A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve (, ) is a 1981 Soviet-Latvian comedy-drama film directed by JÃÂnis StreiÃÂs. Movie was produced by Riga Film Studio. The film was awarded the Latvian National Film Prize Lielais Kristaps in 1981. The film is part of Latvian Culture and was voted the all-time best Latvian film. It is shown every year on TV before the summer solstice festival of JÃÂÃ Âi, a national holiday in Latvia. The movie is about the struggle of two related families for their eighty-year-old aunt's inheritance through comic and romantic events.
The movie begins when Aunt Mirta (Mirta Saknëte) wins a lottery and is awarded a car which every Soviet citizen longs for â a Zhiguli. Because of her old age, she cannot use the car herself. When the word spreads out about her luck, different family members come to her countryside house to 'be helpful' in order to get the car after the aunt's death. Mirta's nephew ÃÂriks with his wife Dagnija and their son Uãis decided to give up their holiday in the Carpathian Mountains just to lay their hands on the aunt's legacy. Also, Mirta's nephew decides to surprise her with his arrival but her ex-daughter-in-law Olita together with her new family including her new husband Viktors and their offspring LÃÂsma.
The funny rivalry between two sides of the family, foolish jealousy of the near living peasants' family, who had always non-selfishly been there for auntie Mirta, is a caricature of greasy human nature. This is a slight humor of the Soviet life details as well. But aunt Mirta isn't a fool, she is still young in her heart until her very last breath, which also can be seen in her last will - to whom she left her car to, a Limousine The Colour Of Midsummer's Eve.
A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve in 1981 was named as the best full-length movie that year by Latvian National Movie Festival "Lielais Kristaps".
The movie was also included into Latvian Culture Canon.
In 2008, the movie was restored from what it originally looked like. All the technical failures that occurred during the filming were improved, including the soundtrack of the film and colours were added where necessary. Also, more detailed information about the main heroine of the movie (Lilita BÃÂrzià Âa) was included into the DVD.