Sunshine

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Sunshine</B>   |   <A HREF="id227.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Supernova"><U>Supernova</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1094.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan Svankmaker Short Films 19641972"><U>Jan Svankmaker Short Films 1964-1972</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1095.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jan Svankmajer Short Films 19791992"><U>Jan Svankmajer Short Films 1979-1992</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id533.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Tao of Steve"><U>The Tao of Steve</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id279.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Titan A.E."><U>Titan A.E.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id267.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sweet November"><U>Sweet November</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id258.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Terrorist"><U>Terrorist</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id886.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Taboo"><U>Taboo</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id554.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Tic Code"><U>The Tic Code</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id869.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Legally Blonde"><U>Legally Blonde</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id618.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Red Planet"><U>Red Planet</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id608.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Remember The Titans"><U>Remember The Titans</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1245.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Life as a House"><U>Life as a House</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id231.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reindeer Games"><U>Reindeer Games</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id225.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Restaurant"><U>Restaurant</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id168.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Return To Me"><U>Return To Me</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1144.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lost and Delirious"><U>Lost and Delirious</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id725.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Low Down"><U>The Low Down</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id226.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rules of Engagement"><U>Rules of Engagement</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id532.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Saving Grace"><U>Saving Grace</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1017.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Luzhin Defence"><U>The Luzhin Defence</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1103.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nico and Dani"><U>Nico and Dani</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id174.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Scary Movie"><U>Scary Movie</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1045.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Set Me Free"><U>Set Me Free</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id885.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nowhere to Hide"><U>Nowhere to Hide</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id890.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="One Day in September"><U>One Day in September</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shaft"><U>Shaft</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id814.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pollock"><U>Pollock</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id115.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shanghai Noon"><U>Shanghai Noon</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Price of Milk"><U>The Price of Milk</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id103.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Small Time Crooks"><U>Small Time Crooks</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id918.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Prime Gig"><U>The Prime Gig</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id700.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Solomon Gaenor"><U>Solomon & Gaenor</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1025.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Princess and the Warrior"><U>Princess and the Warrior</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id232.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Space Cowboys"><U>Space Cowboys</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id880.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ratcatcher"><U>Ratcatcher</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id923.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="See Spot Run"><U>See Spot Run</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id357.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sunset Boulevard"><U>Sunset Boulevard</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <IMG SRC="227bdd90.png" border=0 width="189" height="217" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Home Pages For</B></div> <div> <B>                </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/"><U><B>Movies</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>                    </B><A HREF="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B>Books</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>                       </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Travel</B></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Great Web Sites</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="22f955e0.png" border=0 width="149" height="94" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="szereplok.htm#szehle" TARGET="_top" TITLE="szereplok.htm#szehle"><U><U>Jennifer Ehle</U></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >, </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="23095610.png" border=0 width="149" height="97" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>David de Keyser</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >: </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="23195610.png" border=0 width="149" height="97" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Miriam Margolyes:</B> </div> <div> <IMG SRC="23295610.png" border=0 width="149" height="97" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="szereplok.htm#szmolly" TARGET="_top" TITLE="szereplok.htm#szmolly"><U><U>Molly Parker</U></U></A></FONT>)</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Sunshine</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="507" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 65 WIDTH="501"><div>  <IMG SRC="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/serve?bfmid=2181&sourceid=31770466&bfpid=0097363388043&bfmtype=video" BORDER="0" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" NOSAVE ><A HREF="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181&sourceid=31770466&bfpid=0097363388043&bfmtype=video" TARGET="_top">Buy DVD from Amazon.com<P>  </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Sunshine</B> **** (R)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Reviewed By George O. Singleton</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="588" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Power and Lust</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="616" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Ignatz, Adam & Ivan: Ralph Fiennes</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Valerie as young woman: Jennifer Ehle</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Valerie as older woman: Rosemary Harris</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Gustave: James Frain;</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="323"><div> Andor Knorr:  William Hurt</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Director: Istvan Szabo</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> Major Carole Kovacs: Deborah Unger</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="20" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="286" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: We journey through the lives of a Jewish family covering three generations, beginning in the late 1890's and continuing to the mid-1960's. They fight various government regimes, oppression, and their own identities. <I>Sunshine</I> is a story about survival and how people deal with both good and bad times.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Ignatz (Ralph Fiennes) must change his name from Sonnenschein to Sors so that he can become a Central Court Judge in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His uncle tells him, "Take nothing on trust, see everything for yourself." He changes his name because "Names are not given to us by God." We are told that power and lust are the things that cause people to destroy others. The power is demonstrated as the Nazi's assume control, followed by the communists. Valerie Sonnenschein (Jennifer Ehle) observes that the old regime says the prior one was criminally corrupt, while the new one will provide justice and freedom, only to become corrupt and criminal. </div> <bR> <div> Ignatz and Valerie are first cousins who grow to love one another in a romantic and passionate relationship. Against the family's wishes they marry and have two sons. Adam (as an adult, also played by Ralph Fiennes), becomes a fencing champion at the 1936 Olympics. He has an affair with the wife of his brother and this leads to three powerful scenes that alone make this a great film. Two involve the family listening to the radio. The first time it's to support Adam during the Olympic games, much like African-Americans would listen to Joe Louis before the days of pay per view. The second scene is when they listen to the Nazi's definition of a Jew. If you are a Jew, there are certain jobs you can not do. It defines your civil rights or lack of them. You can be a Jew but not be treated as a Jew…at least for today. As the person makes the announcement, it is clear that it is the Nazis, and not you, who have control over your destiny. So much so that they define who you are and what you can do. </div> <bR> <div> The third stunning scene is when Adam and his son Ivan (as an adult, also played by Ralph Fiennes), are in a concentration camp. The guards are not impressed by Adam's insistence that he has" assimilated" into society. In his mind, having won an Olympic Gold medal for the country proved his patriotism. The fact that he has changed his name and his religion to become a member of an elite fencing club makes no difference to the guard. A Jew is a Jew. This is probably the most powerful scene you will see this year. There are 2,000 Jews who watch one being beaten, when there are only 30 guards, albeit with weapons. Fiennes is powerful here in much the same way that Denzel Washington was in <A HREF="id204.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hurricane"><U><I><B>Hurricane.</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> Later on, as an adult, Ivan starts to look down upon Jews and has forgotten his heritage because of all the changes made in his family. He fulfills his lust with Major Carole Kovacs (Deborah Unger), the wife of a soldier away at war.</div> <bR> <div> Valerie exudes the ability to live life with both passion and lust, while enjoying the simple pleasures in life, like flowers in the courtyard. In later life, Rosemary Harris plays Valerie. Her ability to survive and to see brightness during very dark hours illustrates the human spirit of mind over matter.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Sunshine</I> is about family values and much more. It's also about knowing when to hold your cards when to fold them. Sometimes you stay and fight and other times you cut and run.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: The underlying meaning of <I>Sunshine</I> is summed up by a quotation from Carleen Brice's book, <I><B>"Walk Tall"</B></I> in which she says, "It is when we honor our values that we are most richly rewarded."</div> <bR> <div> The Jews were told that "assimilation is the only possible way." However, that proved not to be the case. If anything, while Jews were "in their place" in lower level positions, they posed no real threat. They could even have some token high-level positions, in which they were integrated into the society, if they did things such as change their name or religion. That is a two edged sword because once you are in the higher level positions, you can be perceived as a threat to the CEO <B>and</B> the red necked Bubba driving a truck for the same company. What can be <B>given</B> can be taken away. </div> <bR> <div> Arguably the most erotic scene in recent memory is the affair that Ivan has with Major Carole Kovacs. They have a compassionate, hungry love making sense of desperation that only the stress of war can provide. </div> <bR> <div> "Nice ordinary people did the dirty work of the fascists," says Andor Knorr (William Hurt). He is at his best in this cameo performance that is a standout even in a film three hours long. He observes that "Every new regime needs traitors to consolidate power and then we get rid of them." One powerful politician sarcastically remarks that "More Jews came back from the concentration camps than went to them." The use of archival black and white film footage is quite effective in giving this family story a historical perspective in the greater world over a period of 70 years. </div> <bR> <div> Power and lust drive people to destroy others. That is the way it has been in the past and will likely be in the future. Being aware of this story only reinforces that these things must be kept in check. A democracy with an informed electorate that consistently votes is the only environment to keep history from repeating itself. Benevolent dictators seldom stay that way.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> R ( strong sexuality; nudity; language; strong violence)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> George O. Singleton © 2000</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>