Burnt by the Sun
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| Burnt by the Sun | |
 Original DVD poster |
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| Directed by | Nikita Mikhalkov |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Nikita Mikhalkov Michel Seydoux |
| Written by | Rustam Ibragimbekov Nikita Mikhalkov |
| Starring | Oleg Menshikov Nikita Mikhalkov Ingeborga Dapkunaite Nadezhda Mikhalkova |
| Music by | Eduard Artemyev |
| Cinematography | Vilen Kalyuta |
| Editing by | Enzo Meniconi |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Release date(s) | May 21, 1994 (premiere at Cannes) 21 April 1995 (U.S.) 18 August 1995 (UK) |
| Running time | 135 min. |
| Country | Russia France |
| Language | Russian / French |
| Budget | $2,800,000 (estimated) |
Burnt by the Sun (Russian: Утомлённые солнцем, Utomlyonnye solntsem) is a 1994 film by Russian director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov. The film received the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, among many other honours.
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[edit] Plot
The film opens in 1936, just before Joseph Stalin's Great Purge. Colonel Sergei Kotov (Nikita Mikhalkov), an Old Bolshevik and decorated hero of the Russian Civil War, is enjoying life in his country dacha. Alongside him is his wife Maroussia (Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė), their daughter Nadia, and Maroussia's large and eccentric family of Chekhovian aristocrats. The charismatic Kotov, relaxed in his semi-retirement, is held in awe by all who surround him.
Into this idyllic setting walks Mitya (Oleg Menshikov), an ex-nobleman who was Maroussia's fiance before his sudden disappearance. He is joyfully embraced by the family and introduced to Nadia as "Uncle Mitya." However, it soon becomes clear that despite his humorous, friendly nature he has returned with a secret agenda. Mitya now works for the Secret Police, or NKVD, and has arrived to arrest Colonel Kotov under false charges of spying for the German and Japanese governments.
This is revenge to some extent, as the reason why he left Maroussia was that Kotov forcibly conscripted him into the NKVD. Mitya was then sent to Paris and ordered to spy on White Russian emigres. As result, Mitya detests Kotov, whom he blames for taking away both Maroussia and his own faith in God. Kotov, however, views Mitya as "a whore" who was "bought and paid for" by the Soviet State. He is certain that Mitya's plans to arrest him are nothing more than a personal vendetta. Citing his enormous popularity and his close relationship with Stalin, Kotov tells Mitya indignantly that the regime will never dare to touch him. In public, however, they continue their charade of friendship.
Eventually, however, a black car filled with NKVD agents arrives to arrest him. Even then, the charade continues and Nadia is even allowed to ride part of the way. Thinking nothing is amiss, she kisses her father goodbye and walks home. Meanwhile, Kotov's cool, officer's pride remains unshaken. Certain that he can turn the tables on his captors by calling Stalin's private number, he taunts them about the coming destruction of their careers.
However, when he tries to leave the car, the NKVD agents beat him to a pulp and shackle his hands. In horror, Kotov realizes where the decision to arrest him must have come from. With his faith in the system shattered, a bloodied Kotov weeps unconsolably. Mitya, who has obviously seen this happen to many men, remains unmoved. The car drives on until a massive poster of Stalin shields it from view.
A postscript reveals that Colonel Sergei Kotov was convicted of espionage and shot. Maroussia was also arrested and died in the GULAG. Both sentences were later overturned during the Khrushchev thaw. Their daughter Nadia is described as having survived and as currently working as a music teacher in Kazakhstan. Mitya - as the last scenes of the movie reveal - committed suicide by slashing his wrists.
[edit] Title
The title derives from a popular 1930s song composed by Jerzy Petersburski. Originally the Polish tango Ta ostatnia niedziela, it became popular in the Soviet Union with the new Russian lyrics as Утомлённое солнце (Utomlyonnoye solntse, Weary Sun) and later was performed by Leonid Utyosov. The title also refers to a mysterious orb of light, similar to ball lightning, that appears at various points in the film; the film states at the end that it is dedicated to those "burnt by the sun" of the Revolution ("weary with the sun" in the Russian title).
[edit] Response
The film was critizied by some in Russia by claiming that Mitya's suicide was nothing but a pander to western audiences.[citation needed] The claim was that, at the time, agents like Mitya would not have any regrets over doing their job and that the suicide and showing regret would soften the impact of his deeds to make the film more palatable to those in the west.[citation needed]
[edit] Stage play
Playwright Peter Flannery's stage adaptation of Mikhalkov's film opened at the National Theatre, London, in March 2009.[1] The cast includes Irish actor Ciaran Hinds as General Kotov, Rory Kinnear as Mitya, and Michelle Dockery as Maroussia.[1]
[edit] Sequel
A sequel has been announced and is due to be released in 2010. Nikita Mikhalkov will be directing and reprising his role as Col. Sergei Petrovich Kotov as will Nadezhda Mikhalkova, who played Nadya in the original film.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Coveney, Michael (5 March 2009). "Burnt By The Sun, National Theatre, London". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/burnt-by-the-sun-national-theatre-london-1637610.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-21.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403645/
- [Review of] Burnt by the Sun. by Michel Seidou; Nikita Mikhalkov; Rustam Ibragimbekov. The Interpretation of Dreams. by Andrei Zagdansky; Semen Vinokur in The American Historical Review > Vol. 100, No. 4 (Oct., 1995), pp. 1223–1224
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Belle Époque |
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film 1994 |
Succeeded by Antonia's Line |
| Preceded by Faraway, So Close! |
Grand Prix du Jury, Cannes 1994 tied with To Live |
Succeeded by Ulysses' Gaze (award renamed Grand Prix) |
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