KIRE LAINED was Estonias first international co-production, made under the aegis of Russian actor Wladimir Gaidarows newly formed German production company, Wladimir Gaidarow-Film, and the Estonian company Urania Film, which was registered at the Ministry of Court and Internal Affairs of the Republic of Estonia on 24 January 1930. Urania-Film was foundedby the then-representative of the U.S. Fox Corporation in Estonia, Richard Ley, along with Sigrid Ley and Roman Birkenberg (all of whom lived in Estonia and were Estonian citizens). It was the only film produced by either company.
This was also the first and only time Wladimir Gaidarow (Vladimir Gaidarov, 1893-1976), also playing the male lead, went behind the camera. [...] Throughout the 1920s Gaidarow starred in a number of important German film productions, including Dreyer’s DIE GEZEICHNETEN (1921), Murnau’s DER BRENNENDE ACKER (1922), May’s TRAGÖDIE DER LIEBE, and Genina’s DIE WEISSE SKLAVIN (1927) [...] Also appearing in KIRE LAINED is the Slovenian actress Ita Rina, whose superb work in Karl Antons TONKA SIBENICE from earlier the same year remains highly regarded [...]. Other roles are taken by both German and Estonian performers, including leading lights of Estonian film andt heatre actors Hugo Laur and Ants Eskola.
KIRE LAINED is a classic adventure film centred around a subject of considerable significance in Estonia at the time – smuggling spirits to Finland. But passionate matters of the heart are a vital part of the plot. [...]
The film was shot in the summer of 1930 in Tallinn and Northern Estonia, and premiered in three cinemas at once, testifying to its prestige. Ita Rina herself attended the performances in all three cinemas, herpresence enthusiastically heralded by Estonian media with many a news story. The Berlin premiere took place one week later.
An orchestral score was composed by Bert Reisfeld (1906-1991), an Austrian-born composer and lyricist; KIRE LAINED marked his debut in cinema. After emigrating to the U.S. sometime in the late1930s, he became an arranger for Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, among others.
Maria Mang, Le Giornate del Cinema muto / Pordenone Silent Film Festival catalogue, 2019, pp. 191–193