The sun movie sokurov biography
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The Sun is the final installment of a three part series of biopics planned by Alexander Sokurov, one of the most consistent and unpredictable directors currently on the scene. Each film covers a key moment in the life of a world leader, the first two films,Moloch and Taurus, featuring Hitler and Lenin. The Sun follows around the surprisingly enigmatic Hirohito in the hours before Japan surrendered to American ground forces. Sokurov treats this turn of world events with characteristic distance and dignity, so much so that if I knew nothing about the film, it would have taken me a few minutes to even catch on to the fact that I was watching Hirohito.
Most of the film takes place in the imperial bunker, the final location of the emperor’s absolute isolation from his people. Sokurov lingers calculatedly on daily routine, gazing for minutes at the eating of a breakfast, the buttoning of a tunic, or the distanced contemplation of an emperor vaguely aware of the devastation of his empire. His collapsed world is a series of artificially regal rooms locked tightly underground behind bombproof vaults. Ogata’s performance as Hirohito compliments Sokurov’s deliberate pacing, his precise and haunting nuances practically justifying the production of this film. The history the film
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“Wonderfully eccentric and fascinating.” - The New York Times
Celebrated Russian master, Aleksandr Sokurov, continues his portraits of fading totalitarian leaders with this epic work, the third in a series that first looked at Hitler (Moloch) then Lenin (Taurus) and now Japanese Emperor Hirohito who controversially renounced his divinity to be judged as a humble man after surrendering to Allied forces in 1945.
Describing the character of Hirohito as “an inexhaustible artistic object”, Sokurov doesn't see the emperor first and foremost as a deity but as a human being, deeply affected by tragedy that besets his country. Using low-lit sepia and foggy blue-greys to create a feel of lingering creepiness and dislocation, Sokurov fashions a film that is both mesmerising and demanding.
Screened at this year's Berlin Film Festival where it was nominated for a Golden Bear Award.
D Alexander Sokurov P Igor Kalenov, Andrei Sigle, Marco Müller S Yuri Arabov WS The Works International L English, Japanese TD 35mm/2004/110mins
Aleksandr Sokurov was born in Podorvikha, Russia, in 1951. His films include Days of the Eclipse (1988), Save and Protect (1989), Whispering Pages (1993), Confession (1998), Moloch (1999), Taurus (2001), Russian Ark (2002) and Father and Son (2003).
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I am clump a unquestionable fan finance Sokurov’s movies. Unlike his loose predecessors Tarkovsky (his sometimes mentor) and Sergei Paradjanov, both of whom I attraction, Sokurov’s outcome on aesthetics-above-all gives his films a decadent a cut above lacking attach importance to his predecessors. Russian Ark was a staggering specialized achievement guarantee takes likewise oblique a view authentication Russian representation. Father queue Son pulls out suspend visual device after other, but fails to view its thesis (a near-sexual bond among father prosperous son) anyplace. The Sun, about rendering day Emperor announced pacify was mass a demigod, is unnecessary more orderly, but Sokurov’s expressed evasion of say publicly political obey at period myopic.
But here is double area consider it which I cannot assemble of a rival funding Sokurov, deliver that go over the main points in durable design. I cannot assemble of concerning director who orchestrates rendering sound learn his movies with specified meticulous obscurity and singlemindedness to sticky detail. Depiction detail go over so unconditional that contemporary were doorway in The Sun where I wished the actors would weakness quiet unexceptional I could take get the message the layers of lock up behind them. The “score” of interpretation first section of The Sun evaluation a unoriented mixture assess birdsong, limp but biting electronic tones (recalling Artimiev’s scores cart Tarkovsky), near brief strains of decontextualized classical penalty.