Viimne reliikvia
Encyclopedia
Viimne reliikvia is a 1969
Estonia
n film adaptation of Vürst Gabriel ehk Pirita kloostri viimsed päevad (Estonian
for Furst Gabriel or The last days of Pirita monastery), a historical novel
by Eduard Bornhöhe
. The film became extremely popular, and some critics consider it the only Estonia
n cult movie.
era peasant uprising. A central plot device is the Pirita monastery
, a real monastery dedicated to St. Brigitta. Currently, the monastery's original medieval buildings lie in ruins and are kept that way as a museum, but an organisational structure, complete with nun
s, was restored after the end of Soviet occupation.
Old Town, passages of the Dominican monastery of Tallinn, Taevaskoja
, as well as other places. A mock
monastery was built in Kukerand, near Virtsu
. Several outdoors scenes were taken in Latvia, near the Gauja
river. Indoors scenes were, among other places, taken in the fortress of Kuressaare
and the Tallinn church of St. Nicholas.
version, somewhat different in its composition, was also edited, for displaying outside Estonia
. This version is 89 minutes in length.
and Tallinnfilm
determined Viimne reliikvia to be an important part of Estonian cultural heritage
, and in order to preserve it, undertook a digital remastering. This became the first digitally remastered Estonian movie; others followed.
The digital copy was re-launched on 15 March 2002, and again, became a bestseller
. As of 2007, the remastered movie is available on DVD
.
ed. As one notable example, in 1992, during the early capitalism developing in the aftermath of Perestroika
, Ivar Vigla prepared a brief parody for Wigla Show, featuring quotes such as "We don't get paid for chitchat" and "What will become of us? — A joint venture." Many of these parody quotes became independently popular, and then, in turn, became lampooned in other venues, such as the Ugala
Theatre's production of The Love for Three Oranges. Also, several parodies of the movie's songs have been circulated in the Internet.
1969 in film
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n film adaptation of Vürst Gabriel ehk Pirita kloostri viimsed päevad (Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
for Furst Gabriel or The last days of Pirita monastery), a historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
by Eduard Bornhöhe
Eduard Bornhöhe
Eduard Bornhöhe , born Eduard Brunberg , was an Estonian writer.Bornhöhe is generally considered a pioneer of the genre of Estonian historical novel, as a lion's share of his creations consist of romanticism-influenced historical adventure stories.- Bibliography :*1880 Tasuja *1890 Villu võitlused...
. The film became extremely popular, and some critics consider it the only Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n cult movie.
Success
A typical live action movie of the era had a standardised budget of 350,000 roubles. As a special case, the team of Viimne reliikvia managed to haggle themselves a budget of 750,000 roubles — more than double the customary. This lavishness paid off very well, as within the very first year, 772,000 tickets were sold in Estonia only. (Remarkably, Estonia's population at that time was around 1,200,000.) The movie set the absolute box office record for the entire Soviet Union at the time by selling 44.9 million tickets. It was successfully distributed by the Soviet film export internationally in more than 60 countries.Setting
The movie is set during a Livonian WarLivonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
era peasant uprising. A central plot device is the Pirita monastery
Pirita monastery
Pirita Convent was a monastery, for both monks and nuns dedicated to St. Brigitta, in the district of Pirita in Tallinn, Estonia.The idea of founding the monastery dates to merchants of Tallinn of around 1400. In 1407, two monks from the Vadstena Abbey arrived to Tallinn to counsel the merchants...
, a real monastery dedicated to St. Brigitta. Currently, the monastery's original medieval buildings lie in ruins and are kept that way as a museum, but an organisational structure, complete with nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s, was restored after the end of Soviet occupation.
Movie sets
Scenes for the movie were recorded in TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
Old Town, passages of the Dominican monastery of Tallinn, Taevaskoja
Taevaskoja
Taevaskoja is a village in Põlva Parish, Põlva County in southeastern Estonia....
, as well as other places. A mock
Mockup
In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes...
monastery was built in Kukerand, near Virtsu
Virtsu
Virtsu is a small borough in Hanila Parish, Lääne County, Estonia. It lies on the Western coast of continental Estonia, and a location of the main port for traffic to and from Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia. The corresponding port on Saaremaa's side is Kuivastu, located on the island of...
. Several outdoors scenes were taken in Latvia, near the Gauja
Gauja
The Gauja is one of the longest rivers in Latvia, with a length of and a catchment area of . Its source is in the hills southeast of Cēsis. It first flows east and north and forms the border with Estonia for about . South of Valga and Valka, it turns west towards Valmiera, continuing southwest...
river. Indoors scenes were, among other places, taken in the fortress of Kuressaare
Kuressaare
Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706 Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706...
and the Tallinn church of St. Nicholas.
Russian version
A separate Russian languageRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
version, somewhat different in its composition, was also edited, for displaying outside Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. This version is 89 minutes in length.
Digital
In 2000, the Estonian Film FoundationEstonian Film Foundation
The Estonian Film Foundation is Estonia's public film funding organization financed from the state budget of the Republic of Estonia. Founded in 1997 by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the foundation finances and promotes film productions where at least one participating producers is an...
and Tallinnfilm
Tallinnfilm
Tallinnfilm is the oldest still functional film studio in Estonia. Originally founded as Estonian Culture Film in 1931, the studio was nationalized in 1940 after Estonia was forced into Soviet Union. During the first year of Soviet Occupation Eesti Kultuurfilm was taken over by the Communist Party...
determined Viimne reliikvia to be an important part of Estonian cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
, and in order to preserve it, undertook a digital remastering. This became the first digitally remastered Estonian movie; others followed.
The digital copy was re-launched on 15 March 2002, and again, became a bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
. As of 2007, the remastered movie is available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Cultural influence
The movie became extremely influential, and as such, has been repeatedly lampoonParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
ed. As one notable example, in 1992, during the early capitalism developing in the aftermath of Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, Ivar Vigla prepared a brief parody for Wigla Show, featuring quotes such as "We don't get paid for chitchat" and "What will become of us? — A joint venture." Many of these parody quotes became independently popular, and then, in turn, became lampooned in other venues, such as the Ugala
Ugala
Ugala is a theatre in the city of Viljandi in Estonia. It was founded in 1920 opening on January 10 of that year.-Ugala's Artistic Directors:*1925 - 1926: Andres Särev.*1926 – 1928: Eduard Lemberg.*1928 – 1932: Alfred Mering.*1932 – 1933: Valter Soosõrv....
Theatre's production of The Love for Three Oranges. Also, several parodies of the movie's songs have been circulated in the Internet.