"SPRING" "Read, Ténisson." "When Lembitu saw that German knights had surrounded Estonian troops..." "What did the teacher say when you were in his room'?" "Nothing." "Didn't he say that you must not read Indian stories in class?" "No." " To me he did." "Have you read "In the Forests of America"?" "No." " What a man!" "Fighting alone against twelve redskins." "Who?" " The Kentucky Lion." "When the long..." "slavery... in Estonia" "Days of slavery..." " Age of slavery." "...begun in Estonia." "Right." "Sit down, Tfanisson." "Show me!" " I want to see!" "Dip a goose-quill into milk, write a couple of words on paper, iron it over and you'll see!" "Buy my pocket knife." "With a corkscrew!" "Show me." " Crappy knife." "Why didn't you come to school earlier?" " l was ill." "We came last week." "How do you get along in school?" " Very well." "Only Russian is difficult." " Is it really?" "For me, it is awfully difficult." "Arithmetics is hard for me." "But you did so well today." "Everybody says you are a clever boy." " Who said that?" "Everyb0d'" "Do you want to walk to school with me from now on?" " Yes." "When I reach the old willow first, I'll wait for you." "When you get here first..." " Then I will wait!" "Alright." "I sing to praise the Lord." "Who gives even/thing unto us." "And bears our burdens." "Let us pray." "Our Father, who art in heaven;" "hallowed be Thy name..." "It's much better to pray like American settlers." "Kneel on the left knee, bend the right leg." "So you can hold your sword and pray like hell." "Toots!" "I don't think everybody saw, how you taught us to pray." "Kneel in the corner and show us." "Instead of a sword you can use the poker, so everybody can see how to pray like a..." "Kentucky Lion." " Quiet!" "What?" " The buttons are gone." "What buttons?" " The buttons of my boots." "What does this mean?" "Maybe rats took them away." "They once stole our cabbage-chopper." "Cabbage-chopper?" " Right." "Rats can't even lift a cabbage- chopper, much less cam; it." "Maybe there was a whole bunch of them." "Nonsense!" "Where were your boots?" "There, under the bed." "Who sleeps here?" " Visak." "Visak?" "Who else?" "Then comes Kérd and then Toots." " Yes, there's my bed." "Since when do you sleep here?" "This was the first night." "My bed was brought here yesterday." "He threw clothes at us and didn't let us sleep." "You hear what Visak said?" " He is a liar!" "He cutoff Kiir's buttons and now he's blaming me!" " Shut up!" "Who was the last to go to bed?" "L was already sleeping when Toots kept laughing in his bed and farted so much we nearly suffocated." " A button!" "Another one." "There are some more here." "Didn't I tell you it was the rats!" "Mark my words!" "You just had a very narrow escape." "So, you had to go telling on me!" "Joosep, stop it!" "Joosep, don't fool around!" " Bastard." "Joosep, don't!" " I'm going to fix you up!" "Stop!" " Stay put, you bastard!" "Telling on me!" "Well, cooing all the time!" "But, it was always obvious that one day Arno will marry Teele." "Let go of me!" "So, I am the Kentucky Lion?" "From now on I am going to start making plans with her." "Tfanisson?" " Yes?" "You won't tell anybody, if I tell you something?" " No." "Toots said, he's going to stan making plans with Teele." "Toots?" " Yes?" "Don't listen to him." " But if he's right?" "Homfl No he won't." "You think so?" " Yes." "Ténisson, you are so kind." "The German jerks are on the river again." "Bumpkins are going home." "Shut your mouth, or your heart will freae." "I'm going to beat you up like a dog." "Come to the stables tonight, fatso." "What's happening?" " The great battle underthe gates of Leipzig!" "What battle'?" "Give me!" "Hurry!" "Hurrah!" "Forward, boys of Kentucky!" "Death to the redskins!" "Victory!" "Men, back to our yard!" "I am going to ask you one last time, will you apologize to the young gentlemen?" "You see, minister." "You are the most torpid creature in the world!" "Usually they start blaming others." "This one is dumb like a fish." "Detention for one week, and even; day you will learn four verses from the hymns." "Whatever troubles your heart, whatever you demand." "Leave all your troubles to our Lord." "Whatever..." "Try to think about what you are saying." "Let's start from the beginning." "Whatever troubles your heart." "Whatever troubles my heart." "No, your heart." " My heart?" "No..." "From the beginning." "Whatever troubles your heart." "Arno!" "Aren't you coming?" "In a moment." "Whatever troubles your heart." "You go ahead, it's Saturday eve." "I'll try by myself." "Tfanisson?" " What?" "Why do you think Teele won't mam;" "Toots?" "His family is in debts and their farm will go underthe hammer." "What does that mean?" "The men will go to prison, until they pay their debts." "Do they put children into prison?" "I don't know, but who would leave them out." "__ Teele!" "Ulesoo family is in debt!" "Their place will go under the hammer!" "All of them will be sent to prison." "Hi, Liisa." " Hello." "What are you doing by the river on a Saturday night, Lible?" "I am going to make the river run the other way, so it will be fun to see when the wool-mill stops." "Chinwagger!" " Look who's talking." "Quit splashing, stupid!" " Don't go calling other people stupid!" "Let's go home now..." "They are coming!" "Tell them we went home together, if they ask you." "Why?" " Just tell them." "Sit down." "Ténisson, come here." "Did you sink the young masters' raft?" "No, I didn't." "Was there anyone else with you on Saturday?" "Tali was here too." "Tali, what were you doing here?" "I helped Ténisson to learn the hymns." "But then you must remember them as well?" "Tell me one." "Whatever troubles your heart, whatever you demand." "Leave all your troubles to our Lord." "You are a good boy, Tali." "Did you go home together?" "Yes." "A small boy could not have done it all alone." "But kitchen-maid Liisa saw him." "And Lible as well." "That Lible is a wicked man." "You, Chunky-Charley, I'll sink you to the bottom of the river like a bloody turkey." "Lible is terrible!" "How so?" " Why does he have to go drinking and brawling?" "Well, look at that!" "Saare family/s daughter-in-law and the young master himself." "Hi." " Hello, young master." "Oh, dear..." "Lible." " Yes?" "Why do you drink'?" " If I knew it wouldn't get me drunk," "I probably couldn't take a single drop." "Quit drinking." " Why?" "It's not good for you." "Can't say it is..." "But man isjust a machine." "You have to oil it, otherwise it blows up." "Well, young master, lwon't be ringing these bells anymore." "Why?" " The raft, of course." "They blame me for sinking the German jerks' raft." "Don't they believe you didn't do it'?" "The minister would believe, but that damn Chunky-Charley!" "Hopping around and singing like a sky-larkl" "Lible did it, Lible did it!" "He just wants to get rid of me." " Why?" "You, Arno..." "You are a good boy." "I can tell you one thing." "No rascal in this world wants to be told the truth." "But lie to them..." "Lie..." "Then you are respectable." "Weird..." "Then, who did sink the raft?" "You can chop me into pieces, but I didn't do it!" "I didn't do it!" "And the German masters went by on the sleigh and I..." "Let me try." " No way." "Just for a second!" " Don't even try!" "Jorh, I'll give you my chest and a tomahawk!" "For free." " Quit it." "Let me try." " No." "Ténisson." " Yes?" "You didn't sink the raft, did you?" "How could I have done it?" "So you didn't, Ténisson?" " No." "But you did go to the river?" "Was the raft still there?" "Of course it was." "Quit bothering me." "What are you doing here?" "Go to the reeds, look at the scrawfish scrambling around the raft." "But if you are lying?" " Why should I?" "One of them, as big as a mitten, was eating the others." "Let's go, girls." " Don't." "Go on!" "If you are lying, I'll beat you up." "Arno, where are you going?" " To the river." "Don't go." "You know..." "That raft..." "It was me, who sank the raft." "Why'?" " Why do these bastards have to come fighting to our yard!" "But if Lible is fired, then it's your fault." "No." "Teele!" "Help!" "You little devils!" "Who told you to go there!" "Didn't I tell you, it is forbidden!" "Help!" "Arno, catch!" "Take the rope." "Good!" "Hold tight." "Lible, Lible, Lible..." "Teele." "Drink..." "So hot..." "Chunk-Charley told everybody not to visit you." "Why?" " He is afraid we'll catch it." "But you came." " I am not scared." "Well, hello there." " Hi, Lible." "They told me you were sacked." "That's true." "Lible!" "Lible, you didn't do it." "I know who sank the raft." " I doesn't matter who did it," "I wont be ringing these bells anyway." "But if I can prove you didn't do it'?" "The minister and the churchwarden are just being stubborn." "Let it go." "When I was young, as I child I used to play..." "I did not know anything, but the things I saw with my own eyes." "Joy makes the voice of children singing, even more beautiful than kantele." "Tali is back!" " That's him!" "Arno!" "Hello, Arno." "You could have stayed home a bit longer to get your strength back." "Alright then." "Sit." "Take your seats." "Arno, look." "Toots, what are you doing there?" "Nothing." "What do you have in your jacket?" "Nothing." "Ouch!" "Let me see that "nothing"." "Exactly what we needed here..." "Maybe tomorrow you'll stick a piglet into your pocket." "Why did you bring the puppy?" "Kiir wanted to buy it." " He's lying!" "He said he had a puppy, who can dance and play drums." "I didn't say anything." "You wanted to buy it and told me to bring it to school." "Be quiet." "Toots." " Yes?" "What do you figure I should do with you?" "I won't make you stand in the corner." "You will not be punished at all." "But promise me, no more pranks today." "Will you promise me that?" " Yes." "I don't want the stuff that you have in your pockets to lead you astray." "Put them on my desk." "Come on." "I don't want to." "They are watching." "Right..." "Put them on the table in my room." " Alright." "And take the dog as well." " Sure." "You see, Lible was sacked." "Yes." "We have to tell the churchwarden." "No." "But it is our fault and now Lible was let go." "I'll be expelled." " Me, too." "You won't, but I will." "No, I have to go and tell them." "Go on then." "What now" "What is it, Arno'?" "Something is troubling you." "Consider me your good friend, you can tell me anything that bothers you." "I lied when I told you that we went home together with Tfanisson." "You did?" "Ténisson." "Sit." "Did you sink the raft of the parsonage boys?" "Yes." "Why did you do it'?" "Answer me!" "Why do they have to come to fight in our yard?" "Didn't it bother you one bit, that another man was sacked?" "It did." "Would you have told me, if Tali hadn't?" "No." "Take your stuff." "Don't bring them along tomorrow." "Promise?" " Yes." "Look me in the eye." "Good." "And try to study better." "You don't always have to do all the homework." "But the things you do, you must do well." "I will learn half of the Russian homework." " Alright." "Half, but do it well." "If I can't do both of the math exercises, I'll do one." "Fair enough." "But to copy from others, and then to lie that you did it yourself, don't ever do that again." "Agreed?" " Yes." "Good bye." " But Pitsu?" "What about him?" " Pitsu." "Pitsu, Pitsu, Pitsu!" "Here he is!" "Pitsu, come here!" "Bye!" "Go home, do your exercises and keep your chin up." "And don't worn; about Lible." "Good bye." " Bye." "I can't go on..." " Rest for a bit." "Sit down." "We can't stay here for too long." "Soon it will be dark." "Come closer, I'll shelter you from the wind." "I don't mind the wind." "Someone is in the chapel." "Nonsense." "The noise came from the village." "Would you be sad if I had died?" "Sure." "Would you have wept?" " Oh, stop it." "How can I say what I would have done'?" "I know for certain." "If you died, I would..." "You would cry?" " Yes." "Have you ever watched the clouds?" "Sometimes it seems as if there's a man up there." "Sometimes it's like an animal." "Others have shown me sometimes." "Don't you ever watch them?" "When would I have enough time for that?" "What are you always doing then?" " I help my mother." "Weird that you don't see anything." "It's getting dark." "We'll get lost." "Come on." "I can't." " Give me your hand." "Would you be sad, if I had died?" "Arno, you are acting really strange today." "Of course I'd be sad." "Bye, then." " I'll walk you home." "No, you still have a long way to go." "Be a good boy, go home now." "I'll wait for you tomorrow." "But don't come too early, it's too cold." "Stop it!" "You'll go blind." "Get lost, if you are scared!" "I'm not scared, if you're not." "But why do you have a knife in your mouth?" "You fool!" "While I am loading the gun, ten redskins can attack me from behind." "Always keep the tomahawk at hand." "Which one are you?" "White or a redskin?" "You keep switching." "He's the Kentucky Lion!" " Shut up!" "Well!" "Now!" "Die, you dog!" "What is it?" "It won't shoot?" "Sure will, but I'm afraid the damascus steel can break." "You're scared!" "Toots, don't!" "Stop it!" "I figured out a new way to shoot." "One, two and three!" "God damn!" "You are killing people!" "Swine!" "Do you have any sense at all?" "Which one of you did it'?" "That's what I thought." "You are a born idiot." "I thought it was damascus steel..." "I'll show you damascus steel..." "Pigs!" "What happened?" "Nothing much." "The boy played a prank and broke the sauna window." "That devil!" "Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree, your branches evergreen." "Not only in the summer, but also in winter in this cold land." "Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree, your branches evergreen." "Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree, how lovely are thou." "They bring you from the woods for Christmas and hang candles on you." "Oh Christmas, tree..." "Now it's yours." "Learn to play." "I will teach you." "Merw Christmas." "Lible!" "Look!" "Come here, Arno." "Can I toll the bells?" "Go ahead." "Are you strong enough?" " Sure." "Anton, Albert, Adalbert." "Ulfrid, Sulfrid, Vilfrid, Gotfrid." "Ténisson, tell me a nice name for a boy." " Lembitu." "That won't do." " Pick an Estonian name." "Like Kaupo or Vambola." " No way!" "Not Estonian!" "Go to hell with your Estonian name!" " Buy it!" "Buy it, Kiir." " I don't want that." "Visak, buy it." "Shines like Judas!" "No way." " It's solid gold." "Pure pinchbeck." " You're the pinchbeck!" "Lesta, tell me a nice name for a boy." "But not Estonian." "Pick one from the bible, Abraham, Isaac..." " No!" "Two new boys came to school!" "Where are you from'?" " Téukre." "Téukre'?" "I have relatives there." "What is your name?" " Juri Kuslap." "Let's help them cam; the bed inside." "Buy it!" "Pure metal!" " I don't want to." "What is that?" " A kantele." "Do you play?" " I sure do." "Let's go inside." "What's your name?" " lmelik (Strange)." "What is strange?" " My name." "A strange name." " That's what it is." "Hurry UP" "Sit." "Well, isn't that something!" "play" "Forward, boys of Kentucky!" " I give up!" "Joosep, tell me a nice name for a boy." "No way I am going to tell you that!" "Joosep, wait up!" "Wait!" "Why can't you tell me?" " You see, Jorh," "I will give that name to my firstborn son." "Your son?" "When will that happen?" "One of these days anyway." "He sure will be born." "I'll give you two apples for it." " Two?" "Three." " Fool!" "Six apples!" "Then we'll see." " What is there to see?" "I'll decide when I see the apples whether to tell you." "Then you will have to tell." " Alright then." "Play a polka." " Play a walzl" "Polka is better." " Play a Reilender." "You call that an apple?" "It's way too small." "Stop it." "Joosep, wait!" "If it is such a great name, we will invite you to the party." "The party?" "L'll sure come to the party!" "Do they have brawn as well?" "Sure!" "Brawn, sausage, roast beef, everything." "And raisin-bread?" " Plenty." "Tell them to put a lot of raisins in the bread." "Otherwise you'd have to poke around for them with a knife like a fool." "They will put so many raisins you won't even see the bread." "Tell me." "Right." "Let's go." "Toots!" "You know what, Kiir, I actually have two names." "The first one is really nice..." "It is Kolumbus." " Kolumbus'?" "I know that one." " So what if you do?" "But the other one..." "The other name..." "It is..." "Krisostomus." "Kri.." "Krisos..." "Kri..." "What?" " Krisostomus!" "Krisostomus!" "Imelik, play a polka, I'll take Tali's bride for a dance." "Let me go!" "Toots, don't!" "Toots, let go of me!" "Let me go!" "Why did Toots drag you around?" " He asked me to dance." "Where did Toots go?" "Stay here." "Good gracious!" "I ran straight into the churchwarden!" "His lip was split!" "I got a bump on my head like a horn." "Sit." "Where did Toots go?" "Can I finally get an answer?" "Peterson, where is Toots?" "I don't know anything." "I was in the sleeping chamber." "There you are!" "Come right out!" "I'll get you!" "Out of my way!" "I want to have a few words with this horrible creature." "Teele!" "Teele, don't take it to heart." "I would have come to help, but..." " Get lost!" "Well, come on then." "Look at this." " Hi." "Hello." " Hi, there." "How did you get here?" "Take a seat." "Are you angry with me'?" "No." " Come here." "lmelik will play his kantele..." "Papa!" "Out of my way!" "All these colourful labels!" "Why are they so high up?" "So they are out of reach for..." " Who?" "You never know, who may come." "Some of these bottles are really expensive." "This one over there." ""Lati Pac"." "It costs two roubles." "Yes..." "But what does "Lati Pac" mean?" "Probably the name of the wine." "No. "Lati" is French for "really"" "and "pac" means "sweet"." "Really sweet." "You shouldn't!" " There are lots of things one shouldn't do, but are done nonetheless." "And just one!" "Joosep." "Take one from this side, these are cheaper." "I busted my spine!" " Get down, you'll break in half." "Stroke my right leg." "The damn thing twitches." "Don't tickle me, you jerk." "What should I do then?" " Wait." "Here you go." "So, what will the little one's name be?" "Right, certainly..." "Kolumbus Krisostomus." "What?" "Kolumb...gri?" "No, not Gri." "Kolumbus Krisostomus." "Here." " Right." "Kolumbus Krisostomus." "Now I get it." "But, see..." "Kolumbus was a family name and Krisostomus is a very old and strange name." "It is not proper and it won't do at all." "I see, it won't do?" "Maybe your wife happens to know another name?" "So it won't do?" " No." "Goddammit!" "Katariine Rosalie!" "Jorh, get up, they are singing!" "Let's go inside." "Let's go." "On your feet!" "Don't want to..." "There's no way this one's going to move..." "I baptize thee Bruno Benno Bernhard." "Bruno Benno Bernhard?" "What about Kolumbus Krisostomus?" "You little devil!" " Damn!" "Papa!" "What are you doing?" " Math for tomorrow." "Is lmelik..." " He's not here." "Don't show these exercises to Imelik." "Let him do them by himself." " He can't." "If you show them to Imelik, I'll hit you." "You won't show, will you?" " I will!" "Let go!" " Not until you promise, that you won't show them to lmelik." "You won't, will you?" " I will!" "I'm going to hit you!" "Tali!" "You're here as well?" "Do you want some candy?" "Take it." "Hey, Tiugu!" "What are you doing in the corner?" "Here." "Did you have a fight with Tali?" "Whatever, now it's over." "Come here and make up." "Let's all eat candy together." "Here!" "What did you do that for'?" "Because you copy your homework from Kuslap!" "It's none of your business." "I'll tell the teacher and you will be kicked out!" "So what, if they do." "I'll just take my kantele and Tiugu and life goes on." "What did I ever do to you?" "You haven't done anything..." "The T6ukre guys are here already, although from afar." "Those who have a long way, always come first." "Hello..." "Boy, do you have an appetite!" "The last time I ate, it was midday, now it's already evening." "Tiugu, cook something." "It would be nice if we could make soup here." "Buy a pot or a sauce-pan and start cooking." "Cook some raisin soup." "That's good." "Raisin soup?" "What is that?" "Boil some milk, add the raisins, boil some more..." "And there you have it." "Do they add any salt?" "Come now, who would put salt into raisin soup?" "So it's a tasteless slop." "What tune is that?" " Sleeping march." "Sleeping march?" "You can put the lights out now." "Do it yourself, don't bother the others." "What are you waiting for?" "Lights out!" "There is someone behind the window." "Who?" " I don't know." "But he doesn't look human." "He's all red, eyes blinking." "Churchwarden, who else!" "No, it's a..." " A ghost!" "Help!" "What the bloody hell are you muttering there, jerk?" "Don't go!" "Oh, dear god, now he'll get killed!" "Behold your ghost." "It's Toots!" "Who did you think it was, fools?" "Toots, damn it!" "Very funny, Toots!" " I thought it was a ghost." "What's that?" " A globe." "A globe." "Why is it red?" " What colour should it be?" "I didn't have any blue paint." "Tomorrow I'll mark out the school with a big cross, then it's clear, where we live." "Paint the churchwarden's potato clamp." " And the river." "And don't forget the raft on the bottom." "And I'll paint you as well." "Do you have any idea where I'm coming from'?" "Where could you have come from'?" "From a christening party at Kiir's place." "The two of us drank two bottles of wine that cost 2 roubles." "You don't believe me?" "Quit slobbering on the boots!" "You are not as drunk as you act!" "If you had drunk as much, you'd be dead!" "But, as you can see, I'm alive!" "Is Kiir dead?" "Maybe." "I left him behind." "Which one was it?" "A boy or a girl?" " Boy, dammit!" "What's his name?" " Kolumbus." "Kolumbus?" " No..." "It wasn't Kolumbus." "Peni or Pennu..." " Peni for kid's name?" "I guess there were two of them." "One was Peni and the other Kolumbus." "You're making it up." " Why should I?" "You don't have to believe me." " Turn the light off." "Tfanisson?" "Are you sleeping?" " Yes." "I want to tell you something." "Well?" "You see, I am really sad." "Teele used to walk home with me, but now..." "Let her be with whomever she wants." "Don't mind her." "I can't, I do mind." "My heart is aching as if I lost something." "You'll get over it." " I'm not sure I will." "Of course you will." "Are you sleeping?" " No, go on." "There is an old willow by our road." "When my grandfather was young, he stuck a small branch in the ground, just for fun." "The twig started to grow and now it is a huge tree." "Did you notice, when you came to my place?" "I will get over it." "What's the matter?" " I feel sick." "Why?" " That damn wine..." "What did papa say?" " He said he'd kill you!" "Come along." "Take your clothes off, climb up and start whisking." "I can climb on the bench, but the clothes?" "Take them off, you'll get sober." "I am sober." "I just feel sick." "Well, then you won't." "Take them off." "Get your pants off and climb up." "Soon it will be warm." "It will heat up in a minute." "Damn, the dampers were shut!" "Isn't it warmer already?" " No." "It seems to be getting colder." "I'll just get dressed." "Fool!" "You're almost sweating and now you get dressed?" "I can't sweat here." " You sure will." "It's really healthy." "I told you." "Is it hot enough already?" "No, it's freezing!" "My bun is stuck against the bench." "Not even now" " Maybe just slightly." "Get down then and wash yourself with cold water." "Go to hell, I haven't even started sweating yet." "Look at me!" "What's there to look'?" " I'm all blue!" "Toots, wait." "Wait up!" "Joosep!" "Wait!" "Toots!" "God has created you in a fit of rage, to punish mankind for their sins." "Just as He sends us famine, hail and heavy rain, the same way has He created you as a terrible example, how low a child can fall, if he does not take care of his soul!" "If we were to count all the pranks you have played here in these few months, the sun will surely go down, before we would reach the end of that list." "Tell me, what am I to do with you." "See, now you are quiet." "You don't have an answer to that question." "Neither have I." "But I have to think about it..." "And I will try to reach a decision." "Oh, Judas!" "Arno, wait!" "Are you in a hurn/?" "No, I thought you..." " What did you think?" "Just admit, that you are too proud to walk with me." "Teele!" "I am not proud." "But I thought you want to be with lmelik." "Me with Imelik?" "When have I ever wanted to be with lmelik?" "What nonsense!" "Teele!" "Teele, don't be mad." "Let's start coming to school together like before." "Shall I wait for you underthe willow?" "Wait, if you want to." "But will you wait for me?" " We'll see." "Isn't it strange." "Everybody dies." "Be it young or old." "It has always been that way and I don't think it will ever change." "Why is it that way?" "Well, go figure..." "A man is born." "It is as if he comes to a joyful celebration." "Whatever good he did, he did it to himself." "All the evil he also did to himself." "And quite a lot was still left to be done." "Perhaps others would like to ask him to forgive for all the evil they had done to him." "Who knows how much we all owe to each other." "But one thing is certain." "It is better to be sad when leaving this world, than to make others sad." "Because he who comes to take us away, he is not going to wait." "He just puts his hand on your shoulder and says, "Come with me."" "Because the time that you were given that time is up." "It is over." "And it will never ever come back." "Kuslapl" "Kuslap, I am sorw that I hit you." "I won't ever do it again." "Forgive me, Kuslap." "I have to show my homework to lmelik." "Whatever!" "Show him, if you want to." "Just, don't be angry with me." "I'm not angry." "We shouldn't go." "We'll get into a fight like last autumn." "What are you afraid of?" "I already left the poker in the oven." "We can just watch." "You should have pulled the raft out yourselves." "Pull, Liblel" "Pull!" "What should I pull with?" "A raft isn't a bundle of twigs that the hook would sink into." "Out of my way!" "Dive underwater, push the stones away and the raft will rise up." " Is it possible?" "Why not?" "Take your clothes off." "Dive like little otters." "Stick the hook into the raft, tie a rope around it and pull..." "Help!" "Goddamn bastards!" "They are asking for it." " Let's help him." "The great battle underthe gates of Leipzig!" "Give them hell!" "Attack, boys of Kentucky!" "Let the redskins have it!" "What doesn't stick, you just make stick." "What doesn't stick, you just make stick." "What doesn't stick, you just make stick." "Attack, boys of Kentucky!" "Let the redskins have it!" "Punish them devils!" "Just don't kill them." "Come on." "The churchwarden is coming!" "The churchwarden!" "Go now!" "And you, buggers, as well!" "Get lost." "The churchwarden!" "Go on!" "Goddamn!" "Farewell." "Good bye, girls." " Bye." "Let's take a walk in the churchyard." "Haven't we walked there enough already?" "You don't want to come anymore?" " I don't think so." "What do you want then?" " To go home." "What a baby!" "He wants to go home!" "Toots, will you return to school in the autumn?" "The devil only knows, what I'll be doing." "The world is wide." "Guys, I have some stuff." "If you want it, you can have it." "Arno, I promised to give you that picture of an Indian." "Here you go." " Thank you." "Show me." "Ténisson, here's a ston/book for you." "When do I ever have time to read it?" " Take it!" "Lesta..." "Where is Lesta?" "For you, little Lesta, I will give this silk ribbon." "Use it as a watch chain." "But I don't have a watch." "No watch?" "What kind of a man are you?" "You can buy mine." " I don't have any money." "No money as well?" "There's no choice then..." "Take it for free." " Thank you!" "Shake hands with the kind man." "But who will you give the globe to?" "Right, the globe." "I should give the globe to some girl." "Imelik, you are courting Teele." "Give it to her." " Oh, do shut up." "Where would she go with that?" "Like a ball of fire." " Go on!" "Then again, why not." "I'll tell her it is from you." "One shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth." "Jorh..." "To you, Jorh..." "To you I would really like to give a good beating." "You sorry little bugger!" "Always telling on me!" "Remember what you did at the christening!" "Whatever!" "I'm going to beat you up." "Well, then." "Good bye, little Lesta." "Try to grow a bit in the summer." "Farewell, Ténisson." "God be with you." "Come back for at least one more winter, if possible." "So what, if you are a big boy already." "Where there's will, there's a way." "Hello, Kiir." "Bye, Toots." "Keep your chin up." "Be brave and cheerful." "And Arno, don't forget the violin." " I won't." "Have a good journey." "Arno!" "Arno, come to see our new house today." "I'm not sure, home..." "What is there at home?" "Flowers, meadows..." "Sunshine." "THE END" "Toots said he would start making plans with Teele." "Boot buttons!" " Why do they have to come to fight in our yard?" "If I can't do both exercises, I'll do one." " I help my mom." "The Damascus steel might break up." "Tell me a nice name for a boy." " Lembitu." "What's your name?" " Imelik (Strange)." "What is strange?" "Play a polka." "I'll take Tali's bride for a dance." "Get lost!" " Really sweet." "Katariine Rosalie!" " Papa!" "The last time I ate was lunch, now it's the evening." "Red face, eyes blinking!" "If you had drunk as much as I did, you'd be dead." "But I am alive!" "Flowers, meadows..." "For Estonians it seems as if the film "Spring" was always there." "In the movie studio "Tallinnfilm"" "there had been plans to put Oskar Luts' "Spring" on the movie screen since the late 1950s." "One day in 1968 the time was ripe for the beginning of the shoot." "Two and three!" "THE MAKING OF "SPRING"" "Suddenly Lembit Remmelgas steps in." "ARVO KRUUSEMENT Director of "Spring"" "He puts his suitcase on the table, and says that the script for "Spring" has sat in the closet for 10 years." ""Take it out and do it."" "Then he turned around and walked out." "LEMBIT REMMELGAS Head of Tallinnfilm" "He went to a bar on Harju Street where we used to drink brandy." "50-100 cl and a coffee." "So basically he went to drink his morning coffee." "Let's just say it was a shot of coffee." "We were really surprised and tried to figure out what was going on." "Take "Spring" and do it!" "Like a pair of boots." "Start sewing it together." "Patch it up or make a new one, something like this." "I was flabbergasted, but Mats Traat stood up." "He was an editor at Tallinnfilm and knew the contents of that cupboard." "There was lots of junk in there." "All sorts of scripts." "He fished that particular script out and slammed it on the table." "An enormous cloud of dust rose up." "I started waving around with my hands, arguing, that such a dusty old script is useless." "Why did the script by Kaljo Kiisk and Voldemar Panso, which they wrote in 1959, stay forgotten in some closet at Tallinnfilm?" "We felt we had already gone through that phase." "KALJO KIISK Screenplay, "Spring"" "I was also afraid it would turn out like a cheap theatrical remake." "And that wouldn't do." "Though I must admit, it was fascinating to work with Panso and talk about these things." "We made dozens of versions." "For example, for one of them he wrote the first half and I provided the second." "That sort of approach." "Or the other way round." "And, of course, we also used the more common methods." "Kaljo Kiisk played Toots in the 19505 production by the Drama Theatre." "In the same year when the movie was completed," "Voldemar Panso staged his version in the Youth Theater." "The audience was used to theatrical productions, where adults were cast as schoolchildren." "On the stage of the Youth Theatre the violet and daisy coloured "Spring" is in full bloom." "Earlier versions had founded a tradition." "Now that tradition was demolished." "Oskar Luts was rediscovered." "On the midnight of the first Thursday of a new moon go to the crossroads of Paunvere and Rudivere." "Throw this human bone to the ground." "It starts wiggling around, bursting out bloody foam and screeching "umbluu"." "That much we decided right there, in the office of the editor-in-chief, that we should work with children." "If we do it at all, we'll use kids." "If we go for it, we won't hold back." "We'll risk it all." "All or nothing." "He had been at Tallinnfilm since 1965 as an assistant director, having worked in the theater for 10 years before that, now Arvo Kruusement was chosen to direct "Spring"." "On the basis of the script by Panso and Kiisk, he started to work on his personal vision." "He wrote his version." "I understood right away, that I have to do it my way." "When I make a movie, whatever it's based on," "I always want to run it through my own filter." "I write it according to my own taste." "This was the vision of Panso and Kiisk." "But Kruusement's vision was necessary in order to turn it into a film." "I had to bake it in my soul and in my mind, like you might make bread in the oven." "Oskar Luts' novel "Spring"" "had won the hearts of the public right after it was published in 1912." "By now it has been reprinted about 20 times." "The school stories by Luts have been translated into many languages." "Russian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Finnish, Polish," "Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Armenian." "It is obvious that Luts wrote it with a deep sense..." "When you open any book written by him, you'll notice, he is deeply involved in life." "But he had an ability to pick out very precise, quite contrasting and extremely fascinating characters and situations." "Even Oskar Luts himself wrote a movie script in 1926, based on "Spring", and named it "Joosep Toots"." "Nonetheless, the silent movie "Spring" was never made." "On the theatre stage all versions of "Spring"" "have been hits since 1937 up to present day." "In all theatrical productions the protagonist is Joosep Toots." "In the film by Kruusement the main character was to be Arno." "SILVIA KIIK Editor, "Spring"" "Kruusement did not use the solutions provided by Kiisk and Panso." "Instead of the comical tension between Kiir and Toots," "Kruusement was interested in Arno's lyrical storyline." "If I had built the whole script solely on Toots's pranks..." "He would lack the lyrical depth, that ringing of a wind harp, the sound of one's soul ringing, which is definitely there, if you read the book." "Although you can actually just sense it." "It is invisible, but I had to put it on the screen." "In 1969 there were three feature films in production at Tallinnfilm." "Veljo Késper's "Gladiator"," "Grigori Kromanov's "The Last Relic"" "and Arvo Kruusement's "Spring", the latter having the lowest budget." "It cost a mere third of "The Last Relic"." "The budget of "Spring" was just over 300000 roubles." "Nobody really hoped the result would be worth anything." "Everybody was sure, that if two directors had already given up on the movie, the third one would probably drop the work as well." "He is new at the studio, and so on." "This was the overall atmosphere and also my own gut feeling, because the budget was so low." "We were sort of forced into the third row." "The others were more important." "I asked Harry Rehe to be the cameraman." "I liked him, because he was a thoroughly patriotic Estonian and born in the countryside." "With him we worked out how to shoot it black and white." "We were told to make it a black and white movie, though I hoped" ""Spring" would be in colour." "You know, spring and colours..." "The blooming of youth." "The whole nature is in bloom." "But "The Last Relic" was shot in colour and "Spring" had to remain black and white." "I grumbled a bit at first, but Harry brought black and white drawings to me and showed to me, that it has its own merits." "Besides, a colour film would lose its original tone in time." "With Harry Rehe they started looking for locations and actors." "By that time not a single film had been shot in Estonia, where children had played the main characters." "To be honest, I wasn't scared at all." "I'm being silly..." "Let's just say, I mustered up some courage, before I started shooting it." "Got rid of my fears." "You cannot approach that sort of work, if you are scared." "You have to have command over the material." "Then you also have command over yourself." "So later on, when you face the actors, you would have command over them as well." "I have them right here, in my palm." "I have their souls in my hand." "I direct them." "And I am responsible for them." "For their health, for their grades at school." "In order to find the actors" "Tallinnfilm placed an ad in the newspaper "Soviet Teacher", asking teachers of Estonian language and literature to send photos and information about the Teeles, Tootses, Amos ja Ténissons they knew." "The crew visited dozens of schools." "They drove all through Estonia and saw hundreds of children." "How were these final Amos, Kiirs, Teeles found?" "We met at the Kose-Lukati bus stop in Tallinn." "I lived nearby." "So did Kruusement." "He started chatting with me and said, they really needed someone." "I described him to my mother, though I hadn't paid much attention." "I said, he was a short and fat gentleman." "Actually, he is not short at all, nor fat." "But this was my first impression." "Short and fat." "My mom thought, it might have been a pervert." "As it later turned out, it really was Kruusement." "He was a mischievous character." "He had lots of these traits of character, that became even more obvious in the later novel, "Autumn"." "But he had it in his blood already while shooting "Spring"." "Half of Toots's pranks were actually done by Margus." "In real life, so to speak." "Lesta, tell me a nice name for a boy." "But not an Estonian one." "Pick one from the bible, Abraham, Isaac..." " No!" "They just came to our door, said they were from Tallinnfilm." "The Pioneers' Club had sent my photo to Tallinnfilm." "I had gone to an acting class by Evald Aavik." "So I think it all began in the Pioneers' Club." "We had a test shoot and so it began." "The artistic board of Tallinnfilm did not expect too much from Arno Liiver and even told the crew to replace him." "But the director and cameraman did not budge." "The latter reviews of the film have shown, that it was just the way Arno was depicted in the book." "I tried to explain to Arvo..." "HARRY REH E Camera, "Spring"" "...we can build the movie on his eyes." "That's why quite a few major shots focus on Arno's eyes." "Lots of scenes were done that way." "And it seems we made the right decision." "I lied when I told you we went home with Ténisson." "I kept prying something new out of Arno every day..." "I tuned him, made him into Arno." "But that boy wanted to ride with the drivers." "So I told him not to do that." "He was interested in technical stuff." "Of course, he did have other interests." "Quite a versatile personality." "But I had to keep him in this particular mood." "From the beginning." "Whatever troubles your heart." " Whatever troubles my heart." "No, your heart." " My heart?" "No." "From the beginning." "Like doing homework for school." "At first you get an then you correct the mistakes." "Naturally we had to correct a lot of mistakes." "It was as if I built a bridge over a river for a small child." "I had to lay out a course of action for him." "This in turn sets down the logic of action." "I had to explain to him a succession of events." "Sometimes I had to act it out myself, so he would understand." "Like walking through a river." "I had to point out the separate stones in a shallow stretch, so it would be easier to cross." "This is one side of director's work, that is difficult to explain." "All of this is based on senses, gut feeling." "To win over another human being to make him believe you and do, what you want him to do." "He won't go astray anymore." "Get lost!" "I had the pyrotechnician set up flare gun." "When I had the camera rolling and Teele was supposed to make Arno jerk back by saying "Get lost", then the gun went off basically behind my back." "Arno did not expect that and he was genuinely startled." "Afterwards everybody was amazed how convincing he was." "Well, come on then." "Three equally talented girls were up for Teele's role." "The director thought that Riina Hein had the most bravado." "She had that something that would make her marry Toots." "She is not the kind of woman, that would let Toots marry her." "She finds her own man." "She had that." "Since Arvo Kruusement is a man," "Teele's character is laid out in a masculine way." "Her feminine side is quite vaguely depicted." "It's getting dark." "We might get lost." "Let's go." "At one moment she was caring, feminine, very warm, like when she is brushing snow from Arno's clothes." "That is one moment, when she can be a woman." "A woman to be." "And another detail..." "There is a scene where she bumps into the churchwarden." "She runs crying into the corner." "Then she asked me:" ""Comrade Kruusement, what day are we going to shoot this?"" "I said Thursday." ""Right..." "Good."" "I wanted to know why she asked that." "Well, I'll have to cry." "And she actually prepared herself, so she would be able to cry in that shot." "Kruusement made me sit in another room." "He told me to think about something really sad." "As my grandmother had just died," "I thought about that." "So when they brought me to the classroom, I actually cried." "Teele was a feast for our eyes." "I would think quite a few of us, either secretly or openly, had a crush on her." "Ain Lutsepp was given the role of Ténisson without any hesitation." "But they had to persuade the boy quite a bit, before he agreed." "Ténisson has to say: "The boys from Téukre are already here!"" "Ain comes in: "The boys from Téukre are already here."" "I told him, this was not Ténisson." "Ténisson steps in from outside." "He brings fresh air with him." "Strength." "He had waded through snow." "You're glad." "You reached a warm room, the schoolhouse, home." "Your friends are here." "You should be in a positive mood." "We tried it several times, but he still said it the same way." "And then I told him, "You know what, Ain."" ""Now do it the way I told you to."" ""I can't do any more rehearsals."" "And then he tells me:" ""Well, I might as well."" "I told him that in life it's more of a question of what you have to do." "Anyway, he went outside and did what you can now see on the screen." "The boys from Téukre are already here!" "Those who have a long way should always come first." "Hi, there." " Hello" "I just played in that movie the best way I could." "I didn't really have a deep insight about Ténisson." "But everybody told me that I was Ténisson and I would remain Ténisson forever." "I still hear that." "Raisin soup?" "What's that?" "Boil some milk, pour the raisins in, let it boil some more..." "And it's done." "Imelik is older than the others." "Aedma was also a couple of years older." "He was like the leader of the pack." "He was a nice, easygoing fellow." "He had dark hair." "I decided it should be lighter." "We were shocked a bit more than we expected." "When we applied hydrogen peroxide, the hair turned red." "Even a fox is not as red as I was." "Imagine me going to school just before we went to shoot the film at Palamuse, the kids at school, my friends, teachers, they looked at me," "as if I was a scarecrow." "I felt really awful." "The curators came from Moscow to see the unedited footage, rushes on two reels." "Kokareva, the editor in chief, came to Tallinn, and told me to show her the rushes." "Well, here you go." "So she sits there fidgeting and eating candy, crackling with the wrappers." "It got on my nerves." "And the only comment she made:" ""But why does this boy with the kantele have such a lousy wig?"" "I told her, it wasn't a wig, but his actual hair." ""Strange hair."" "I answered that his name was Strange." "It was really difficult to shoot the scene, where Imelik is trembling on a chair, afraid of Toots playing the monster." "There is someone at the window." "It was difficult to do, but also a lot of fun." "It was silly and hilarious." "What should I be scared of?" "I was the eldest, I wasn't afraid of anything." "And now, because of my role, I'm forced into this position, where I should be scared of a silly face behind the window." "It's all red, eyes blinking." " Churchwarden, who else." "No, it's... it's..." " A ghost!" "For me he is definitely Imelik." "He was the real Imelik." "He was also musically talented, so he learned to play the kantele." "He had everything that Imelik should have had to win the hearts of all the girls." "Let's take a walk in the churchyard." "We've been there quite enough already." "I even took him to a dance party at my school." "We definitely flirted a bit, but unfortunately nothing came of it." "Or fortunately, I don't know." "So, I'm afraid, I have to say, that I didn't completely get into the role of Imelik." "1969." "Cinema chronicle, "Soviet Estonia"" "How many "Springs" have we seen already?" "The cinema discovers "Spring" for the first time." "Kiir and Toots were so young only at the time of Luts himself." "Director Arvo Kruusement has brought a real "Spring" to the location." "Harry Rehe's camera tries to capture Luts's tonality." "Toots's gun of Damascus steel is still pointed at the sauna window." "After the first period of shooting, the original Toots, Riho Siren." "did some real pranks at school." "This was the most dramatic moment in the making of "Kevade"." "A leading character was changed and the fate of the film was uncertain." "I thought the first Toots was exactly the guy we needed." "It was him." "He didn't have to do anything." "When you looked at him, it was obvious." "He was a very energetic character and he never left anything unfinished, be it something nice or mischievous." "To find a new Toots with half of the movie shot..." "Winter scenes had been shot." "Winter scenes!" "Good heavens!" "But what can you do." "I asked the song festival organizers, where would I find the largest number of boys in one place." "In Tartu, at the song festival." "There was a singing competition at the university." "That's where they had the largest crowd of boys." "And suddenly I noticed a boy with a kantele." "Kantele hanging over the shoulder, a nice boy." "But there was such apathy in his face, I could almost cry." "I turned around and we were about to leave, then, suddenly, we heard the kantele." "I turned around and saw the boy playing a jazz beat." "You do have some life inside, my friend!" "Aare Laanemets, who arrived to the set from the festival, had to start with the final scene." "Boys, I have some stuff here." "You can have it, if you want to." "When Aare Laanemets first came to the set, he had to do the scene where Toots is leaving school." "He's going home and giving away the globe and other things." "That was the first day of shooting for him and I noticed a certain tension in the air." "Making of the movie had run into difficulties." "Little Lesta, you will get the silk ribbon." "Use it as a watch chain." "I don't have a watch." "I don't even know how we got through that day, but finally it was the evening." "We had lots of crying and all sorts of troubles." "We made up at once, but it really took a huge effort from me." "1969 Chronicle "Soviet Estonia"" "I figured out a new way to shoot the gun." "From Riho Siren, who originally was cast as Toots, you can now see only his legs and the back of his head." "So you cannot remove him from history." "Two and..." "In the warm autumn of 1969 we had to re-shoot the scenes where Toots was involved." "Both spring and winter action." "You're scared!" "Toots, don't shoot!" "I especially liked the fact that it was 30°C in the shade and instead of snow we smeared the wall with lime." "This was quite interesting." "As hot as today." "What's wrong?" " I feel sick." "We had to shoot Kiir running out of the sauna, not having too much clothes on, and he had to run in the snow, but there wasn't any of that." "It was quite a long distance." "We used fire fighting foam which is very light." "Sauna is on that corner, over there." "He runs quite a distance and it had to be shown." "All the way up to that corner." "It was all covered with fire foam, but it was shot quite close to leave everything else out." "And as he is moving, you can't really tell." "If you watch it now, no one can tell, it's not real snow." "A movie wouldn't be a movie without some trickery." "The shocking scene, where Arno and Teele fall through the ice, was actually shot in the summer near Tallinn." "The ice is really candle wax ad the water is warm." "I want to have a few words with this terrible creature." "We needed a churchwarden." "And again it was pure coincidence." "I noticed a stout man standing on a street corner." "And looking around." "I recognized Endel Ani." "He had strong, curly hair." "And lots of it, all around his head." "I thought what to do with this mess of hair." "So thick!" "Could the churchwarden have such hair?" "He agreed to shave his head, if necessary." "L'll shave it, if you want to!" "I said that's fabulous." "Lible is a wicked man." "Hello, Saare family's daughter in law and young master." "Hi, there." "From the very beginning Kaljo Kiisk was to be cast as bell toller Lible." "He was always slightly tipsy, so it wasn't difficult to play." "KALJO KIISK Lible, the bell toller" "Even his original lines, written by Oskar Luts, seemed very organically suitable for such a gent." "So it wasn't uncomfortable at all in any way, but I felt very close to him." "It has always been that way and probably will be forever." "Why is it so?" "Who knows." "Kaljo Kiisk is a colourful character." "Those bell tower scenes with him..." "I will always remember those." "They were shot in Torma church." "A man is born." "It is as if he came to a merry celebration." "I tried to make it sound very simple, to avoid talking with too much pathos." ""Do you know, what life is like!" No, quite the opposite." ""That's the way things are..." I was smoking a cigarette." "Maybe others would like to apologize for all the evil they had done unto him." "Who knows, how much we all owe each other." "There was a film called "To the Cold Land"." "I remembered him from there." "There was something peaceful and understanding in his eyes." "He understands the boys, their pranks and all that." "He calms the angry churchwarden." "I thought, Merzin had that quality." "Well, then." "Good bye, little Lesta." "Leo was such a man, whose attitude towards you, though we were 13..." "He made us feel as if we were his equals." "We had to solve all the problems of life, feel the pains of being in love." "He was able to bring excellent examples." "He explained, why things in life are the way they are." "He really taught me a lot." "Farewell." "For a long time I thought what music to pick." "I figured it should be a folk melody." "Either this or that well-known folk song." "But then it hit me that we would need a symphonic suite." "In my eagerness and stupidity I even went as far, as adding remarks to the script, where I want a pizzicato part by strings and so on." "Later on Veljo Tormis came on board, and when he had already started the work, he kept teasing me, "And here we have pizzicato!"" "The action takes place during the last turn of the century." "VELJO TORM IS Composer" "I had to research, what exactly was played on the kantele." "I had to pick my Waltzes from there." "And give the melody to a kantele player, and then we would record him." "I remember clearly, how we made the score for the opening credits." "It is the beginning of the film." "If you remember, how the camera shows the lampshade, and then draws back." "I had to put that into music." "And I think I did." "It seems, it turned out quite well." "One of my favourite scenes..." "For that scene I wrote a score which is not a separate piece." "It just supports that metallic rattling noise." "It fills the scene with a musical background." "It paints a picture of a windy winter eve." "I think someone is in the chapel." "Both the director and cameraman thought the best locations were the places at Paunvere, where it all historically took place." "At Palamuse and nearby." "When I first came here," "I wasn't yet sure, if I was really going to shoot the film." "There were lots of molehills, just like now." "So I stood here." "I looked around and suddenly it was all clear." "Everything from the book suddenly became alive." "That's the Paunvere schoolhouse." "We came here with you." "You decided, that sauna should be there." " Right." "We had to build a dam to raise the water level." "Right now there is enough water in the river." "But then it was too low." "Here they had a brush of alders." "We cut it down." "Most of it is still in place." "Only the exact spot, where we had the sauna, is now probably impossible to tell." "Although Mr. Kruusement said, I am standing at the place, where once stood a tree to which they tied the gun, that was used to shoot the sauna window." "So, the sauna must have been over there." "Toots, wait!" "Two and a half months at Palamuse, from February to April, left the whole crew with vivid memories." "For the children it was the first time they'd been away from home so long." "And, of course, they had to go to school here as well in order to keep up with their studies." "Of course, it was a lot of fun, away from home, away from school." "So what if we had to take the classes there." "What else could children want?" "Fresh air, lots of food, and a fabulous bunch of people." "What else could you want?" "I was the director of studies at the school." "EVI LESTAL Palamuse school" "So, the whole cast was my responsibility." "Usually I prepared two schedules for them." "One for the day, and one for the evening." "Quite often, when we got fed up at school, you would stand up in class and tell the teacher," ""Sorry, but my shoot is about to begin."" "And so I walked out." "We started playing that sort of little pranks, it was totally unexpected and irresponsible." "I didn't see anything." "I was in the sleeping chamber." "All that commotion that we, being 13-15 years old, had between the shoots, it was much more interesting than making the film, because on the set there was strict discipline." "Later it was fun to remember all the things we did." "Once I noticed the boys walking around the boarding school." ""What's wrong?"" "VAIKE SOODLA Palamuse boarding school" ""We wanted to remove the pantry window and borrow some food."" "I took them to the school building, gave them sandwiches and drink." "So that time they got off without punishment, and after that I don't remember them getting into trouble." "The German jerks are on the river!" "Our clothes were different from the costumes of the Palamuse school kids." "I had a suede jacket." "I also wore a hat with a feather." "And I had a fancy walking stick." "TOOMAS MARRANDI A German boy" "I think it had a silver lion's head..." "In one scene I knock with the head of the stick." "That showed we were different from the country boys." "Somehow I had to make a distinction between country folk and Germans." "It had to be apparent even in black and white." "I managed to buy white and red velvet, yellow and blue velvet." "KRISTA KAJAN DU Costume designer, "Spring"" "I made the clothes for the German boys." "When they started throwing mud at each other..." "What won't stick, I will make stick." "And that tall boy with a white hat had one thrown straight into his face." "I was really worried, if we can clean that up." "What won't stick, I will make stick." "Attack, boys of Kentucky!" "The guys I had to throw mud at were taller than me by a foot." "And they even wanted to beat me up, when we did the fourth or fifth take and he had to stand smiling and watch me throw a pile of mud into his face." "It wasn't very nice." "But, fortunately, I got off without the beating." "We were criticized for dressing Estonian children up too fancily." "I can honestly say that I did some research, and we were not dressed as poorly as the regime wanted to show." "We really did have boots with buttons, so you could cut them off." "We didn't wear sandals and sackcloth." "We shot the scene where Toots comes from the christening." "I had a dotted bodice, and we did five or six takes." "I had to take it off and put it on again." "Eventually I was all sweaty and confused." "I thought, dear god, if actor's work is so difficult," "I would never want to do that for a living." "PRIIT LAAST Paunvere schoolboy" "For each day of shooting we received two roubles." "I don't know how much they paid those kids, who had bigger roles, but for me two roubles was a fair amount of money." "And in the end we had worked for many days, so all in all I had quite a substantial sum." "It was actually enough to buy a multi-speed bicycle, which I had wanted for many years." "The last scene that was shot was the falling of the small tub, after Toots shoots his gun." "But the film was far from being ready." "It had to be edited, it didn't have sound yet." "The hardest thing I had to do in overdubbing" "was the scene where I walk away from the willow and say, "We'll see"." "And then I had to giggle." "But I couldn't laugh with a voice back then." "So, eventually an actress laughed instead of me." "And every time I hear it," "I notice the voice of a grown woman." "Even an elderly woman." "We'll see." "We had to sing together." "I wasn't much of a singer then." "Everybody had to sing it." "It was either the main theme or the Christmas song." "We recorded it and Arvo Kruusement said, something is wrong." "Somebody is off key." "So they told me to shut up." "I was quiet, and then it turned out perfect!" "Our preparations for the shoot had been so thorough, that when the boys came in and put the headphones on and started talking, it went right in sync!" "Even Teele cried again with tears." "Teacher Laur's part was dubbed by Aksel Orav." "Try to learn better." "If you can't do all the homework, you won't have to." "But whatever you do, do it well." "L'll learn half of the Russian exercises for tomorrow." " Good." "Do half, but do it well." "If I can't do both sums for math, I'll do one." "Fair enough." "Although part of the movie had to be shot twice," ""Spring" got completed for less than first calculated." "Quarter of a million roubles." "Moscow didn't understand, what the Estonians brought to them." "RAFAIL BELTCHIKOV Cinema Committee of the Estonian SSR" "They couldn't comprehend the plot of the film." "I don't want to blame them." "They lived in a different world." "They had a set of rules which had to be followed." "Specific frames, which you could not stretch." "Therefore it did not earn a lot of praise, just a polite acknowledgement." ""Let them Estonians screen their classics." So it was allowed." "Before Christmas of 1969 "Spring" was finished." "The first screenings were during the school break in January." "In Estonia the film received a very warm welcome." "The people of Palamuse saw the film five times on the first day." "There were just way too many people for the hall." "I still remember an elderly person, who had probably never been to a cinema, in the old age he came to the Palamuse school, saw the movie." "He gave me an orange." "In January!" "Can't imagine where he got that from." "But I still remember it." "Someone who had never been to a cinema, decided that he can now pass away peacefully, because he had seen his childhood on screen." "But the grand opening was in Tartu, Luts's hometown." "It was a cold January morning." "We drove to Tartu." "We went to the cinema "Ekraan", a new movie theater." "I noticed a huge crowd." ""What is going on?"" "They were standing in line, which went three times around the cinema." "We went to the door and saw that they wanted tickets." "I must admit, this was a strange feeling." "What is going on?" "Am I going to get punished if they don't like it?" "Arvo Kruusement was brave enough to screen Toots's stories, which in "Estoniafilm" remained but a dream." "It was a success." "The audience for "Spring" broke records in Estonia." "Over half a million people saw it." "Only "The Last Relic" had an even bigger audience." "On the Soviet movie screens the adventures of Paunvere children were witnessed by over eight million people." "This was just the beginning." "No one's counted, how many people have seen it on TV afterwards." "It was Kruusement's first film." "JAAN RU US Critic" "Just like "Spring" was the first book by Luts." "It somehow happened, that "Spring" is evergreen." "The movies done in late 60s," ""Madness", "The Relic", "Spring", they will remain classics." "You can still watch them today." "It is a strange paradox, that the real art of cinema in Estonia was born in the 60s." ""Young Eagles" and "Children of the Sun", which were shot in the first Estonian Republic, they are nice to watch." "These were like the first test cars, which were put on horse carts." "Arvo Kruusement's brave approach earned him a victory, which people can enjoy to this day and in the future." "To reach his aim, the director had to be sometimes harsh." "He can't be too soft, or he will mess up the film." "If you a charged with the responsibility, and you take it seriously, then everything has to be the way you want it." "But human nature is different, not always so submissive." "He wants to do it his own way or not at all." "Or if he does not like the hard work, he'll try to get by easier." "But I had nowhere to run." "The people were waiting for "Spring"." "I knew that." "I could feel it." "Let's check." "Is Arvo Kruusement here?" ""Spring" has given to the whole crew a reason to meet up every once in a while." "In August, 2006, they met once again, to watch the remastered "Spring" at the Palamuse village center." "I still have the photo you gave to me, with beautiful blond hair." "With a cute dedication on the back." "When they meet, they always discuss the secrets behind "Spring"." "Did Imelik really play the kantele?" "Imelik's hands are in front of you." "We have similar hands, brownish." "That's all they have in common, but on the screen you can clearly see them." "Of course, I have one fault as a professional dilettante." "I can tell you, there is one mistake." "His hands moved too easily on the instrument." "Rein Aedma learned to play kantele for the movie." "But in this shot the hands belong to a real musician." "He was a talented boy." "ELS ROODE Kantele teacher" "But when I watched it now as an ethnographer," "I think we both should be scolded a bit." "These old village kanteles were played the other way." "Higher strings were closer to the player." "Bass strings were high up." "I can't play it upside down, I get confused." "Chromatic kantele is also built that way." "So I taught him also in a wrong way." "2006." "Remastered "Spring"." "Opening night at Palamuse" "They say, art can be larger than life." "What did "Spring" give to its characters?" "I would say that for a long time" "it gave us a certain sense of responsibility to be the person others wanted you to be." "And the feeling, that you are like..." "The daughter of a small nation, and everybody was hoping that she would become exceptionally nice." "It was quite a burden to bear." "The name of Imelik has stuck with me." "Despite the fact, that I moved to Australia and have lived there for 15 years." "Even there I can't escape Imelik because people over there know about it." "When I come home I sometimes feel, how someone would notice me, turn their glance away, and then look again." "Some of them have stepped closer and stared for some time." "I had a lot of help from others," "I had a desire to learn, that's how I became an actor." "Such as I am these days..." "Although I didn't have that desire at first." "Things just kind of worked out that way." "I can't complain really." "After that I started receiving lots of letters." "And all of them to the school address." "Each morning I had about ten letters." "I was very popular." "What's his name?" " Kolumbus." ""Spring" has withstood the test of time." "It is still watched over and over again." "What makes this film so cozy and sweet?" "It is done very honestly." "No trickery to it..." "No effects." "And all these people..." "They took it very seriously, but there is also quite a bit of humour." "Everything the kids play with this... and this..." "It is understandable also to a 80-year-old." "But this is important." "You know, that raft..." "Well, it was me who sank the raft." "It has a very important place in Estonian culture." "Also for them, who don't read much." "And still it is true to the original book by Oskar Luts, as far as its artistic value is concerned." "This is really nice." "I am very happy I got to be a part of this." ""Lati" is French for "really" and "pac" is "sweet"." "Really sweet." "I think it is a paradox, that the new generation, who is interested in all sorts of audiovisual gadgets, and games, knows "Spring" just as a film." "And the Arno, Teele and Imelik of the movie are for them the actual characters by Luts." "But this makes the film even more influential." "Good bye, Toots." "Keep your chin up." "Be merry and brave." "Arno, don't forget the violin." " I won't." "I am still the same person I was before "Spring"." "Of course, it gave me more self confidence." "I know now that I can make movies." ""SUMMER" Tallinnfilm, 1976" "Love is the highest poetry of nature." "Director Arvo Kruusement met the same people on two more movie sets." "But how "Summer" and "Autumn", were made, is another story." ""Autumn" Tallinnfilm, 1990" "Thank you:" "Arvo Kruusement, Harry Rehe, Riina Hein and all the people from the crew of "Kevade", who helped to complete this little piece of remembrance."