The last relic
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The last relic |
| Original title | Viimne reliikvia |
| Country of production | USSR ( Estonian SSR ) |
| original language | Estonian |
| Publishing year | 1970 |
| length | 86 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Grigory Kromanov |
| script |
Arvo Valton with the participation of Lennart Meri based on a novel by Eduard Bornhöhe |
| production | Tallinn film |
| music |
Uno Naissoo Tõnu Naissoo with texts by Paul-Eerik Rummo |
| camera | Jüri Garšnek |
| cut | Virve Laev |
| occupation | |
| |
Viimne reliikvia (in German The Last Relic ) is the title of an Estonian feature film from 1970. It is one of the most famous Estonian adventure films. The film enjoys cult status in Estonia.
production
The director of the adventure film was the Estonian filmmaker and theater director Grigori Kromanov (1926–1984). The script came from the Estonian writer Arvo Valton (* 1935). The team had a comparatively high budget of 750,000 rubles .
The film was shot within a few months between spring and autumn 1969. The voices of the Russian and Latvian actors were later dubbed by Estonian speakers.
The shooting took place in the old town of Tallinn , in the Tallinn Nikolaikirche , in the bishop's castle of Kuressaare and in Taevaskoda in South Estonia . The film set of the Pirita Monastery was set up on the beach in the Estonian Baltic village of Virtsu . Outdoor shots were also shot in Latvia on the Gauja River and at Zīles near Valka . In addition, the film facilities in Tallinn and Riga were shot.
action
Estonia in the 16th century during the peasant uprisings in the Livonian War : Hans von Risbieter, the “best horseman of Livonia ”, falls in love with the beautiful Agnes von Mönnikhusen while riding. She does not return love. The Catholic Church is still ready to marry the couple when Hans gives the monastery the box with the relic of St. Birgitta .
The wedding feast is stormed by Estonian insurgents. Agnes falls unharmed into the hands of Free Gabriel, to whose charm she succumbs. Gabriel, Agnes and the rebels are then hunted by the monastery, the knight Ivo von Schenkenberg and Agnes' family. The leadership of the monastery plays a double game with everyone involved.
In the monastery walls there is finally a showdown, which ends with the destruction of the monastery by the victorious Estonians.
reception
Viimne reliikvia premiered in Estonia on March 23, 1970.
The film was very well received in Estonia. In the first year, 772,000 people saw the film, about half of the population of the Estonian SSR. In the same period 44.9 million cinema tickets for Viimne reliikvia were sold throughout the Soviet Union . Viimne reliikvia has cult status in Estonia to this day .
The film was first shown in the GDR on July 16, 1971. The first performance in the Federal Republic of Germany took place on July 20, 1973. The film was sold in 63 countries outside the Soviet Union.
Viimne reliikvia was extensively restored and digitized after Estonian independence was regained. The premiere of the restored version took place on March 15, 2002 in Tallinn .
Novel
The film is based on the novel Vürst Gabriel ehk Pirita kloostri viimased päevad ("Prince Gabriel or The Last Days of St. Birgitten Monastery") by the Estonian writer Eduard Bornhöhe (1862–1923). Bornhöhe published the work in 1893.
The anti-Baltic and anti-clerical undertone fit into the political concept of the Soviet film industry. In Kromanov's film version, however, this basic attitude takes a back seat to the exciting adventure story and is only recognizable subliminally.
Web links
- The last relic in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Booklet of the DVD version, 2004
