keerata, on armastust ja romantikat, mille taustaks ajalooline hõng. 

On ka kuratlikult palju hollywoodilikke klišeid. Alustades sellest, et üks mees seisab lootusetuses olukorras püsti ja hakkab vastu ning kõik järgnevad talle, lõpetades kurbade jumalagajättudega rongijaamas ja lootusetute hetkedega just siis, kui oli lootust, et kõik saab korda, aga ehk tahabki eesti film natuke Hollywoodi poole vaadata. Märt Avandi ütles hiljutises intervjuus, et nüüd on kõik peale Oscari nominatsiooni läbikukkumine. Loodame siis, et tema lootused ei lähe luhta, igal juhul on filmis ka selline sõja- ja ajalooteema, mis akadeemiale iseenesest võiks ka peale minna. Avandi lootis ka, et naised loodetavasti nutavad. Mina ei nutnud, aga mu ema küll, nii et Märt sai siit pool võitu. Kui võimalust tekib, siis soovitan vaatama minna.

Foto: err.kultuur.ee

Cinderella - Tuhkatriinu

English

There are stories that can stand the test of time and fairy tales definitely seem to be one of those stories as they are still told to children everywhere nowadays. However it seems to me not all stories can stand the test of being made into a Disney movie. Cinderella as a 1950 year animation is a gorgeous thing. As a movie it is still pretty, but it just doesn't work and yes - if you were wondering I am bothered by the fact that nor her dress or hairstyle look like in the animation despite the fact that she is a Disney Cinderella, but that's not the point.

Maybe I have simply grown too much. Maybe I am too much of a feminist to no longer just enjoy this classic for what it is, but I feel that the message it seems to carry can be summarized in:"Be kind to other people even when they are dreadful to you. Be happy with your life even when it's awful and do nothing to change it." That sort of thought bothers me immensely. I realize lots of fairy tales might not have the best message for kids these days when we think about it, but to me this movie emphasized on this thought way too strongly. It was pretty much literally repeated throughout the piece and seeing as the movie is meant for modern audience they could have chosen a different angle to tell the story in. Certainly there are more than just one.

It's not all bad through. The evil stepmother is still much prettier than the princess just like you remember from your childhood and Helena Bornham Carter is a brilliant fairy godmother, offering what I thought was the best scene of the whole movie. Also - go for the Frozen movie they show beforehand...

Eesti keeles

Mõned lood peavad ajahambale vastu ja muinasjutud peaks just selliste hulka kuuluma, kuna neid ikka edasi ja edasi jutustatakse. Tundub aga, et mitte kõik lood, ei pea vastu katsumusele saada Disney filmiks.  1950. aasta Tuhkatriinu animatsioon on meeliülendavalt ilus, kuid filmina asi nii hästi ei toimi. Asi pole kindlasti ka ainult selles, et Disney Tuhkatriinul võiks ka filmis olla sama kleit ja soeng kui tema joonistatud ikoonistaatusega kaksikõel.

Võib olla ma lihtsalt ei oska asja omas ajas hinnata. Võimalik, et minus on liiga palju feministi, et lihtsalt nautida klassikalist lugu sellisena nagu ta on, kuid mulle tundub, et selle linateose läbiv mõtteviis sisaldub sõnades:"Ole teiste vastu lahke, isegi kui nemad kohtlevad sind jubedalt. Ole eluga rahul isegi kui see on kohutav  ja ära tee midagi selleks, et miski muutuks." Ma saan aru, et see on üks vana lugu ja  võib olla ma ei tohikski oodata, et see kuidagi tänapäevase mõttemaailmaga kokku käiks, aga mulle tundus, et film lausa rõhutas eelmainitud mõtet, seda üha korrates. Oleks ju võinud tänapäevase publiku jaoks leida mingi muu nurga, teistsuguse lähenemise. Disney on sellega varem korduvalt hästi hakkama saanud.

Kõik pole siiski läbinisti halvasti, kuri kasuema on endiselt ilusam kui printsess nagu lapsepõlvest mäletasite ja Helena Bornham Carter on haldjast ristiemana võrratu. Need stseenid olidki minu meelest filmi parimad. Igaljuhul minge kinno enne "Tuhkatriinut" linastuva Frozeni lühifilmi pärast...