Vladimir-Georg Karassev-Orgusaar (born Vladimir-Georg-Julian Orgusaar, from 1953 to 1976 Vladimir Karassev; 14 December 1931 – 27 January 2015) was an Estonian film director. Georg Karassev-Orgusaar was born in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

. He studied history and literature at the

Tomsk University The National Research Tomsk State University, TSU (russian: Национа́льный иссле́довательский То́мский госуда́рственный университе́т) is a public research university located in Tom ...

and cinematography at the Moscow All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. In the Estonian SSR, he produced a number of

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

s. His trilogy on Soviet history consists of films "Precursor" (Estonian: "Eelkäija", 1967) on

Viktor Kingissepp Viktor Eduard Kingissepp ( in Karmel (now ) – 4 May 1922 in Tallinn) was an Estonian communist politician, the leader of the Estonian Communist Party. The son of a factory worker, he joined a Marxist circle as a schoolboy in Arensburg (no ...

, "

Solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...

" ("Pööripäev", 1968) on June 1940 'revolution' in Estonia, a central myth of Soviet mythology in Estonia, and "Commander" ("Väejuht", 1968) on August Kork, an Estonian Bolshevik military leader and victim of 1937

Stalinist purges The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secreta ...

. The trilogy covers those moments of Soviet history in an ostensibly pro-Soviet manner, but leaves possibilities for other interpretations (e.g. parallels with 1968 events in Czechoslovakia; juxtaposing August Kork and Joseph Stalin; the tragedy of Estonian revolutionaries etc.). Other documentaries by Vladimir-Georg Karassev-Orgusaar include " Forge" ("Sepikoda", 1974); in collaboration with

Uno Maasikas Uno or UNO may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Television * "Uno" (''Better Call Saul''), premiere episode of the American TV series ''Better Call Saul'' * ''Uno'' (film), a 2004 Norwegian drama film * Rai Uno, an Italian TV channel **' ...

), "New Era" ("Uus aeg", 1969) and "Hard Times" ("Rasked aastad", 1973). His only

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

, "The Outlaws" ("Lindpriid"; based on

Jaan Anvelt Jaan Anvelt (also known by the pseudonyms Eessaare Aadu, Jaan Holm, Jaan Hulmu, Kaarel Maatamees, Onkel Kaak; in Russian or ; 18 April 1884 – 11 December 1937), was an Estonian Bolshevik revolutionary and writer. He served the Russian SFS ...

's unfinished novel) is sometimes considered as Karassev's masterpiece. The 4 hour film shows members of the Estonian Bolshevik underground acting in 1920s and feature innovative techniques. Communist authorities disapproved of the work and ordered the film tapes to be destroyed. However, copies did survive, and the film was first shown in 1989. Georg Karassev-Orgusaar himself had emigrated to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

after he was banned from making movies in the USSR. In emigration, he worked as a publicist and film critic. In 1990, Karassev-Orgusaar was elected to Estonian Congress. He was the founder of Association France–Estonie—Pont de la Démocratie and its co-president.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karassev-Orgussaar, Vladimir-Georg Estonian film directors Tomsk State University alumni Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography alumni People from Tallinn 1931 births 2015 deaths Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 4th Class Estonian emigrants to France Estonian expatriates in France Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery