Sunshine **
Rated on a 4-star scale Screening venue: Cornerhouse (Manchester) Released in the UK by Alliance Atlantis on April 28, 2000; certificate 15; 180 minutes; countries of origin Austria/Canada/Germany/Hungary/UK; aspect ratio 1.85:1
Directed by István Szabó; produced by Adrás Hámori, Robert Lantos. Written by Israel Horovitz, István Szabó; based on an original story by István Szabó. Photographed by Lajos Koltai; edited by Michel Arcand, Dominique Fortin.
CAST..... Ralph Fiennes..... Ignatz Sonnenschein/Adam Sors/Ivan Sors Rosemary Harris..... Old Valerie Rachel Weisz..... Greta Sors Jennifer Ehle..... Young Valerie Deborah Kara Unger..... Major Carole Kovacs Molly Parker..... Hannah Wippler James Frain..... Gustave Sonnenschein David de Keyser..... Emmanuel Sonnenschein John Neville..... Gustave Sors Miriam Margolyes..... Rose Sonnenschein
Too many movies use the words "based on a true story" as an excuse for blandness. What they don't realise is that just because a story might be true doesn't make it interesting. Then again, sometimes the fact that a tale really happened might give it more importance or context. If only that had been the case with István Szabó's "Sunshine". The film is a silly fiction, but if it had really happened, well, that would have been something.
"Sunshine" follows three generations in a Hungarian family in three different times of revolution, dividing its three-hour running time evenly between each of its three stories. The first main character is Ignatz Sonnenschein, a lawyer in the late 19th Century who allows himself to change his Jewish name to Sors for purposes of conformity, marries a girl who had been raised as his sister, and finds that his work for the imperial government puts him in danger when communists come to power. Next we focus on his son Adam Sors, who allows himself to change his religion for purposes of conformity, marries a girl he hardly knows, has an affair with his sister-in-law, and finds that his heritage puts him in danger when the Nazis seem set to take over Europe. Finally comes the tale of Adam's son Ivan, who allows himself to get entangled in Stalinist persecutions, has an affair with an important army general's wife, and finds himself in danger during the Purges.
The connections are obvious: Each man somehow sells out, dives into troublesome romance and then winds up in over his head in a deadly political situation. What's more, Ignatz, Adam and Ivan are all played by the same actor, Ralph Fiennes. Subtle. The theory that the mistakes and sins of fathers can be repeated by their sons was present in the background of the "Godfather" and "Jean de Florette" movies, through vital situations and interesting characters. "Sunshine" thinks it's some kind of profound parable where the drama doesn't need to be fulfilling in itself. The people and plights are all just one-dimensional cardboard, existing to prove points. Nobody is convincing as a living, breathing person, and so we never care, and the point of the film is clear but carries no power.
Much of the movie has the silliness of "Legends of the Fall", without any of the gusto that made that movie enjoyable. When I saw it, people in the audience were laughing in key moments. Consider the amateurish attempts to mix the movie's own footage with old newsreel clips, just by developing bits in black and white. Or the exaggerated reaction shots of people rolling their eyes. Miriam Margolyes, as Ignatz's mother, breaks down crying so often that eventually the woman sitting next to me started doing a countdown whenever she appeared onscreen.
But even when the film does work on the level of performances and technical beauty, that doesn't change how simple-minded it is. Director Szabó's own "Mephisto" (1981) took its title from a fairly obvious parallel -- the one between its lead character and the story of "Dr. Faustus" -- but the content of the film didn't rely on it, and introduced it up front and kept it as a side-issue. "Sunshine" spends 180 minutes reiterating the same message, one that we've heard before and could be reminded of in a single line.
COPYRIGHT(c) 2000 Ian Waldron-Mantgani Please visit, and encourage others to visit, the UK Critic's website, which is located at http://members.aol.com/ukcritic
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