This movie manages to convey the spirit of Estonia and the true meaning of national/national pride. The fact that an entire revolution can be won by peace and by song. Goosebumps!

What a story of the triumph of the human spirit!

How Estonia resisted Nazi and Russian occupation through public song. Good for singers and free-expression geeks.

Read the critic's reviews - they give it a decent appraisal for the most part. This documentary is inspirational - a Never Give Up attitude that can change the world.

the singing revolution

: An inspiring film about the human spirit's resilience, tenacity, and capacity for non-violent change on a national scale. It also happens to be an excellent, though necessarily brief, documentary on the history of Estonia over the last 100 years. I would give this film 10 stars, but then, these are my people on screen.

Excellent film about a piece of history that's ignored too often. Shows how a people, united by culture, although not fully united in their goals, were able to destroy the Soviet power over them. The website has additional resources for teachers. This is the review on my blog: http://delesmuses.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-enemys-enemy-is-my-ally.html

When people of a nation stand up against oppression and occupation, when they use their history and their traditions to make a very deep patriotic spirit live and p, when they manage to gain freedom just with their own strength... A very powerful and moving demonstration of how people can make a real revolution without using violence. If you know just a little about Estonia and Estonian history this is an absolute must. If you don't know anything about this little country you shouldn't miss the chance to get to know what Estonian have been incredibly able to do.

:fresh: :fresh: :fresh: :fresh: :fresh: :fresh: :fresh: This is a very important film that every American should see to better appreciate what we take for granted.

You'll learn more about Estonia than you ever did before and you'll also realize how many of us take our freedom for granted. The documentary does lack in feeling for a specific person or persons.

It is hard to watch a documentary on a subject you don't care about at all, it's even harder to watch when the documentary fails to make you care about it's subject matter.

I liked it, a little too long and indepth on the history, but overall good

Interesting documentary, although not quite what I expected. Although the background on this unique Estonian revolution is certainly important, I felt it went a bit too heavy on the history and light on the music. I had expected more on the significance of singing in Estonian culture, the background on some of their folk songs, etc. Although it touched on personal stories, going into more depth would have increased my interest and connection with the film. I learned a lot and was moved by the resolve of the Estonian people, but one big pet peeve - (SPOILER ALERT) - THEY NEVER LET YOU HEAR THE FULL SONG while showing the poem it's based on. You keep getting teased by the idea that you'll actually hear the whole thing, then someone always ends up talking over it! That frustrated me. I think it would have been very powerful to hear the song in it's entirely with the translation at the end of the film. Trust me, intelligent audiences can handle it! Was fortunate to hear the film maker speak in the theatre afterwards though, and have a lot of respect for his (and his wife's) creation. Not a "must see" - but a worthwhile way to pass a few hours.

[font=Century Gothic]Well, I went to see [u]The Singing Revolution[/u] with my sweetie yesterday. The story it told is amazing, that the small Estonian nation was able to hold onto its national identity and throw off the Soviet yoke largely through their folk song tradition and their annual Song Festival. The importance of song to the Estonians seemed to me rather like the importance of song to the Welsh, who also hold such large festivals and which allowed them to maintain their national identity -- Welsh is still a living Celtic language. Admittedly, luck and time played a part in their success -- it turned out that their own government, still under Soviet control, had become more responsive, and the Soviet Union itself was falling apart. Had the singers tried such a push 10 years earlier, the Soviet tanks would turned Tallinn into another Prague. [/font] [font=Century Gothic]That said, I would have to say that the documentary itself, while well done, was not exceptional. The documentarians did a good job of contacting most of the relevant parties, and they made this film close enough to the event that there were many who could contribute. Linda Hunt's narration was fine, but this is a film about how singing fueled a peaceful revolution -- it seemed like it should have had more zing. It was probably too much to expect something like "Broadway Melody" from [u]Singin' in the Rain[/u], but a little more flash would have made the film watching experience better -- the actual historical event was one worth capturing, and the filmmakers did an adequate job -- they could have done more. [/font]

This is a movie that opened my eyes a little more about estonian history. A very intresting movie...

It was nice to see this movie with my parents at our local independent film theater. Being Latvian it was interesting to watch this movie because Estonia's history parallels Latvia's (& Lithuania's). Latvians also have huge song festivals with thousands of singers.

I learned a little bit about my own family's history in Lithuania. It was moving to see such a small country survive while being embroiled in such incredible conflict, and it was inspiring to see culture and true patriotism expressed in a non-violent manner. Truly incredible.

I've seen it when it 1st came out in Los Angeles, Fall 2007. Then Palm Springs, June, 2008, now in San Diego for a week: July 11-17!!! These are my last days I lived in Estonia... great documentary!

Very powerful - amazing story.

excellent film, recommend it to everyone! good food for thought! left the theater thinking and smiling, why war with guns???