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Reviews
Hundiseaduse aegu (1985)
So that's why we are talking about a film that is wished to be forgotten forever
In 1969 Estonian film company Tallinnfilm made a masterful adventure film "Viimne reliikvia" (The Last Relic). They have never made anything close to it again... Three years later an attempt to repeat the success with "Verekivi" (The Blood Rock) failed. They shouldn't try to film a medieval adventure story anymore. However, in 1984 they did it and gained the absolute bottom with "Hundiseaduste aegu" (When dogs ate dogs).
Set in the 14-th century there are used lots of costumes and armor of its time in the film. Even a medieval village is specially built into the forest. Doesn't sound like a cheap movie ? Well, everything not mentioned above was a real crap ! The director Olev Neuland - i'd say that i'm really afraid to watch any of his other films. The action was extremely unrealistic and jumping from one task to another. Did they do any film-composition (montage) at all ? The cinematographer did anything to make a feeling of some kind of experimental film. The actors we have used to see in good quality - what did happen to them ? Why is the acting so fake ? Who genius came to the idea that in the final scene Meleleiv will kill Hans Metten with his glance ?? The fighting scenes, especially on the river are nothing but pathetic ! To watch that, i'd got the feeling that all the crew just fleers over the public. And who wrote all that comic-weak text ? Radiator on the wall of the medieval castle or electric pole visible makes it even more hapless. The crown for it all is an unsuitable aggressive synthesizer music through the whole movie (a compositor Grünberg did Kraftwerk insead of Clannad).
Well, to get to the good points then there almost was none. Yes, the village girl was a beauty but her role was rather a small. Her Van Damme-type boyfriend was fine looking warrior too but still, they were more requisites than actors. So that's why we are talking about a film that is wished to be forgotten forever.
Arabella, mereröövli tütar (1982)
The pirates are fine, even Hollywood could learn from Tallinnfilm.
"Arabella, mereröövli tütar" (Arabella the pirate's daughter) is a wonderful kids' novel. When i heard for the first time that an Estonian film company was going to bring the novel to the screen i was hesitating. How should it be possible to produce a pirate movie with a low budget and no proper experience ? I was right. The movie is only a shadow of the novel. The ocean scenes were filmed in a silent gulf of the Baltic Sea, so it looks fake from the beginning. The story is strongly simplified, so many interesting points of the novel are removed. The young mysterious adventurer Hassan from the novel who is good in sword fighting, becomes a ridiculous jerk Aadu in the movie. So there is no romantic and positive hero in the film at all ! Secondly, the director has formed a rival pirate captain Raudpats (Iron Pigtail) and a theater manager Manuel into an one person. It's just pointless. A fact that there was no real rival pirate (Raudpats) spoils remarkable the whole concept of the movie. Thirdly, the character of the young woman (i don't remember her name), a friend of Arabella, was removed from the film. That woman was an important character as there was love of mother and daughter between her and motherless Arabella. So what's left is just kid's action and does not deeply concentrate to Arabella and her feelings.
Well, it has it's strong points too. Kai Puskar is a good choice for Arabella. Again the character isn't exactly the novel's Arabella but it suites into that film well. The pirates are fine, even Hollywood could learn from Tallinnfilm. They are not too cruel to watch for children but they are not fake kind-hearted good pirates either. Everyone has it's own face and character. Lembit Peterson's captain Taaniel Tina is the character just what it should. May-be the acting could have been a bit more dominant. Perhaps the most strong thing in the movie is Lembit Ulfsak as Ruuge tüüp (original character, not from the novel), unique and funny. In general, all the acting (except Kibuspuu) is good. The strong point is also text, as there's many funny memorable dialogs and sayings.
However, due to the above mentioned I rated the film "6". In general i can't say that it is a very good movie.
'Hukkunud Alpinisti' hotell (1979)
why this piece of crap is still kept for the golden fund of Estonian films ?
25 years ago "Hukkunud alpinisti hotell" was considered to be among one of the three best Estonian films (together with "Viimne reliikvia" and "Navigaator Pirx"). No crime nor fantasy films were often produced in Estonia. So making a real sci-fi movie and shooting it in a far land (Caucasian mountains ?) had to be quite an event here. That was then... The thing i don't understand is why this piece of crap is still kept for the golden fund of Estonian films. Well, the beginning that is very much "Shining" alike is yet promising. But the more the film goes on, the worse it gets. Anticipation that is cognizable in the beginning doesn't form into tension as it should. Lack of technical cull disturbs enjoying the movie instead. First of all, the cinematographer Jüri Sillart should have been drunk or disabled, filming constantly close-ups. The picture is jumping from one close-up to another, so there's practically no overview what's going on in general. I don't even talk about conveying the characters through the picture. Shooting straight into the sun and its reflections in the film for no reason is the cinematographer's style too. Light in the hotel is extremely poor, so the action is time to time only cognizable, not visible. Secondly, the director couldn't reform the mediocre script into fluent running film. The action is nervous, jumping from here to there, so watching it i had a feeling that i had fallen asleep and missed some parts. Thirdly, the much-hyped Sven Grünberg's music doesn't fit in the movie at all as it is too monotonic and doesn't support the action. I can say that the movie interferes the music a bit but the music doesn't help the film at all. For the fourth, special effects are feeble and even embarrassing to watch. For example the scene in the end when the ET-s were escaping from the hotel gliding on the snow, was miserable ! It should have remade and not to put in the movie ! For the fifth, it's incredible how its possible to present good actors so poorly. The most important actor Uldis Pucitis is OK in the beginning where he didn't have to do much yet. The man's charisma helps him out there. Later when his role turns to much more demanding one, he doesn't control it anymore. He just exists on the screen. Estonian far-famed Mikk Mikiver shows that he should have stayed producing as his performance is very very non-realistic. The same critics goes almost to all the other actors as they don't manage with their rather a difficult roles. The actors are rather tin soldiers than individual characters, so even at the end of the movie it is not clear how many people were involved. The only exception is grand old Jüri Järvet who is good as always. And Aarne Üksküla reading text for Pucitis is superb. So watch it and i hope that the myth of the great Estonian sci-fi film is going to be broken at last.