| All My Lenins Estonian: Minu Leninid | |
| Director: | Hardi Volmer |
| Producer: | Mati Sepping |
| Music: | Thomas DeRenzo |
| Cinematography: | Arko Okk |
| Editing: | Marju Juhkum |
| Runtime: | 99 minutes |
| Country: | Estonia |
| Language: | Estonian Russian German English |
All My Lenins (Estonian: Minu Leninid) is a 1997 Estonian historical comedy film by Hardi Volmer.[1] It was produced by the Faama Film company in cooperation with Lenfilm.
In 1908, young Estonian politician Aleksander Kesküla (Üllar Saaremäe) escaped from Estonia, then part of the Tsarist Russia Empire, to Switzerland, where he enrolled in the University of Bern. Kesküla is concerned about national oppression in the Russian empire, as is famous Russian exile and Bolshevik, Vladimir Lenin (portrayed by Viktor Sukhorukov). Lenin believes tsarist Russia to be "the prison of nations".
When World War I breaks out, Lenin blames it on the Russian and German bourgeoisie. He begins to agitate "to end war even if Russia is defeated". Kesküla seizes the opportunity to use Lenin and his followers to start a revolution against the Russian Empire. He devises a plan to overthrow Russia and build upon the ruins of the defunct empire Gross-Estland (Great Estonia). The new empire would incorporate all former Finno-Ugric territories, including Saint Petersburg.
Kesküla and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs make a deal to support Lenin financially. Lenin accepts the help. The Germans then install their super-spy Müller (Andrus Vaarik) to serve as the project's coordinator. Kesküla and Müller train five Russian men as Lenin's doppelgängers; they want to be sure they can replace the real Lenin at any moment should something happen to him or should Lenin become a liability.
The authors of the film (screenplay by Toomas Kall, story by Hardi Volmer and Ott Sandrak) called it pseudo-historical, as the film contains some historical accuracies, but is mostly fiction. In fall 1914, the German ambassador in Switzerland, Freiherr Gisbert von Romberg (Linnar Priimägi) informed his government about "an Estonian, Alexander Kesküla, who made a proposal to use Lenin in our plans against Russia." German intelligence clarified that Kesküla indeed had access to Bolshevik inner circles and to Lenin himself (as in the film). Moreover, Kesküla had prior experience using foreign assistance to support rebels in Russia; in 1905, he received money from Japanese spy Akashi Motojiro to advance his interests in Tallinn, Tartu, and Riga.
The Germans were initially skeptical of Kesküla's proposal. The German Foreign Ministry viewed the Bolsheviks as a fringe group that lacked the influence to change hearts and minds in the Russian state (as in the film.) However, the situation soon changed; in December 1914, Kesküla received 10,000 Reichsmarks from Germany to distribute to the Bolsheviks.[2]
Although Kesküla informed the German government about Lenin, Kesküla may not have been the only one to fund Lenin's cause with outside money. The film, however, focuses solely on Kesküla.
"The school of Lenin's doppelgängers in Zürich" is also fictional, as are the doppelgangers themselves (Lenin-Monk, Lenin-Beggar, Lenin-Electrician and Lenin-Criminal).