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Le Maître d'Escrime

Original title: Miekkailija
  • 2015
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
Le Maître d'Escrime (2015)
A haunted young man arrives in an Estonian town that has been under harsh Russian Communist rule since the end of World War II. Taking a job as sports instructor at the local school, he organizes a wildly successful fencing club -- affecting the lives of the local children in profound and moving ways. At the climactic competition with Russian foes, his past catches up with him.
Play trailer1:44
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22 Photos
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Fleeing from the Russian secret police, a young Estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical-education teacher at a local school. But the past catches up ... Read allFleeing from the Russian secret police, a young Estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical-education teacher at a local school. But the past catches up and puts him in front of a difficult choice.Fleeing from the Russian secret police, a young Estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical-education teacher at a local school. But the past catches up and puts him in front of a difficult choice.

  • Director
    • Klaus Härö
  • Writer
    • Anna Heinämaa
  • Stars
    • Märt Avandi
    • Ursula Ratasepp
    • Hendrik Toompere Jr.
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    5.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Klaus Härö
    • Writer
      • Anna Heinämaa
    • Stars
      • Märt Avandi
      • Ursula Ratasepp
      • Hendrik Toompere Jr.
    • 16User reviews
    • 63Critic reviews
    • 60Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:44
    Official Trailer

    Photos22

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    Top cast66

    Edit
    Märt Avandi
    Märt Avandi
    • Endel Nelis
    Ursula Ratasepp
    • Kadri
    Hendrik Toompere Jr.
    • Principal
    • (as Hendrik Toompere)
    Liisa Koppel
    Liisa Koppel
    • Marta
    Joonas Koff
    • Jaan
    Egert Kadastu
    • Toomas
    Ann-Lisett Rebane
    • Lea
    Elbe Reiter
    • Tiiu
    Jaak Prints
    • Principal's assistant
    Kirill Käro
    Kirill Käro
    • Aleksei
    Lembit Ulfsak
    Lembit Ulfsak
    • Jaan's grandfather
    Leida Rammo
    • Boarding house's hostess
    Raimo Pass
    • Officer
    Erkki Tikan
    • Officer
    • (as Erkki Tikkan)
    Maria Avdjushko
    Maria Avdjushko
    • Clerk in Leningrad
    Alina Karmazina
    • Armenian trainer
    Sergei Tserkassov
    • Commentator in Leningrad
    Aleksander Okunev
    • MGB officer
    • Director
      • Klaus Härö
    • Writer
      • Anna Heinämaa
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    7.15.4K
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    Featured reviews

    8sakari-lonn

    Beautiful film about small people under the Soviet rule

    A good film about seldom-seen topic. Living was difficult and sometimes dangerous under the Soviet rule in Estonia straight after WW II and Klaus Härö's film tells story about that. It has been built around true story about a teacher which teaches his pupils to fence.

    Problem on this film was that I knew too much about the story before seeing it. So it didn't give many surprises.

    Not much to complain about directing, acting or anything else. Maybe the story needed something more to be more interesting but the film depends on true story so it could have been wrong to make up something.

    Best thing about this film is that there is used both languages Estonian and Russian. So the characters use the right languages. It is of course subtitled.
    9kevin-57252

    A little gem

    Beautifully shot, a script where not a word is wasted and acting that conveys the harshness and guarded nature of adults living under an authoritarian regime.

    An Estonian fencer takes a job teaching physical education at an out-of-the-way school in the 1950's. Despite the lack of resources, and a principal who thinks there is more to this man than he is letting on, he decides to set up a fencing club for the children which draws the kind of attention from the authorities he was trying to avoid.
    6Andy-296

    Intriguing Estonian film starts well but it loses momentum in the second part.

    Based on a true story, this Estonian film (directed by a Finn) the film is set on 1952, when that country was under Soviet occupation. A man named Endel (Mart Avandi) arrives to a small Estonian town from Leningrad. He is obviously on the run from Soviet authorities, though we never get to know much of the back story. He presents himself to a school asking for a teaching job. He is given the physical education class, only problem is the school has no sporting equipment for the children. One day he finds in a drawer at the school a fencing sword and he starts playing with it. A girl sees him and asks him to train her in fencing. At first he refuses, but eventually announces in the school board there will be a fencing class on Saturday. To his surprise, a lot of students appear on Saturday, wanting to learn fencing. Despite his lack of charisma, the fencing classes are successful, even though they are disliked by the school director who see the sport as a remnant of a feudal past, but is outvoted by the school's parents. Eventually, Endel is so successful in training the children that he is invited to a tournament in Leningrad. The problem is that going there could blow his cover.

    This is not a perfect film, it starts well, but it loses momentum in the second part. The Russians and their collaborators in Estonia (like the school director) are caricatures. And in parts of the movie, the story seems undeveloped, as when Endel starts a relationship with a woman teacher in the school.

    There is a cameo as a politically persecuted grandfather of one of the boys in the school of Lembit Ufsak, who starred in the more interesting Oscar nominated Estonian film Tangerines.
    8CineMuseFilms

    A well-crafted and touching tale of heroism without fanfare under Stalinist rule.

    The 'inspiring teacher' film has many variations but its core narrative is always the same: a teacher helping children realise their dreams. The Fencer (2015) is an uplifting story told with sensitivity towards the harsh landscapes of Estonia and a nation that has experienced more terror than Hitchcock could imagine. At its heart is a morality play of historical proportions and a lone teacher's commitment to do what is best for children.

    Elite fencer and coach Endel Nelis (Mårt Avandi) escapes Leningrad in the early 1950s to avoid Stalin's secret police. At 18 he was drafted by the Nazis and after the Soviet invasion all men who ever wore the Nazi uniform were sent to Siberia. He hopes for obscurity as a sports teacher in a small Estonian village but the secret police have eyes everywhere. Endel lives in fear and so does the village where most of the menfolk have been taken away in darkness never to be seen again. Amidst this paranoia, he starts a class in the traditional discipline of fencing but his initiative is resented by authorities who investigate his past. Meanwhile he finds romance and the children progress so quickly they are soon pleading to compete in Leningrad. Endel knows if he takes them he may never return.

    The filming of this story is its major strength. The camera is in the middle of the fencing classes watching the children develop in an artform based on balletic grace, speed, and knowing precisely when and where to strike. The children's growing sense of control contrasts with the lack of control they have over their lives under Stalinist rule. As Endel becomes a father figure he also becomes another person to lose. Although urged by his former coach to flee again he becomes emotionally invested in the children and his blossoming romance. Several close-up scenes of Endel relating to the children and his girlfriend are poetic portraits of hope struggling against the tyranny of the times.

    The story has a dual climax and both are heart-warming and inspirational. The village children bravely compete against big city schools, and the fencing matches themselves are exciting spectacles of cut and thrust. Endel's own survival plays out with all the hallmarks of an espionage thriller and he must live with the consequences of his moral choice. Understated acting performances, minimalist dialogue translations and a balance of political tension and youthful hope help steer the film away from the most obvious clichés of the inspiring teacher genre. This is a well-crafted and touching tale about heroism without fanfare that lives on through Endel's fencing school still operating today.
    Kirpianuscus

    admirable work

    a true story. this is , in too many cases, the most attractive detail. in the case of "The Fencer", the things are little more complicated. because it is, like many Estonian films, first a testimony. about politic pressure, about refuge, about passion and fundamental change. it is not easy to define it only as impressive/motivational/lovely film. because, using a well known recipes, it is a film about conscience. about self definition, honesty and duty. and, maybe, this is the great virtue of the director. to say what must be said. the story of Endel is the story of many "sinners" against Soviet rules. and this fact did it a beautiful eulogy of freedom. for me, this detail did it an admirable work.

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    Related interests

    Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)
    Biography
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Liam Neeson in La Liste de Schindler (1993)
    History
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    Sport

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Finnish candidate for the best foreign language film in 2016 Academy Awards.
    • Goofs
      Nelis was not arrested after the fencing tournament in Leningrad.
    • Connections
      Featured in 73rd Golden Globe Awards (2016)

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    FAQ17

    • How long is The Fencer?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 13, 2015 (Estonia)
    • Countries of origin
      • Finland
      • Estonia
      • Germany
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • Estonian
      • Russian
      • Armenian
    • Also known as
      • The Fencer
    • Filming locations
      • Pärnu, Estonia(location)
    • Production companies
      • Making Movies
      • Allfilm
      • Kick Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €1,605,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $95,952
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,572
      • Jul 23, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,289,014
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 39m(99 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39:1

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