1944 (2015)

In 1944 Estonia, a fratricide war ensues when Estonians of the retreating German forces fight against Estonians conscripted into the advancing Soviet Red Army.

Director:

Elmo Nüganen

Writer:

Leo Kunnas

Stars:

Kaspar Velberg, Kristjan Üksküla, Maiken Pius

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kaspar Velberg	...	Karl Tammik
Kristjan Üksküla	...	Jüri Jõgi
Maiken Pius	...	Aino Tammik (as Maiken Schmidt)
Gert Raudsep	...	Ants 'Saareste'
Hendrik Toompere Jr. Jr.	...	Kristjan 'Põder' (as Hendrik Toompere Jr.)
Karl-Andreas Kalmet	...	Vladimir 'Kamenski'
Henrik Kalmet	...	Voldemar 'Piir'
Pääru Oja	...	Sanitar Elmar 'Säinas'
Priit Strandberg	...	Lembit 'Raadik'
Priit Pius	...	Vennad Käärid
Märt Pius	...	Vennad Käärid
Kristo Viiding	...	Leonhard 'Talu'
Jaak Prints	...	Autojuht Richard Pastak
Magnús Mariuson	...	'Taanlane Carl', Carl Madsen
Mait Malmsten	...	Omavalitsuse tegelane

Storyline

In "1944" Director Elmo Nüganen portrays the real events on the Eastern Front in Estonia in 1944, from the Battle Of Tannenburg Line, the July fighting on the Sinimäed Hills, until November, when the Sorve peninsula was already conquered by the Soviet Army. The war is shown through the eyes of participants in the events on both warring sides - the Estonians who fought on the side of the German Army in the 20th Estonian division Waffen-SS, and as part of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps of the Soviet Army. For residents of Estonia it was a war in which everyone makes their own choices. It is with such hard choices facing the main characters of the film - the soldiers of the opposing sides Carl Tammik and Urey Jogi - as well as their comrades, relatives, friends and even strangers.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1944 | dead soldier | shot | soviet red army | retreat | 

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Taglines:

The first casualty of war is truth.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

It was selected as the Estonian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.

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Quotes

Omavalitsuse tegelane: Heil Hitler!
Kristjan 'Põder': Ei ütle!
[sounds similar to 'Heil Hitler', translates as 'no say']

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Connections

Spoofed in Tujurikkuja (2015)

User Reviews

A truly Great War Movie from an Estonian Perspective.

Set during the Battle of Tannenburg in 1944 this is the story of several Estonian men who fought for either Stalin or Hitler. The story is both simple and moving and it really does not pull its punches.

The action is as good as any you will see and the materiel all seemed to be spot on as well as the uniforms. The Russian T34 tanks looked very real and even though there is some CGI here it makes no difference to the overall quality of the film.

There is a love interest too but that is both incidental and also a large part in that the affections in war time can often be magnified due to the constant proximity of death and injury. The acting is just perfect and the direction seemingly effortless in how well it was done. There is very little to find fault with here. In Estonian, Russian and German with good sub titles.

This is a film for those who appreciate a quality production and it may also shine a light on a part of that war that many of us know very little about, completely recommended.

Details

Country:

Estonia Finland

Language:

Estonian Russian German

Release Date:

4 November 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

1944

Filming Locations:

Sinimäed Hills, Narva-Jõesuu municipality, Ida-Viru County, Estonia

Box Office

Budget:

EUR1,620,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$109,768

Company Credits

Production Co:

Matila Röhr Productions (MRP), Taska Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1