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Sunshine Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 25 Reviews)

A Hidden Gem of a Movie
It seems that many of us who are taking the time to review this very good movie came away with the same feeling of diapointment at the weak title and lack of promotion.

I didn't realize until reading others' reviews that the movie was three hours long because it didn't seem that long to me.

By the end of the journey, you understand that the building of wealth, reputation, and idealism, which seems to matter so much in the moment, means very little. Possesions mean little.
Who we are, ultimately, means a lot...
What is left after the world takes its toll.

I'm usually very attached to characters, but the perspective of this movie wasn't of the characters. It was through a larger lens and the character's perspetives seemed small in comparison.




A Study in Twentieth Century European Anti-Semitism
Sunshine was doomed to be a box office failure. A three hour movie is simply too long to enjoy at a theater. It works much better as a DVD which can be turned on and off as one so desires. Still, I have no hesitation in giving it five stars. This film is worthy of your patience. We follow the trails and tribulations of the Sonnenschein family in Hungary from the very beginnings of the Twentieth Century to the late 1980s. Initially, this is a Jewish family trying to make the best of things as citizens of the now extinct Austro-Hungarian empire. Anti-Semitism is pervasive but a Jew, paying a very high cost, is permitted to assimilate into the larger Christian community. What is the price tag required for acceptance? It is the abandonment of one's Jewish religious and cultural heritage. All three Sonnenschein youths even opt to forsake the family name. Things are obviously not great. Still, the situation is improving. And then World War I breaks out and their world collapses. One of the brothers is foolishly seduced into embracing Communism while the other wisely understands that a viable society must be committed to the rule of law. The present system might not be perfect, but the royal family is benevolent and willing to continue relinquishing its power. Regrettably, the destruction caused by the Great War eventually brings about the collapse of the empire. By the mid 1930s the Nazis are rapidly dominating the political landscape. Adolph Hitler could care less about a Jew's assimilation. Only genetics matter and Jews are deemed biologically evil. Their planned eradication is the logical conclusion of the nonnegotiable ideological premises of Hitler's thugs. Even military heroes, Olympic fencing champions, and practicing Catholics are scheduled to be butchered. The members of the Sonnenschein family realize too late the precariousness of their situation.

Finally, the Communists take over. These totalitarians allege to embrace universal brotherhood, radical egalitarianism, and despise anti-Semitism. This turns out, sadly, not to be entirely accurate. I was amazed how honestly the creators of Sunshine dealt with the Jew hatred during the Stalin era. The only Jews tolerated by the Soviets were those of the self-hating variety. All others were persecuted---often to the point of execution. Sometimes even the self-haters found themselves taking a bullet in the back of the head. Disgustingly, the leftist intellectual establishment prefers to ignore this vile chapter in the history of the Communist movement. Yes, you must see this movie. It should perhaps even be placed on the top of your list.


David Thomson
Flares into Darkness





What's In A Name?
This 1999 film directed by Istvan Szabo, although three hours long, has a lot going for it. Set in Hungry the movie covers three generations of a Hungarian Jewish family, the Sonnenscheins. In the late 19th Century, Ignatz; his brother Gustave and his adopted sister Hannah; who is his natural cousin and whom he marries, change their names to "Sors" in order to "assimilate" into Hungarian society. Ignatz's son Adam even converts to Roman Catholicism and wins a medal in fencing in the 1936 Olympics. After silently witnessing his father die at the hands of the Nazis, the third generation Sonnenschein/Sors son Ivan attempts to avenge his father's death by joining Stalin's Communist Party.

Ralph Fiennes (lately in "The Constant Gardener") plays all three of the Ignantz/Adam/Ivan characters through three generations and does it admirably. The young Hannah is played by Jennifer Ehle; the older Hannah by Rosemary Harris, the mother of Ehle in real life. William Hurt plays Ivan's friend Knorr. Both the score and filming are beautifully done. Many of the war and concentration camp scenes are shot in black and white.

The sad theme is easily stated. In the eyes of oppressors it matters not if you change your name or not. If you choose to hate a whole nation of people because of who they are, nothing will stop you. Even though the film is all about the awfulness of anti-Semitism, there is sunshine here in the resiliant character Hannah who "breathed freely" and always looked for the beautiful to photograph.

Even through three hours long, this film is well worth your time, both for the all-to-relevant theme and the fine acting.

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