The Sun (film)
| The Sun | |
|---|---|
| File:Solntse.jpg Russian release poster | |
| Directed by | Alexander Sokurov |
| Written by | Yuri Arabov |
| Produced by | Igor Kallenof Marco Muller Andrei Sigle Alexander Rodnyansky |
| Starring | Issei Ogata Robert Dawson |
| Cinematography | Alexander Sokurov |
| Edited by | Sergei Ivanov |
| Music by | Andrei Sigle |
Release date | 2005 |
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Languages | Japanese English |
The Sun (Russian: Сóлнце, Solntse) is a 2005 Russian biographical film surrounding Japanese Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) during the final days of World War II. The film is the third drama in director Aleksandr Sokurov's trilogy following on the leaders of Russia (Taurus about Vladimir Lenin) and Germany's (Moloch about Adolf Hitler).[1]
Plot
Towards the conclusion of the Second World War, Japan nears defeat as Emperor Hirohito (Issei Ogata) reminisces on the past while being held up in a bunker underneath his Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Hirohito reflects on the foundation of the conflict while attempting to dictate peace terms. Later, U.S. military commander General Douglas MacArthur (Robert Dawson) is sent to bring him through the ruins of Tokyo for a meeting regarding the occupation of the victorious Allied leaders. The two very different men strangely bond after sharing dinner and cigars, after which Hirohito retreats to his personal quarters. Following his admission of personal failures, Hirohito attempts to rebuild his war-ravaged country as a fully developed constitutional nation while his own future remains in doubt, as either the Emperor of Japan or a war criminal.
Cast
- Issei Ogata as Emperor Hirohito
- Robert Dawson as General Douglas MacArthur
- Kaori Momoi as Empress Kojun
- Shiro Sano as the Chamberlain
- Shinmei Tsuji as the Old Servant
- Taijiro Tamura as the Scientist
- Georgi Pitskhelauri as McArthur's Warrant Officer
- Hiroya Morita as Kantarō Suzuki
- Toshiaki Nishizawa as Mitsumasa Yonai
- Naomasa Musaka as Korechika Anami
- Yusuke Tozawa as Kōichi Kido
- Kōjirō Kusanagi as Shigenori Tōgō
- Tetsuro Tsuno as Yoshijirō Umezu
- Rokuro Abe as Soemu Toyoda
- Jun Haichi as Nobuyuki Abe
Production
Filming
Having confessed himself in "not being interested in the history or politics which took place, and not really being interested in historical events of the period",[2] Sokurov gives a personal impression of Hirohito while omitting all references to questions surrounding the Tokyo tribunal regarding the personal responsibility of the emperor as head of the Imperial General Headquarters in relation to Japanese war crimes. Due to this omission, the character interactions in the film are reflected in such a way that the imperial conference between the emperor and his council along with the meeting between Hirohito and MacArthur, are in fact none of the words related to imperial interpreter Katsuzô Okumura's transcript. As noted by Okumura, the general praised the emperor's "august virtue" (miitsu).[3]
According to The Times, the film has not been widely screened in Japan due to fears of violence from right wing extremists over its portrayal of Hirohito.
References
- ^ The Sun (Solntse) (2005) Reviewed by Jamie Woolley bbc.co.uk
- ^ Aesthetic choices: Aleksandr Sokurov’s The Sun World Socialist Web Site
- ^ John Dower, Embracing Defeat, 1999, p.296
External links
- The Sun at IMDb
- The Sun at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Dream Director film review by Daniel Mendelsohn from The New York Review of Books
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