The fall of the Berlin Wall was only one story in the great collapse of Soviet communism. As “The Singing Revolution” splendidly proves, the small country of Estonia had its own amazing saga.
This film movingly demonstrates how the national traditions of Estonia — especially expressed in song — helped the country throw off more than 40 years of oppression. Choosing steadfastness over violence, the Estonians achieved independence in their own way.
The movie, narrated by Linda Hunt, skillfully provides an Estonian history lesson without becoming too much of a lecture. Used as a pawn during World War II, Estonia was occupied by the Soviets after the war.
Stalin pursued a program of “Russification,” bringing thousands of Russians to settle in Estonia and attempting to wipe out Estonian culture. Thousands of Estonians were sent to Soviet gulags.
But you can’t kill song. Although the Russians tried to censor a huge Estonian singing festival (held since 1869), the pesky Estonians had a way of circumventing their occupiers’ intentions.
In one of the movie’s many great stories, the Soviets ban the unofficial national anthem of Estonia at the song festival in 1969, forgetting simple mathematics. When you have 20,000 people crowded onto a stage, you can’t really stop them from singing a nationalist hymn if they spontaneously begin singing it.
Again and again, the Estonians chose civilized methods of protest, especially after the Gorbachev policies of the 1980s opened the door to free speech. The tales of Estonian resistance (especially a nail-biting account of two Estonian soldiers defending the country’s radio tower from Soviet troops) are truly stirring.
Along with copious newsreel footage and home movies, we see interviews with many of Estonia’s resistance fighters and artists. Most of whom look not much older than they did in the Eighties, by the way.
Filmmakers James Tusty and Maureen Castle Tusty (he’s of Estonian descent) bring all this together in a smart way. You don’t have to be Estonian to really like this movie.
1/2 “The Singing Revolution”
Peaceful path: A stirring documentary narrated by Linda Hunt about the nonviolent path to independence for Estonia, long ruled by the Soviet Union. The importance of song and culture is foremost in this effort, as the film’s wonderful stories suggest. (In Estonian and English, with English subtitles.)
Rated: Not rated, probably PG for subject matter.
Now showing: opens today at Varsity
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