People living in the Boston area might be interested to hear that the feature documentary The Singing Revolution will be opening in Cambridge, MA, June 6th - June 12th at Kendall Square Cinema.

http://www.singingrevolution.com

Pierre

For those in the Bay Area. .  .“the feature documentary The Singing Revolution will be opening in San Jose May 2nd - May 8th at Camera 3! 

If the film does well, the theaters may keep it longer. For theater information and tickets, visit: http://www.cameracinemas.com/index.shtml ” 

Also see: http://www.cameracinemas.com/cgi-bin/movies.cgi?cmd=dm&m=12-58-22-4-3-2008-1919

In addition there’s a thumbnail review by the New York Times at
http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/movies/14revo.html

Visu labu,

Elizabete

Thank you Pierre!  This is good to know!  I hadn’t seen it on the ‘sabiedriskais kalendars’ (that’s the Boston Latvian calendar of events).  I only hope it’s not going to be very early on a Saturday morning.  This is the reason I rather doubt I’ll get to ‘Rigas Sargi’which is playing May 10th at 10am in the morn.  I don’t think I can roust myself out to make it to Cleveland Circle.  Speaking of that though, in case you didn’t know about this film and are interested, I’ll write down the details.  It’ll be playing at the Circle Cinema, 399 Chestnut Hill Ave, Brighton.  There is free parking in back of the theater; tickets are $10./children up to 14, free.  The contact person for tickets is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  Information about the film:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0471359  and http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/rigassargi/

Irena

I meant to start a thread like this, but I keep forgetting my LOL log on. Not just my password, but my user name, too.  My brain can only hold a certain amount of information, and apparently it has decided that the above mentioned info wasn’t all that necessary.

So, anyhow, I’m glad the post was started.  And I can now urge everyone and their uncle, uncle’s best friend, their neighbor, cubicle mate, yoga teacher, barista, etc. to go see this movie. 

I had seen the trailer and met the co-producer/co-director James Tusty last week at the DC Latvian center, and over a year ago I saw clips and heard him speak at the JBANC conference in DC.  I was excited about the movie already last year, and now that I finally saw it yesterday at the E Street Cinema here in DC, I can speak a bit more competently about the topic.  In a nutshell, if this movie is playing anywhere near you—Go see it!!! If it is not, sign up on the website, http://www.singingrevolution.com, to request that it be shown in your city.

An American friend of mine (who visited Riga with me for a few days a couple of years ago, and thus knows a bit more about the Baltics than the average American) saw the movie with me.  She was amazed.  The story is so good and so moving that, even if a couple of parts get a bit slow or dry, the overall effect is really quite astounding.

For me, as a Latvian who knows her history pretty well, it was very interesting to compare and contrast Estonian and Latvian history.  And the emphasis on music and its meaning for Estonians greatly resonated with me. I’ve become obsessed with one of the songs they feature in the movie—it sounds so similar to any number of beloved Latvian patriotic songs.

Last week when I heard Mr Tusty speak, I learned a couple of interesting things about the movie biz.  Typically movie theatres decide on Mondays whether to extend a movie for an additional week. So, their decision is based solely on the weekend box office.  For this reason, Mr Tusty asked us to go see the movie on Friday, Saturday or Sunday if possible.  Due to good box office returns, The Singing Revolution has gotten extended for a 2nd or even 3rd week in a number of cities.  Additionally, in the last email I received from their email list, they said that phone calls to a Chicago theater convinced that theater’s management to schedule the film for a week next month. So, even with no box office, community support can be effective.

I urge all of you to check out the website to see what cities the film is currently scheduled for, and to run out and see it if it does come to your town.  A couple of larger cities in which it’ll be shown soon are Toronto, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta.

It’s definitely still playing here in DC through Thursday, but my money is on it being held over for another week.  :)

Should we bring lots and lots of kleenex, tissues?  That’s what I’m figuring on.

Irena

PS Thanks for the input!

Sveika Irena!

Sorry for not responding sooner. We’ve been very busy these days. We have relatives from Syracuse planning to come to see Rīgas Sargi on May 10th. Maybe I will tag along, but I will be sorely dependent on the subtitles (if any!).

Pierre

Sveiki Pierre!

No problem!  I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves and if you do go let me (us) know your impressions.  Most likely, I’ll sit this one out, but by all means do plan to attend the ‘Singing Revolution’ since there is a lot more leeway re: the time slots.

Visu labu!

Irena

Hi!

According to the ‘Sabiedriskais Kalendars’, there will be English subtitles for ‘Riga’s Sargi’, so…you have no excuse, Pierre! 

Visu labu,

Irena

Oh, the pressure is on!  Maybe we can go for a latte after the movie Irena… :-)

Pierre

From .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address):
HELD OVER AGAIN IN SAN JOSE, CA!

WOW!  We are thrilled that people are making the effort to see this film!  Once again, Camera3 has held over The Singing Revolution for a third week!!! The film is playing the rest of this week into next at the following times:

Show time Today, Wednesday, 5/14 & Thursday, 5/15:  7:15pm

Show time Friday, 5/16:  5:00pm

Show times Saturday, 5/17:  2:45pm, 5:00pm

Show time Sunday, 5/18:  2:45pm

Show time Monday, 5/19 through Thursday, 5/22:  7:10pm

We can’t thank you all enough…to everyone who came out to see the film and for helping to get the word out. It’s working! So please continue to spread the word about another week to see The Singing Revolution.

Just a reminder that the “Singing Revolution” is being shown in the Boston area now through June 12 at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge.

Me & the Sieva went to see the movie today, the last day it is showing in the Boston area. We very much enjoyed it. There were times when we felt the name Estonia could have easily been replaced by Latvia, such as the song festivals, the heritage of traditional folks songs, the deportations, the forest brothers, the list goes on.

Pierre

So you and the ‘sieva’ finally saw the Singing Revolution Pierre!  BTW, thanks to you and Lauris for the reminders.  I really did make the effort, the attempt.  The first time my girlfriend and I left a little too late and then ended up getting lost, so that was that.  We decided to have a little lunch, walk around Cambridge and spent a good part of the rest of the afternoon looking for a parking space.  I can’t hardly believe they’re charging around $17 to park the car for about an hour, hour and a half—unbelievable!!  We finally did park in a garage that was a little less money, but not much…and that’s a whole other story, I won’t get into.  We ate at Legal Seafoods and I have to say my lobster roll was very good, had lots of meat.

The next time around there was too much going on and so, I missed it again, my only option being now to rent it from Net Flix when it becomes available.

Thanks for the review!

Irena

FYI, and in case you didn’t happen to catch ‘The Singing Revolution’ in your local theatre, it’s now available on Netflix.  I viewed it, briefly, the other night, but plan to sit down and watch it again, sans the interruptions of barking dogs, people mulling about, talking in the background.  I think the Estes, true to their nature did a fine job; the film was inspiring and informative, especially for those who know little or nothing about Estonia, the Balts.  Personally, however, I was most interested in the specific events leading up to the independence, touched off by perestroika, glastnost—how they progressed, beginning with the successful protests of students, intellectuals in 1987 against Moscow’s large scale mining of phosphorous in NE Estonia; paralleled by Latvians in the same year who mobilized and stopped the construction of the hydroelectric dam on the Daugava.  I’m not sure where the Lithuanians quite fit into this picture in the beginning phases, perhaps in their halt of the construction of a 3rd nuclear reactor at Ignalina?  In Estonia, the success of these demonstrations led to the release of political prisoners which further enboldened the citizens to demand the disclosure, publication of the secret protocols of the 1939 Molotov-Ribentropp Pact and the first massive protests against Soviet rule.

I certainly don’t mean to downplay the singing—revolution or detract from the focus of one of the longest chains in human history, with an estimated 2 million people strong, the hands of one to another (which still inspires and moves me—the significance of this peaceful revolution, the difference it made).  But what would really interest me is seeing the unfolding of these events, the time-frame, parallel comparisons which led to each Baltic country’s emancipation.  Maybe someone or some talented beings can put their heads together in a collaborative effort and produce such a documentary?  I’d like that!

Irena

British Columbia breaking news:

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/williamslaketribune/entertainment/39702454.html