AGenuine Reflection of an Era

Jaak Lõhmus writes about the feature film A Woman Heats the Sauna (1978), directed by Arvo Kruusement.

By Jaak Lõhmus Photos by Estonian Film Institute & Film Archive of the National Archives of Estonia

Arvo Kruusement debuted as a film director in 1969 with the adaptation of the popular novel Spring written by Oskar Luts. The feature has become one of the most beloved Estonian feature films throughout the times, and it has also been screened abroad in retrospective programmes dedicated to Estonian film history. During his relatively long career in the field of film (1969–1990), Kruusement directed seven feature films (in comparison to his study fellow Kaljo Kiisk in the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts in Moscow GITIS who directed 17 feature films). Unfortunately, several of Kruusement's film ideas were not finished for different reasons, mainly due to their ideological inappropriateness, for instance Names in Marble (based on the Estonian war novel by Albert Kivikas), and Forty Candles (based on the novel by Raimond Kaugver).

The most important work by Arvo Kruusement is definitely the popular film trilogy of Paunvere, including Spring (1969), Summer (1976) and Autumn (1990).