Minu Leninid
Encyclopedia
All My Lenins 1997 is Hardi Volmer
´s historical comedy. The topics are Russian bolshevik
´s coup d´etat plans, World War I
and Russian Revolution (1917).
n politician Aleksander Kesküla
(Üllar Saaremäe
) has escaped from Estonia, then part of the czarist Russian empire, to Switzerland
. Kesküla hardly concernes about the national oppression in Russian empire. Such is also the point of view of famous Russian exile bolshevik
Vladimir Lenin
(this role casted by Viktor Sukhorukov
). Lenin believes czarist Russia to be "the prison of nations". Kesküla gives his last exams in university of Bern. When World War I bursts into flame, Lenin views the Russian and German bourgeoisies both cause the war and so he began to agitate "to end war even if Russia will be defeated."
Kesküla sees his great historical chance and intends to use Lenin's left radicals in the revolutionizing of Russian empire. He elaborates mania grandiosa type plans to exterminate Russia forever and build on the ruins of great empire Gross-Estland (Great Estonia), which would incorporate all former Fenno-Ugric
territories, including Saint Petersburg
. At first, he acts between Lenin and the German government to use German money for igniting revolutionary flames in Russia. Kesküla and German ministry of foreign affairs make a deal to support Lenin financially: to pay for the brochures, leaflets and books of the Bolshevik Party. Lenin acceptes German help but cannot really imagine in which he implicates himself.
The Germans place their super-spy Müller (Andrus Vaarik
) the coordinator of whole project. Kesküla and Müller deal to educate five Russian men as the Lenin's counterparts (Doppelgängers). They want to be sure they can replace real Lenin every moment something happened with him, and so they insure their rear. Thus develops the philosophical concept: counterparts are funny but dangerous. They could replace you every moment when anybody notices you seem to be with inconvenient character (like real Lenin was).
and Ott Sandrak) called their film pseudo-historical. However, the film contains a bunch of real historical accuracies. In fall 1914, the German ambassador in Switzerland freiherr Gisbert von Romberg (Linnar Priimägi) informed his government about "a Estonian, Alexander Kesküla, who did proposal to use Lenin in our plans against Russia". German intelligence clarified about Kesküla's past and found out he had real access to the inner bolshevik circles and to Lenin himself (as in film). Moreover, Kesküla had former experience to initiate rebels in Russia with the help of the foreign hands: in 1905, in Tallinn
, Tartu
and Riga
he got money from Japanese spy Motohirto Akashi and acted in his interests.
First German reaction to Kesküla's proposal was sceptical: for the experts of German Foreign Ministry the bolsheviks were quite marginal party and they had no power to change the moods and minds in Russian state (as in film). But the situation changed soon. In December 1914 Kesküla received 10 000 Reichsmarks from Germans with approval to spread it for the bolshevik's needs. From this period has remained an interesting characteristics to Kesküla: "He was a real Estonian patriot and hoped that revolution-enervated Russia leaves from his homeland and gives her independence."http://www.ut.ee/ABVKeskus/jaanson/Lmr/AK.htm
Although Kesküla informed the German government about Lenin, the most intense and organized setting on revolution in Russia happened with leading of Jewish businessman and politician Alexander Parvus
who operated with millions of Reichsmarks of the German money. "All My Lenins" does not even mention Parvus and make Aleksander Kesküla the only Lenin-educating hero. "The school of Lenin's doppelgängers in Zürich" is also masterminded fiction. There were never Lenin-Monk, Lenin-Beggar, Lenin-Electrician and Lenin-Criminal.
, very popular actor in contemporary Russia. Consequently, the considerable part of the audience of this movie was in Russia. There were prodigious opinions among the Russian public: was the historical truth that Estonians were behind of 1917 revolutionary scene? And why did Kesküla help on throne the bloodiest regime in the history of the whole world? The regime, which occupied his country for 50 years? Kesküla as a real historical person answered to this question shortly before his death in Spain, 1963: "Soviet Union will split to the pieces in the future."
Hardi Volmer
Hardi Volmer is an Estonian film director, puppet theatre set decorator and musician. Volmer is the singer in the Estonian punkrockband Singer Vinger.- Animated cartoons :*"Imeline nääriöö"...
´s historical comedy. The topics are Russian bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
´s coup d´etat plans, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Russian Revolution (1917).
Plot
In 1908, young EstoniaEstonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n politician Aleksander Kesküla
Aleksander Kesküla
Aleksander Eduard Kesküla was an Estonian politician and revolutionary.Kesküla studied politics and economics in the universities of Tartu, Berlin, Zürich, Leipzig and Bern....
(Üllar Saaremäe
Üllar Saaremäe
Üllar Saaremäe is an Estonian actor, director and punk band singer. He was married to Tiina Mälberg and they have son Karl Robert and daughter Marii Ingriin....
) has escaped from Estonia, then part of the czarist Russian empire, to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Kesküla hardly concernes about the national oppression in Russian empire. Such is also the point of view of famous Russian exile bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
(this role casted by Viktor Sukhorukov
Viktor Sukhorukov
Viktor Ivanovich Sukhorukov is a Russian actor. He has appeared in over 50 films and television shows since 1974. He starred in Happy Days, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
). Lenin believes czarist Russia to be "the prison of nations". Kesküla gives his last exams in university of Bern. When World War I bursts into flame, Lenin views the Russian and German bourgeoisies both cause the war and so he began to agitate "to end war even if Russia will be defeated."
Kesküla sees his great historical chance and intends to use Lenin's left radicals in the revolutionizing of Russian empire. He elaborates mania grandiosa type plans to exterminate Russia forever and build on the ruins of great empire Gross-Estland (Great Estonia), which would incorporate all former Fenno-Ugric
Finno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...
territories, including Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. At first, he acts between Lenin and the German government to use German money for igniting revolutionary flames in Russia. Kesküla and German ministry of foreign affairs make a deal to support Lenin financially: to pay for the brochures, leaflets and books of the Bolshevik Party. Lenin acceptes German help but cannot really imagine in which he implicates himself.
The Germans place their super-spy Müller (Andrus Vaarik
Andrus Vaarik
Andrus Vaarik is an Estonian film, television, and theater actor and theater director.One of his notable parts was that of Ivan Orav....
) the coordinator of whole project. Kesküla and Müller deal to educate five Russian men as the Lenin's counterparts (Doppelgängers). They want to be sure they can replace real Lenin every moment something happened with him, and so they insure their rear. Thus develops the philosophical concept: counterparts are funny but dangerous. They could replace you every moment when anybody notices you seem to be with inconvenient character (like real Lenin was).
Historical accuracy
The authors (plot has written by Toomas Kall, idea elaborated by Hardi VolmerHardi Volmer
Hardi Volmer is an Estonian film director, puppet theatre set decorator and musician. Volmer is the singer in the Estonian punkrockband Singer Vinger.- Animated cartoons :*"Imeline nääriöö"...
and Ott Sandrak) called their film pseudo-historical. However, the film contains a bunch of real historical accuracies. In fall 1914, the German ambassador in Switzerland freiherr Gisbert von Romberg (Linnar Priimägi) informed his government about "a Estonian, Alexander Kesküla, who did proposal to use Lenin in our plans against Russia". German intelligence clarified about Kesküla's past and found out he had real access to the inner bolshevik circles and to Lenin himself (as in film). Moreover, Kesküla had former experience to initiate rebels in Russia with the help of the foreign hands: in 1905, in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
and Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
he got money from Japanese spy Motohirto Akashi and acted in his interests.
First German reaction to Kesküla's proposal was sceptical: for the experts of German Foreign Ministry the bolsheviks were quite marginal party and they had no power to change the moods and minds in Russian state (as in film). But the situation changed soon. In December 1914 Kesküla received 10 000 Reichsmarks from Germans with approval to spread it for the bolshevik's needs. From this period has remained an interesting characteristics to Kesküla: "He was a real Estonian patriot and hoped that revolution-enervated Russia leaves from his homeland and gives her independence."http://www.ut.ee/ABVKeskus/jaanson/Lmr/AK.htm
Although Kesküla informed the German government about Lenin, the most intense and organized setting on revolution in Russia happened with leading of Jewish businessman and politician Alexander Parvus
Alexander Parvus
Alexander Lvovich Parvus , born Israel Lazarevich Gelfand , was a Marxist theoretician, a Russian revolutionary, and a controversial activist in the Social Democratic Party of Germany...
who operated with millions of Reichsmarks of the German money. "All My Lenins" does not even mention Parvus and make Aleksander Kesküla the only Lenin-educating hero. "The school of Lenin's doppelgängers in Zürich" is also masterminded fiction. There were never Lenin-Monk, Lenin-Beggar, Lenin-Electrician and Lenin-Criminal.
Reaction and critics
"Minu Leninid" ("All My Lenins") has made by Faama Film company in cooperation with Lenfilm, main role played by Viktor SukhorukovViktor Sukhorukov
Viktor Ivanovich Sukhorukov is a Russian actor. He has appeared in over 50 films and television shows since 1974. He starred in Happy Days, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
, very popular actor in contemporary Russia. Consequently, the considerable part of the audience of this movie was in Russia. There were prodigious opinions among the Russian public: was the historical truth that Estonians were behind of 1917 revolutionary scene? And why did Kesküla help on throne the bloodiest regime in the history of the whole world? The regime, which occupied his country for 50 years? Kesküla as a real historical person answered to this question shortly before his death in Spain, 1963: "Soviet Union will split to the pieces in the future."