Kristel Kotta Why Was Never Filmed? A Banned Project In the summer of 1958, the Estonian SSR held The re-emergence of national cinema in grandiose celebrations to commemorate the the Estonian SSR, after it had been destroyed centennial of the peasant uprising at the Mahtra in the war, can be traced back to the beginning estate.1 The celebrations presented a strong of the 1960s (Orav 2003: 21). This is linked communist-ideological colouring to the public: to young Estonian directors, educated at the the peasant uprising was shown as an unsuc- All-Union State Institute of Cinematography cessful prelude to the working class revolu- (Всесоюзный государственный институт tion. Yet the importance of the celebration was кинематографии, VGIK), joining the studio in mostly local—a fact vividly illustrated by the Tallinn. An alternative to ideological direction in discontinuation of a film project on the subject local cinema, which is often directly connected of the revolt, once the ideological censorship with the arrival of those newly-educated young had revealed that the historical facts concerning film-makers, came from adapting classical lit- the events at Mahtra could not be reconciled erature or historical subjects (Valton 2005). As with views currently propagated by the socialist both of these options were difficult to control, i.e. regime. subdue to ideology, these subject matters were The following paper will take a closer in natural disfavour with the higher authorities look at issues related to The Mahtra War film who decided on the permitted repertory. project, focusing on the questions of why this The fact that Estonian writers made con- thematic film, commissioned by the Ministry sistent, yet unsuccessful, attempts to adapt for of Culture of the Estonian SSR from Tallinn the screen stories from Estonian pre-Soviet Film Studio (Tallinna Kinostuudio; from 1961 history and classical literature as early as the Tallinnfilm), for the centennial of the historic second half of the 1950s, thus directly follow- uprising at Mahtra, was never released, despite ing the beginning of the political change of various efforts, and why the screenplay by Paul direction, has hitherto gone unnoticed. These Rummo2, kept in the Estonian State Archive, is uncompleted film projects, including Rummo’s equivocally marked as ‘unused’. The Mahtra War (1955–1959) tell a story of attempts to provide alternatives. Acknowledging ‘THE MOST IMPORTANT ART FORM’ this will help in creating distance from the ‘win- ners’ history’ and in realising that the defeat was The value of a film as a cultural landmark largely not completely ignoble. rests on its ability to store and transmit infor- mation. In the framework of Soviet propaganda, SOURCES the over-stressed and over-exploited notion of the importance of cinema merely lay in the Available information on The Mahtra War film aforementioned potential for spreading ideas project is retained in the Estonian State Archives that the Communist Party discovered and con- trolled in the aftermath of the October Revo- 1 Editors’ note: the peasant insurgency at the Mahtra es- lution. Communist ideology, which not only tate (now in Rapla County), also known as the Mahtra War, attempted to erase but also replace the nation- took place in May−July 1858. The Governorate of Estonia (then part of the Russian Empire) had abolished serfdom al-traditional version of history (Annuk 2003: in 1816, yet the peasants were still deprived of the right to 13), laid down inflexible restrictions on creative own property and corvée labour was preserved. Although a 1856 manifesto of Tsar Alexander II promised further work, the adherence to which was monitored agrarian reforms, the implementation was slow and this by the censorship and security apparatus. The caused protests, including the revolt at Mahtra. In Mahtra, the uprising was violently suppressed by the army and the specific nature of cinema and its conscious ex- rebellious peasants were exiled to Siberia. Nevertheless, ploitation brought about the strictest ideological these events influenced the process of emancipating the serfs coercion and supervision among the arts. The in the Russian Empire to a considerable extent. art of cinema in the Soviet republics was directly 2 Paul Rummo (1909−1981) was an Estonian poet, managed by the central authorities in Moscow publicist, writer and playwright, who, in 1952, was awarded the Soviet Meritorious Writer title. In 1945 he published a and, during the production process, films were stage play based on Eduard Vilde’s novel The Mahtra War shaped into products of collective correction. (Mahtra sõda, 1902) (see Rummo 1945). 87 (Eesti Riigiarhiiv (ERA), f. R-1707). The ar- THE MAHTRA WAR: chives contain three script versions in Estonian THE LIBRETTO BATTLE AND MORE submitted to the studio by Paul Rummo,3 a con- sulted script by Epp Kaidu (aka Leida Ird) from The documentation on The Mahtra War film the Tartu Vanemuine Theatre, who was initially project at the Estonian State Archives does not designated to direct the film, and approximately provide any information as to when negotiations 100 pages of documentation recording the concerning the writing of a script based on Vil- project’s progress.4 No doubt, this available in- de’s novel between Paul Rummo and represen- formation does not provide an extensive overview tatives of the Ministry of Culture of the Estonian of this project, which had been ongoing for three SSR were started, or in which form they were years, yet was eventually banned. Nevertheless, held. A copy of a written reply by Paul Rummo, despite a number of gaps, the censorship pro- in which he explains his initial working plan with cess and viewpoints of the parties to the conflict great enthusiasm, dates from January 15, 1955. (author and studio) can generally be followed. The Mahtra War was his first film project and The strictly censored professional printed cooperation with the studio promised to provide media provided almost no coverage of film pro- a creative challenge. duction requirements in the Estonian SSR. In addition to confirming his agreement, Thus, in order to construct an adequate back- Rummo, a well-known writer and Vilde scholar, ground, it is necessary to turn, in addition to the stated his conviction that an adaptation of a ‘public sources’, to private sources (by these I classic such as this relevant novel, available and mean the memoirs of people related to film pro- familiar to everyone, did not require a traditional duction at Tallinnfilm beginning in the 1960s). libretto. A libretto, or creative statement, was Results gathered from a study conducted by the required as an addendum to the contract of em- author in 2005 have been utilised in this paper. ployment and was to specify the central idea and Eduard Vilde (1865–1933), considered storyline, as well as the nature of characters in to be the father of critical realism in Estonian the script; failure to submit a libretto or discrep- literature, was one of the few well-known Esto- ancies in the finished script in comparison with nian writers not only declared a Soviet classic the libretto could result in the studio terminat- in 1951 but placed in a central position among ing the entire agreement. Considering that films such writers. This honour bestowed on Vilde could be approved for the studio’s production was largely justified by his leftist views and by plans based on the libretto alone, and knowing ‘convenient’ biographical facts; the writer’s work that the production plans were also discussed by was primarily interpreted in a communist key. authorities outside of the studio, as high as the One of Eduard Vilde’s most popular works is his Ministry of Culture in Moscow, the libretto can historical novel The Mahtra War (Mahtra sõda, be seen as an important element of ideological 1902), the events of which take place during the control. By refusing to compile a libretto, Paul 1858 peasant uprising against estate holders. Rummo started his first conflict with the studio. The script for the screen version of The Mahtra Rummo did submit the general principles which War commissioned from the Tallinn Film Stu- he intended to adhere to when writing the script. dio was to be based on motifs of Eduard Vilde’s The script agreement itself does not have a novel. In the long-term (10–15 years), the stu- date on it, being an appendix to the USSR Min- dio was planning to adapt the whole of Vilde’s ister of Culture’s directive no. 94. The directive historical trilogy (The Mahtra War, When the was issued in Moscow on February 22, 1956. An²a Men Went to Tallinn (Kui An²a mehed Aleksander Ansberg, the Minister of Culture of Tallinnas käisid, 1903), and The Prophet the Estonian SSR, initiated the Mahtra upris- Maltsvet (Prohvet Maltsvet, 1908)).5 The ing centennial celebrations program in August archives hold two versions of the script for The 1956. Item six of his directive no. 346 ordered Prophet Maltsvet. Nevertheless, none of the the local Board of Cinematography to ensure three novels in Eduard Vilde’s trilogy ever found the release of a feature film based on the upris- their way to the screen. ing within two years. 88 Paul Rummo finished the first version of historic conflict in his screenplays are con- his script by November 12, 1956. The studio trasted in terms of nationality. The Germans found a number of substantive shortcomings in (estate holders, clergy and townspeople) were the script and asked the author to revise it. The portrayed negatively, Estonians (peasants) were second version of the script was completed on idealised, and Russians (representatives of the March 15, 1957. Rummo had not made any es- tsarist state) were controversial: the Tsar was sential changes and the script was rejected once a crusher of the uprising against the state and more.