Swordsman ( Finnish. Miekkailija , Est. Vehkleja ) - a film by the Finnish film director Klaus Härö about Estonian swordsman . Co-production of Finland , Estonia and Germany .
| Swordsman | |
|---|---|
| fin. Miekkailija est. Vehkleja | |
 | |
| Genre | sports drama |
| Producer | Klaus Hyaryo |
| Producer | Kaarle Aho Kai Nordberg Jörg Bundschuh |
| Author script | |
| In the main cast | Murt Avandi |
| Operator | Tuomo Khutri |
| Composer | Geert Wilden |
| Film company | Making movies oy Allfilm Kick film |
| Duration | 93 min |
| Budget | € 1.9 million |
| A country |  Finland  Estonia  Germany |
| Tongue | Estonian Russian |
| Year | 2015 |
| IMDb | |
In 2015, the film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award as the best film in a foreign language [1] . In addition, “Swordsman” was included in the preliminary list of foreign films applying for the Oscar [2] , but did not qualify for the final nomination. In 2016, the film was awarded the Finnish national film award “Jussi” as the best film of 2015 [3] .
Story
The film is set in post-war Estonia , annexed to the Soviet Union . The main character Endel Nelis fought on the side of Nazi Germany , and at the end of the war he deserted and changed his name. He is interested in the special services of the KGB , in connection with which he is hiding in a small town on the periphery of the USSR ( Haapsalu ). In this town, he teaches fencing to children who are almost completely left without fathers (who died in the war).
Children want to go to the fencing championship for juniors in Leningrad , and Endel Nelis has a choice: to take students to Soviet Russia and risk his freedom or disappoint them and stay safe.
Historical accuracy
The film is partly based on the biography of Estonian fencer and trainer Endel Nelis. The difference from the real biography is, in particular, that there is no reason to claim that the KGB persecuted Nelis. However, according to director Klaus Härö, the real Nelis also had certain problems with the Soviet regime [4] .
The director of the film and a number of critics noted that fencing in the film is a kind of metaphor for Estonian-Russian relations in the post-war period [4] [5] .
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Murt Avandi | swordsman Endel Nelis |
| Ursula Ratasepp | bride Endel Kadri |
| Kirill Kyaro | friend Endel Alexey |
| Liisa Koppel | student Marta |
| Jonas Coff | apprentice Jaan |
| Lembit Ulfsack | grandfather Jaana |
| Hendrick Toompere | head teacher |
| Yaak Prints | assistant principal |
| Maria Avdyushko | |
| Kaarle Aho |
Notes
- ↑ The Fencer . www.goldenglobes.com. Date of appeal September 21, 2016.
- ↑ 9 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS ADVANCE IN OSCAR® RACE (December 18, 2015). Date of appeal September 21, 2016.
- ↑ Jussi-gaalassa palkittiin vuoden 2015 parhaat elokuvat ja näyttelijät // © Yle Uutiset = Yle News Service. = Website of the television and radio company Yleisradio Oy (yle.fi) March 19, 2016. (Retrieved March 26, 2016) (Fin.)
- ↑ 1 2 kinocaviar.com . www.kinocaviar.com. Date of appeal September 21, 2016.
- ↑ Success of Estonian film, The Fencer, at European Union Film Festival in Ottawa Estonian Life - Estonian World Review . Date of appeal September 21, 2016.