Sunshine [DVD]

Hungary had been for centuries an exceptional country where the Jewish people had progressively enjoyed bigger rights and security, in relative terms compared to other European countries. (See Patai, Raphael. The Jews of Hungary). The size of the Jewish population in the country both in absolute and proportional numbers was considerably large, in rural and urban areas. The strong word "emancipation", used to describe the granting of equal rights to Jews than to anyone else in the country in the second half of the Nineteenth Century, reflects how important the process of attaining full political citizenship had turned out, for a people that over the centuries had culturally been as Hungarian as all their fellow citizens. The Jews in Hungary were true Hungarians although with a different religion. Younger generations felt growingly identified with the values, history, language, institutions and, in sum, the people, of Hungary. They felt just as one part of the people of Hungary. Assimilation seemed like a natural, modern way of enjoying full social and political freedoms, including the freedoms of belief and crede.Yet, human existence is fragile and subject to the tides of history. The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (a dual system in which Hungary had equal government status as Austria, while having the same Head of State and sharing functions like public finance, defense and foreign affairs), after the death of Emperor Franz Joseph and the defeat in World War I, brought big changes in the country. Hungary lost two thirds of its territory to newly created countries as an outcome of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. Its economy was severely damaged. Political confussion and disorientation was widespread in the minds of Hungarians: in the two or three years after the end of the war there were a leftist coup immediatelly followed by a right-wing one. And antisemitism increased, and accelerated over the next 30 years, and turned the future of the Hungarian Jews around, preparing the stage for subsequent major attrocities under Nazism. After the end of World War II the soviet occupation of Hungary for approximately 50 years did not make things better, just changed the sign and symbols of totalitarian government.It is in this setting that the movie Sunshine, of director Szabo, tells the stories of four generations of a Hungarian Jewish family. It is a very well researched movie, that conveys rich information on the many political and social changes that took place over approximately a century, from the late ninteen hundreds to the fall of communism in the past nineties. The production is very good. The atmosphere and interior decoration of private and public spaces, in apartments, cafes and public offices, is very accurately presented. It is also artistic in many ways. Visually it is wonderful, the script is also very good. And the performance of all actors is superb.Substantively, the movie addresses several issues. Most notorious is the questioning of assimilation as an effective way for the Jews to attain legal, social and political safety. Also explicit, yet more subtly and less clearly because of its intrinsic spiritual nature, is the issue of how far should one take religion, nationality and obedience to a State (whatever this looks like) in one's life: extremes of too much, or too little, impede the individual to fulfill his/her human potential. One of the feminine characters expresses one should live like a wildflower, free and naturally in its own land, without that much interference from man-created systems or institutions. And, last but not least, the movie gives plenty of food for thought on the gender visions about the State,and Judaism, as men and women react differently to the succession of striking events over the period encompassed by the film. There are also very delicate reflections on how love keeps a family together particularly in difficult times, and how love can hurt at the same time, as a thorn.You must see the movie not once but several times to fully absorb all that is in it. It doesnt matter if it is three hours long (one hour for each generation in the family, as the great-grandfather history is reduced to a few minutes as a preamble and original reference to the spirit of Sonnenshein): it is worth every minute. It speaks of course not only to Jews, but to everyone who wishes to understand the human spirit a little bit more, especially in very challenging historical moments: Sonnenshein was both a liqueur and a spirit. And the movie opens many windows to look into the history of Hungary over the last century. Not least, Budapest shines in all its beauty, from the Danube and the building of Parliament, to the Israelite graveyard in Koztma utca.Finally, the movie is not without some controversial themes. It provides material for dellibration on the incestuous elements of culture (all cultures? Judaism in particular?), and in the same symbolic code, the rape of one culture by another. It also hits hard both sides that failed in protecting human rights during the Holocaust: the Jews who outnumbered the guards at the death camps and yet did not revolt to save themselves (as exceptionally they did in Warsaw and other Eastern European towns), and those Hungarians who perpetrated as grave abuses as the Germans acting as informants, police, soldiers and bureacrats that permitted or facilitated the annihilation of hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over Hungary; yet, the movie also registers how other Hugarians at the same time did take good care and helped their fellow Jewish Hungarians by keeping them safe in attics or by hiding their property to avoid expropriation.I strongly recommend the movie. I found the history of my ancestors portrayed in it in many moving ways.

Besides following the evolution of a family through three generations during the upheavals in Europe, it gave a thoughtful insight into the effect of political power on people just trying to live. I came away with this quote: You must try to find joy in your life. Do you realize how delicious this coffee is with warm milk? (The old lady said as she enjoyed her coffee)

SUNSHINE is a film about 3 generations of Hungarian-Jewish family and the trials and tribulations that consume them during some of Europe's darkest years--two world wars and more political and social upheavel than I can begin to imagine. SUNSHINE is an historically ambitious film; sadly, however, the character development was the main sacrifice.Ralph Fiennes portrays 3 different generations of the Sonnenschein family--Ignatz, Adam, and Ivan. The film's distinct partion into 3 different generations is one reason the great length of this film needn't hinder viewers--it's easy to take a break as soon as one sees Ralph morph into a different character.Beginning with Ignatz, the family's strong Jewish name (Sonnenschein, translated to "sunshine") causes problems. As a young lawyer, Ignatz convinces the family to adopt the name Sors to better their chances of assimilating into the upper echelon of Hungarian society. What follows is a very rapid peek into more than 50 years of Hungarian history as experienced by the Sors family. Though the film is narrated by Ivan, the third and final Sors man we meet, it is Valerie who is the only constant, and whose character is strongest. Raised by her aunt and uncle, the parents of Ignatz and his brother Gustav, she causes much family controversy when she seduces Ignatz, becomes pregnant, and entices him to marry her. Nonetheless, she remains the backbone of the family while the men get carried away with various personal and political ambitions--she is also the only woman in the family to survive the Holocaust. My advice to to watch Valerie closely, because her saga, though not a focus of the film, is every bit as compelling and perhaps more indicative of the suffering endured by real people.The acting in this film is acceptable. Fiennes is merely good; the one truly spectacular performance was certainly Rosemary Harris' portrayal of the aging Valerie.This isn't a bad film. It's very audience-friendly in spite of its great length--the storyline is never difficult to follow. But it's nothing life-altering or profound. Rent, don't buy.

Amazing story of a family saga in Eastern Europe before (mainly) and after WWI, and WWII. Beautifully told.

I liked that the history of Europe and the story of a Jewish family was told in an honest and truthful way. I still don't understand the attitude against the Jews, or the universal hatred towards Israel....as I see that anti-Jewish attitude growing also in this country. It is important to remember that Jewish people were limited in history to only work in certain circumstances and were not free to hold many jobs or own companies in many economic areas. And yet so many of them became important substantial people. I find it interesting and odd that the most liberal of our people seem to be leading that hatred of Jews and blame them in every situation. What I didn't like about the movie was that they seemed to welcome the idea that the more explicit sex that they could show would turn into more viewers and more dollars in their pockets. That took away from the overall quality of the program.

The story set over a period of more than seventy years, it tells of successive generations of a Jewish family living in the Austrian-Hungarian empire, their families, their loves, their trial and tribulations. Within the backdrop of the First World War, the collapse of an empire, the struggles to survive during economic downturns, and the Nazi occupations during World War Two with the Holocaust at its height. The story ends with the eventual collapse of the Hungarian Uprising during the mid 1950s against Russian occupation.It is a film made on an epic scale with a very fine cast, Ralph Fiennes who portrays the son, grandson, and great grandson, Jennifer Ehle as the woman he loves, and Rosemary Harris who portrays her in old age. Also present are James Frain, Rachel Weisz, William Hurt and Miriam Margoyles, with John Neville and Deborah Kara Unger in supporting roles.I found it a very absorbing film to watch, as the characters struggle along with their lives, meeting the challenges as they arise.The film has a very good soundtrack, 5:1 which works well on a Home Cinema system; although the picture detail was lacking in some scenes, with rather grainy and dark scenes. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment, it seemed to add to the atmosphere somewhat.A worthy view for those who enjoy those type of films which convey human interest stories on an epic scale.

Not to be confused with Danny Boyle's later, only foray into sci-fi, this 'Sunshine' is quite a rare movie; I've not been aware of it ever being on TV.Sunshine, though, features a very capable Ralph Fiennes, portraying three different men, in three different generations of the same Jewish family throughout the turmoils and futility of a warring Europe. This sounds a grand plan and mostly works, it being quite clear when a new era has been started, with Fiennes narrating a cross-over sort of stitching of stories, aided by newsreel to help us place it, time-wise.Probably Hungary's most successful director, István Szabó has used English here, whereas two of his previous films that follow many of the themes explored here that I have seen and own, are in Hungarian: the Oscar winning (Foreign Language) Mephisto and later Colonel Redl. These starred the Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer in brilliant and memorable performances.However, especially when comparing to the earlier Brandauer films, this structure is its slight undoing. However hard Fiennes tries - and he is forced into some quite nasty, humiliating scenes, he is never on the levels attained by Brandauer. This time-frame structure also makes the three hour run-time slacken, the film lacks the urgency and tightness of the Hungarian films and whilst in English, with some familiar faces, it lacks the authenticity, too. However, at least having all the cast speaking the same 'region-free' English dialogue means it is not jarred by a sudden American one, which would spoil it, a bit.However, the story remains an interesting one and the mood and feel never less than authentically and superbly realised, whilst handsome use of locations such as Vienna, Paris, Berlin and Budapest make for a visual feast. I've now just seen the film for the third time.If you're expecting a nice, twee and gentle period drama, leave this one well alone - Szabó has always gone for realism - often graphically. Expect torture, nudity and very strong language - it all fits in and is never gratutous but this does mean it's not one for Sunday afternoon with grandma and the kids.I would also definitely recommend the two Hungarian Szabó's that I mention - Mephisto is easier to buy and is critically very admired. Colonel Redl I had to buy as a Korean import but that is a good transfer at a good price, if you can find an outlet.

Sunshine is derived from Sonnenschein, the original name of a prosperous Jewish family living in Hungary and the film tells the story of the lives of several generations of the family over a period of about sixty years covering events from just before the turn of the century in 1900, the First World War which saw the destruction of the Austria-Hungary empire, the inter-war years which witnessed the rise of Fascism, the second world war and the Holocaust that was associated with it, the oppression of the Stalinist years following the war, the brief glimpse of freedom and democracy in the Hungarian revolution and its extinction by the tanks of the Soviet Army.The family is intensely loyal and patriotic, they fight for their country in both world wars and one of them becomes an Olympic fencing champion who represents Hungary and yet they suffer savage persecution at the hands of their fellow Hungarians because they are Jewish. The family struggle to find their place in society, often successfully but then times change and they have to cope with the tumultuous political, social and economic changes that take place in their country.The film brilliantly reconstructs the changing conditions in Hungary during different parts of the century and the performance of Ralph Fiennes at the centre of the film is truly remarkable. It is an absorbing story of how people have power and influence one minute and then get swept away by events over which they have no control. It also shows that the power individuals possess over their fellow citizens can be lost so easily, how patriotism can be easily subverted by politicians and that family loyalty is far more reliable and more enduring than loyalty towards any political system or country.

Ploughed my way through this very recently with the purchaser and at times I must admit I was a little bored.Story of a family over 3 generations and their success with a potion brewed from an old family recipe handed down through the years[been there before many times!] The success of the family,the obvious,undiluted anti-semitism and the relinquishing of much dear to their heart just to 'fit in',made this film easy,but not that fascinating to watch.Not a great fan of Ralph Fiennes anyway,i must admit to us 'fast-forwarding' a few scenes---especially the love ones,which were not always necessary.We just thought it was another ok film.

I was surprised at the given rating! Should be more like 18! The film gave a very good insight though into the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and times of those days, the constantly changing political situations, the Jewish question, assimilation or not, questions of identity, loyalties etc. Very well portrayed. Especially the fencing scenes were amazing - and there were quite a few of them! Anyway - a lot of food for thought!