Lāčplēsis, or The Bear Slayer, is an old Latvian legend that has appeared in several adaptations for more than the last hundred years. Its protagonist is a strongman who shows unnatural strength – he is so strong he can slay a bear with his bare hands, and he uses his strength to help his people. The legend was the basis for the Latvian national literary epic, “Lāčplēsis” (1888), written by the poet Andrejs Pumpurs (1841-1902). Another famous adaptation was the 1905 play Uguns un nakts (Fire and Night) by Rainis (the pen name of Jānis Pliekšāns, 1865-1929).
The 1930 film Lāčplēsis was the first cinematic adaptation of the legend. In this version, Lāčplēsis becomes involved in the fight for Latvian independence, which culminated in the establishment of the Republic of Latvia on 18 November 1918. The film drew on both the epic poem and the play for inspiration, adding a contemporary layer with the recent history of Latvia and its fight for independence, and the ongoing struggle to ensure that the sovereign Republic of Latvia maintained its newly gained freedom. A more recent iteration of the Lāčplēsis legend appeared on stage in 1988, when Lāčplēsis became the protagonist of a rock opera that captured the spirit of national awakening spreading through Eastern Europe in the late 1980s. Once again Lāčplēsis was fighting for the freedom of Latvia, this time from the USSR, showing the longevity, mutability, and relevance of the legend. Today Lāčplēsis lives on as the name of one of the most popular beers in Latvia, and there is a Lāčplēsis Day (11 November) as well, when Latvia commemorates those who fought to protect Latvia’s independence in 1918-1919.
The core mission of Lāčplēsis the hero is to save his people and protect his country. This can be seen in all the adaptations of the legend (save for the beer!). The film Lāčplēsis blends two parallel storylines. The prologue takes place in a mythological realm, where Lāčplēsis fights the betrayer Kangars to free his beloved Laimdota, who has been imprisoned by Lāčplēsis’s arch-nemesis the Black Knight. The other storyline takes place in contemporary Latvia, and turns ordinary human beings Jānis Vanags and Mirdza Saulīte into modern-day incarnations of Lāčplēsis and Laimdota, who take part in the fight for the independence of Latvia. Their story begins with the 1905 Revolution, jumps ahead to the First World War, and then continues with the battle for Latvian independence, culminating in the proclamation of the Latvian Republic on 18 November 1918, and the struggles to retain freedom that followed in 1919.
The film is full of historical references that might be challenging for modern, non-Latvian audiences. For example, some of the people we see on the National Theatre stage in the scene of the proclamation of Latvian independence are the same people who participated in the actual historical event, which took place in that same location on 18 November 1918. Lāčplēsis was shot in many historically important locations, a choice that helped to further mix fiction, myth, and history. Intended as a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Latvian independence, Lāčplēsis was the biggest, most ambitious silent film in Latvian film history. Its scope and ambition were unprecedented at the time, and today there are still very few, if any, films that can match the level of its artistic ambition, bringing together fact and fiction, history and legend.
Director Aleksandrs Rusteiķis (1882-1958) is considered one of the founders of Latvian cinema. Rusteiķis lived in Lithuania, Ukraine, and Russia, where he worked as a film and theatre actor. He moved to Latvia in 1924. Before becoming a film director, he worked as an actor and taught acting as well. He usually worked with cameraman Jānis Sīlis, his cinematographer on Lāčplēsis. Although today little exists from early Latvian film history, it is clear that Rusteiķis played an important role in forming the Latvian film scene. He directed the first Latvian sound feature, Daugava (1934), the title of which is taken from one of the main rivers in Latvia; unfortunately the film does not survive. According to film historian Inga Pērkone-Redoviča, Rusteiķis’s cinematic style is dynamic, full of emotional close-ups as well as witty edits. Other characteristics of his film work are the combination of documentary with fiction, and the use of non-professional actors. All of this, according to Pērkone-Redoviča, positions Rusteiķis as a pioneer of the convergence of styles and genres that is still characteristic of Latvia’s film scene in the 21st century.
The two main roles are played by Voldemārs Dimze (Lāčplēsis and Jānis Vanags) and Lilita Bērziņa (Laimdota and Mirdza Saulīte). Voldemārs Dimze (1902-1942) was an air pilot, not a professional actor. However, he was well-built and obviously trained actively, with a physique that personified a masculine hero figure. Lilita Bērziņa (1903-1983), on the other hand, was a professional theatre and film actress. She participated in several silent films, most of which unfortunately no longer exist. She had a long film and theatre career, and was loved and deeply respected by her colleagues as well as audiences.
Lāčplēsis was a blockbuster upon its release, and was very well received. It is known that the film was also shown internationally; for instance, in Prague in February 1931. Today Lāčplēsis is one of 12 films that are included in Latvia’s Cultural Canon, a collection of significant works of art and cultural heritage.
Lāčplēsis was shown at the Giornate in October 1990 to celebrate Latvia’s recently reinstated independence that May (see the article by Yuri Tsivian in Griffithiana 38/39, 1990); the print on that occasion came from the Cinematheque suisse. This is a newly restored version of the film, from Latvia. The restoration was done in 2022, at Studio Locomotive in Riga.

Agnese Logina