Blow, the Winds

Colour, 35 mm
Latvia, 1973, 96 min
Section: Baltic Films

Synopsis

The story is set in the 16th century. A mother waits at a farmhouse for the arrival of suitors for her eldest daughter, but the men only have eyes for her foster girl. The literary source for the film is a verse play of the same name written by famed Latvian writer Jānis Rainis. In its tonality, this narrative of the creative and destructive nature of love has certain affinities to legend, as well as to the archetypal patterns of any classical love drama. In addition, Gunārs Piesis’ organically wove mythological themes into the texture of the film, making it reminiscent of an ancient wedding ceremony. If  the symbolic layer is set aside, the film is a human drama. His ability to avoid a limiting nationalistic perspective and to create an expressive narrative made for the film’s controversial reception, but it was an important cinematic event nonetheless. Time does not seem to affect the story’s significance: a man and woman struggle with the loss of self-esteem in a situation where strong feelings make existence but a fragile thing.

About the director

Gunars Piesis (1931 – 1996) studied direction at the VGIK in Moscow in 1962. His feature debut Grey Ossiers in Blossom (1961) provoked a controversial response. After that, Piesis spent a lengthy period making scientific-educational documentaries. With the film In the Shadow of Death he made his grand comeback into the field of feature film. His films are typical for their psychological introspection and their exploration of emotion, particularly at extreme existential times. In the last years of his life, in cooperation with Barrandov Film Studios, he made two films for children. Select filmography: Grey Ossiers in Blossom (1961), No Need to Go Anywhere (1963), In the Shadow of Death (Naves ena, 1971), Blow the Winds (Put, vejini, 1973), Your Son (1978), Millstones of Time (1981), Tom Thumb (1985), Maija and Paija (1990).