Happy Fat Tuesday! Whatever that means. I'll have to look up the meaning of this whacky, booze filled day.
I'm really enjoying looking up the history of holidays/traditions. Most of the time it's about what I'd expect but it's been fun taking in the new information. I'll be able to recycle the knowledge year after year; the gift that keeps on giving!
Today's documentary came on recommendation from my friend Heather. She traveled to Estonia a few years ago on a school choir trip, and learned all about the country's rich history and love for singing. She let me borrow a couple of " The Singing Revolution".
The film details the long, painful history of Estonia as it suffers through the Soviet and Nazi occupation for decades. Pogroms, genocides, oppression and strife fill Estonia's history. But throughout it all the Estonian people are able to preserve their way of life and heritage. And they do it through song. Apparently the whole country loves singing; it's been their thing for hundreds of years. So the film shows how the people use song and concerts to protest for their national independence. Pretty inspiring, to say the least.
What I learned: A lot about Estonian history. Before this I could not have placed Estonia on the map let alone told you about their relationship with the rest of Europe. Like a lot of smaller Eastern European countries, Estonia served as a whipping boy for the Soviets for many many years, crippled by the failing government and threatened by its abusive regime. For a few years surrounding WWII the power shifted and the Nazis took control, but (surprise surprise) things weren't any better. Eventually the Estonians regained power and democracy reigned.
What I liked: The first half of the film is easily one of the most inspiring tales I've ever heard. A peaceful country is invaded by tyrants and thousands of citizens are killed and shipped off to Siberian death camps. All forms of national pride and unity are outlawed; no Estonian songs are permitted, no flags can be flown. But the people don't take the oppression lying down; they fight back. Instead of guns and knives, the Estonians use their words and their arts to spread their story around the world. Massive choir concerts, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, are performed, and Estonian pride is blatantly displayed despite being against the law. Inspired by the acts of defiance, the people grow more and more bold, demanding more rights from their Soviet oppressors. Soon a cultural revolution has transformed into a political one, taken from the streets to the capitol buildings.
What I didn't like: ...And that's when the movie took a turn for the boring. While the first half was full of uprising in the streets, the second half is how the country fought the laws and politicians that were oppressing them. 90% of it is footage of old parliament meetings and press conferences from the 80's.
It's kind of like Star Wars: the original 3 films were about hope and pure goodness triumphing over pure evil, but the later 3 movies were about senate sub-committee meetings and votes of non-confidence. Pretty anti-climatic.
Senates: Where all good ideas come to die
If you want a feel good movie about the power of people and art, this is for you.
Here's the trailer:
Like I said my friend let me borrow a copy of the movie so I don't know where it's available online, but if you search hard enough, you can find anything online.
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