The Singing Revolution

A single nation. A million voices. An unstoppable dream.
The Singing Revolution
51K ratings
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Format:  DVD
item number:  DE4J
on most orders of $75+
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DVD Details

  • Rated: Not Rated
  • Run Time: 1 hours, 37 minutes
  • Video: Color
  • Encoding: Region 1 (USA & Canada)
  • Released: February 3, 2009
  • Originally Released: 2007
  • Label: New Video Group

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Directed by &
Edited by
Narrated by
Screenwriting by , &
Composition by
Produced by , , , &
Director of Photography:

Entertainment Reviews:

Fresh83%

TOMATOMETER
Total Count: 36

Upright80%

AUDIENCE SCORE
User Ratings: 50,630
Rating: 3/4 -- As far as the plot goes, widespread lack of familiarity with Estonia's recent history actually works in the film's favor: Suspense born of ignorance lends the unfolding drama the urgency of a political thriller. Full Review
Chicago Tribune
May 22, 2008
Rating: 2.5/4 -- Fortunately, the interview subjects (who include festival performers and current and former Estonian leaders) are very intelligent and well-spoken. Their stories are what really holds out interest here.
Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
Aug 8, 2008
Rating: 3/4 -- Although filmmakers James and Maureen Castle Tusty haven't figured out how to make historic tidbits come alive, they do know how to make them sing.
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Jul 11, 2008
One of the most inspirational and powerful documentaries I've ever seen. Full Review
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Mar 28, 2009
It's a powerful story of a nation that, almost literally, sang its way to freedom. Full Review
San Francisco Chronicle
Apr 17, 2008
Rating: 2.5/4 -- What makes the film unique is its intermittent focus on one of the country's cultural touchstones: a song festival called Laulupidu, and its role in bringing freedom to a repressed but restless people after a half-century.
Seattle Times
Apr 4, 2008
The thrill of this documentary is in the remarkable story of the Little Country That Could. Full Review
Film.com
May 30, 2008

Product Description:

The year 1991 marked a time of change for the Republic of Estonia. This small European nation decided to end the Soviet Union's power over them in a completely radical way: by singing. Though it's tough to imagine the former superpower giving in to simple songs, this documentary chronicles the Estonian people's drive for freedom and their peaceful way of attaining it.

Description by New Video Group :

Estonia's coveted position between Europe and Russia has lured wave after wave of occupiers. The nation's darkest chapter, though, dawned in 1939 with the arrival of the Soviets. It seemed this time that the Estonian nation might vanish completely; yet the Estonians waited, and fought, and sang - and ultimately, survived.
THE SINGING REVOLUTION narrates the remarkable story of this tiny nation's struggle for independence, illuminating how the Estonians kept their identity alive—even under the oppressive weight of the Iron Curtain—through a rich tradition of song. Here, people have joined voices for centuries, and their "Laulupidu"—an immense song festival—offered glimmers of Estonian culture and connectedness in even the bleakest periods, proving to "The Singing People" that their national spirit still smoldered. When the Soviet nation finally began to crumble in the 1980s, the Estonians saw their opportunity: free speech became song, and song became a soaring anthem of independence.
Dramatically capturing the spectacular beauty of Estonia and the overwhelming sea of people and sound that brought this nation together, THE SINGING REVOLUTION celebrates a people who revolted with no weapons but their songs, no force but their unstoppable dream.

Keywords:

Product Info

  • UPC: 767685136171
  • Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
  • International Shipping: 1 item

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