Customer Reviews

Utomlyonnye solntsem [VHS]

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I find a lot of reviews presented in this forum unsatisfactory. They either debate whether or not "Burnt by the Sun" deserved an Oscar or criticize the controversial figure of the film's director, Mikhalkov, his political stances, deficiencies, faults, etc. A few if any reviews talk about the emotional power of this picture, which affected me tremendously.

"Burnt by the Sun", or "Drained by the Sun" (a more accurate translation from Russian) has impressed me with its depth and subtle nuances in portraying people's inner psyche, their desires, fears, hopes and illusions. It is a very humane and cruel movie at the same time. It's hard if not impossible to choose sides, e.g. in the beginning I found myself sympathizing with Mitya, the antagonist, who was forced to leave his home, who lost the love of his life to Kotov but survived the horrors of wars, only to find out later for me that he is in fact just a merciless murderer and betrayer, burned out and empty as a carcass of the corpse, cynical enough to befriend and play with a six-year old daughter of his victim.

Starting with the opening scene, the movie grabbed my attention and never let go. A young, handsome man returns home to his apartment close to the heart of Soviet Russia - the Kremlin, exhausted, apathetic, and drained emotionally and physically. We presume that he is a big shot in a new Soviet government, for he has a big place all to himself and his French servant. He turns on the radio, doesn't answer the phone calls, pulls out his gun, and takes out all but one bullet. Classical Russian roulette. What is it that makes a man cross that line? Is it fear? Is it necessity? Is it the last escape before the path from which you cannot steer? Is it the last noble thing that you can do?.... <ok, I'm giving out too much here already..>

The movie is "heavy" for an average viewer, and, yes, it is somewhat hard to keep track of all characters and developments in the beginning. You'll have to go trough lots of innuendos, hints, and subtlety. But the ultimate shock in the end is worth the wait. It will leave you thinking about what is good and bad and about the entire spectrum of morality in between. It will teach you what a human tragedy really is. And, hopefully, it will leave you some room for hope. Which is what every great movie should do, anyway.

This absolute poetry on camera, which bagged the 1995 best international film award, is a masterpiece I highly recommend you to watch.

Russians (or other followers of Stalin's times) may be a bit jaded by the theme of 30's USSR suffering. But for the rest of us, "Burnt by the Sun" glides effortlessly, seamlessly though the genres as it tells of a handful of Russian characters who collectively constitute a family of sorts with great humor and drama, poignant and sweetly sentimental moments, and excellence both technically and artistically.

What is more, the film's story is interesting, unpredictable, and well told with depth and neatly developed characters.

The reviewers who have lamented about the politics of the our time, the academy award and the bravura with which it was accepted etc. are making weirdly baseless comments. If you enjoyed Polanski's opus "Pianist", I guarantee you're in for a visual and sentimental treat with this one as well!

Mikhalkov always had a flair for Chekhovian drama, and he doesn't disappoint the viewer in this movie, which essentially updates "The Cherry Orchard" to Stalinist Russia. What we get is a tumultuous day in the life of a theatre group in a tranquil rural community, lorded over by the proud Commander Kotov, as the small town prepares for the celebration of Stalin's first ride in an air balloon. Mikhalkov deftly mixes humor with pathos, the hallmark of all his movies, as the bucolic life is broken by the return of Mitya (impeccably played by Oleg Menshikov). We slowly get to learn of Mitya's mission with a profound sense of foreboding. The acting is purposely staged to give the scenes their rich theatrical air, yet there is a naturalism too, as Mikhalkov has such a fine eye for detail. To reveal too much of the movie is to give away its stunning climax. It was one of the first films to emerge from the post-Soviet era and gave Mikhalkov a broader international audience, earning him an Oscar in 1994.

No one in the West understands what the Russian Revolution really did to the people who were left behind in the wake of political upheaval. This film shows the edgy realities of the new Russia under Stalin, whose cult of personality demands that one of the heroes of the Revolution, now married to his assassin's childhood sweetheart, be executed. The assassin, a musical prodigy, returns to the house of his former love, the daughter of one of Russia's great musicians, where he relives his life as a music student. In the conflict that ensues between the Soviet and traditional understandings of Russia, the assassin reveals that his fear of Stalin is greater than any other drive he has. A symbolic fireball that appears from time to time indicates the danger inherent in this conflicted society. The film is remarkable for its Chekhovian quality that questions the meaning of a society divided against itself. It also raises the question of the meaning of art in a world that values "trains with geese" as its highest achievement. The use of symbols, especially at the end, gives the political aspects of the film a chilling reality
that ordinary historical discourse cannot achieve.
As a work of art the film is remarkable. END

The endless summer day of love, lust, eating, fine friends, laughter and tears cannot last. Nikita Michalkov's brilliant film is moving . . . the hero revels in his last day of freedom. The acting is outstanding. The luscious tranquil scenery is the backdrop for this emotionally charged film. The hero faces fate with a laugh and a wink--he charges forward to certain death--he's ordered and has no choice. I couldn't turn away from this movie. It's images linger on in my brain. The undercurrent of the torment of the cruel state is symbolized by the balloon honoring Stalin. We remember all those brave souls who we're burnt by the sun.

Stalin....was there anyone in the Soviet Union, during the 30's, who's life was not ruined or touched by tragic events, to some degree, in his relentless cleansings and purges? I seriously doubt it. Here we have a truly great film masterpiece by Nikita Mikhalkov...that of General Serfei Kotov, a great hero of the revolution. He has always tried to live like and ideolize himself as a true upstanding communist and respected revolutionary war hero. He is with his family at his dacha, where other guests are present, vacationing, also. However, his bucholic lakeside "visit" moves from one of restful bliss to sheer and utter terror as he realizes he has become another victim of Stalin's supreme spying league. Interwoven are other details and bits of the lives of other characters. Absolutely one of the most beautifully filmed movies ever committed to film (think of the photography of "Days of Heaven")... just breathtaking to look at. The nature of the story makes it somewhat hard to discuss, in review here, without giving away more than one should, and I do not intend to make this review a "Spoiler". Just trust me, it's a "keeper". (I love this film so much, that I replaced my VHS tape with Laserdisc, and then my Laserdisc with the DVD release...if it wasn't really great, believe me, I would not have kept upgrading a copy of it.)

......Another little nudge here would be "Kolya"....get it and watch it, also! It's wonderful.

It is SO funny to read these reviews sometimes... But I can get it. We have so much in different between our nations that I don't even wanna talk about it right now. I'll be happy to answer to all of your questions you might have about this movie. I bet you understood how deep this movie is. It does have more questions than answers especially when you watch it less than 3 times. Of course I don't even talk about people who wanted to press 'fwd' button. These guys will never get Russian culture at all. But people are people. For me - this is the best russian movie ever, it has outstanding plays and very, very deep...

I'm really into Russian literature and film and this one is pure cream. Perfect casting, spectacular cinematography, and a great story. This film is never boring and, for Americans, yields an incredible sense of Russian culture under Stalin; however, the tale is not at all limited to misery -- there is no shortage of light humor and very interesting day to day life experience here.
This film tells the story of a (very likeable) major Russian hero, (retired and living at an art camp of sorts), and his lovely family, and how the tide of his life turns as a direct result of Stalin's lunatic madness and paranoia. Now, I want to say up front that I usually hate smooshy script and there's none of that here, albeit, there's a basic underlying love story.
If you can at all tolerate English subtitles, don't miss this one -- it's just super and SO much better than cheesy Hollywood fluff!

Clearly one of the most visually stunning, intelligent, sophisticated films about life in Russia during the Stalinist years, BURNT BY THE SUN is an experience all lovers of fine filmmaking should see. Directed and starring Nikita Mikhalkov who also co-wrote the screenplay with Rustam Ibragimbekov, this film allows us entry into the inside stories of Russia under Stalin. It is an emotionally devastating tale.

On the grounds of his dacha in 1936 revolutionary hero Colonel Kotov (Nikita Mikhalkov) cavorts in his sauna with his young daughter Nadya (Nadezhda Mikhalkova) and his elegantly beautiful young wife Marusia (Ingeborga Dapkunaite). Outside on the lawn is the rest of Kotov's family in a peaceful, sun-drenched summer garden, drinking, singing, and blissfully enjoying life in the country. On the vast horizon is a group of men assembling a balloon to honor Stalin, and a group of army tanks treads onto the wheat fields threatening to destroy the crops. The townsfolk workers run for Kotov to rescue the situation, underlining the fact the Kotov is their hero from the revolution, much loved and respected. Abruptly onto the scene comes the handsome young cousin Dimitri/Mitya (Oleg Menshikov), an ex-lover of Kotov's wife. He ingratiates himself with Nadia and the rest of the family as a pianist and singer, but there is a note of evil lurking. Kotov understands the threat that Mitya's arrival indicates, that he has been betrayed and has become one of the many to be purged by Stalin. But the life in the dacha remains leisurely and elegant until the fateful end when Mitya's mission is fulfilled. The film ends with phrases telling us about the destinies of Kotov and his family up to the end of the purge after Stalin's death.

The story is history: the telling is art. Blest with a cast of extraordinary luminosity, Nikita Mikhalkov directs this tale of repression with style and leisurely pacing, such as allowing for moments at table when one of the grandmothers sings an aria from Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly', an aria whose text foreshadows the future of the story. It is this contrast between the residual classy elegance of Russia before the revolution and the gritty reality of the cruelty of Stalinism that makes the film so resonant. The cinematography by Vilen Kalyuta and the musical score by Eduard Artemyev enhance the film immeasurably. In Russian and French with English subtitles. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, March 06

Viewers (this includes most of the professional reviewers) who saw this movie as the last day of freedom for Kotov, an up-from-the ranks Soviet hero, beloved by his men and honored by a grateful nation, saw only half the movie. The charming family enjoying a lazy summer day in the country, the devotion between Kotov and his daughter while doubting his wife's fidelity and his growing realization that his friend, Stalin, has ordered his arrest is movie enough! But there is more....
At second look, the family life is far from idyllic. The family (the dacha is theirs, not Kotov's) are the wife, daughter, relatives, friends of Boris the famous Bolshoi Theater conductor. They are retired artists and intellectuals who had mingled with the royal family before the revolution. They regard the Soviet regime as a kind of occupation and must be careful about what they say in Kotov's presence. Clearly he would like to assume Boris' place as head of the family, but they regard him as declasse', a braggart, and a bully. In the famous boat scene, the hero father has only platitudes to offer his daughter. His view of national progress lies in technological advances. He plays baby games with this exceptional little girl who longs for the kind of challenge that Mitya will offer her.

The second hero is Mitya, beloved of Boris and his family, who greet him as the prodigal son, coming alive to his laughter and music. They see him as Boris' rightful heir, a kind of Hamlet-- home to clean house. Unlike his adopted family, he has been unable to escape direct conflict with the Soviet regime. As an White Army exile, he had made a deal with the devil, the infamous NKVD, in order to return home. But Kotov has sent him away again, for a total of almost 20 years abroad. At the beginning of the film he gambles his life against taking his misery home. When he finally agrees to go, his aim is to clean up his act (the washing of the steps in Red Square). He is not an assassin-IT IS STALIN WHO ORDERED THE ARREST--but he will take revenge on the man who robbed him of his life.

Although the men engage in competitions (including a dance competition!) throughout the day, Nadya (literally) leads them out of the woods of such futility. Both men will lose. Only Stalin is the winner! Neither man is a villain; both deserve compassion. Poor Kotov finally broke--I believe it was because of his acknowledgment of his own complicity in the truckdriver's murder--groaning his way to Moscow. But the dirge in the cellos was for Mitya, signalling the death of his soul. Supported by his family's love, he had almost achieved redemption, but the incident with the truck driver demanded the concentration of the NKVD man. His series of errors in the car led inevitably to the truck driver's death. I hated him so much as he gathered his white coat about him and entered the car on the opposite side, that his suicide had little effect on me. So why did I mourn him for weeks and weeks?