from http://www.canoe.ca/JamMovies/
December 17, 1999
By Bruce Kirkland
Toronto Sun
Sunshine, Istvan Szabo's tragic historical drama about three generations of struggle for a Hungarian Jewish family, already has established its credentials.
After appearing as a gala at the Toronto filmfest, the film swept to the lead in the Genies -- the Canadian film awards -- by generating 14 nominations, including for best picture and seven different acting citations. Sunshine is expected to score a clutch of wins in the awards ceremony Jan. 30.
Meanwhile, as a Canadian-European co-production, it already has won some European film awards, including a best actor trophy for lead actor Ralph Fiennes, who stars in Sunshine in three different roles.
The film is also an example of grand, old-fashioned epic cinema. And it deals with a hugely important story -- the senseless, barbaric persecution of people because of their religion.
In this case, from the beginning of the 20th century through to contemporary times, nothing changes for the Sonnenschein family -- producers of an elixir called 'Sunshine' -- even as Hungary is thrown into political and social turmoil.
They suffer prejudices during the era of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then during the rise of fascism and the Nazis and finally at the hands of the Communists in post-World War II Hungary. Some family members compromise, some fight, others emerge as unwitting victims. The saga rings true and the scope is staggering.
What Sunshine is not, however, is a classic. Despite great attributes, including an impressive international cast and the stalwart work of Hungarian master filmmaker Szabo, Sunshine remains a strong story only reasonably well told.
The story bogs down at times. The three-hour running time is either too long or too short (some plot points should either be eliminated or fleshed out even more).
There is also a problem with the sex scenes. In his three roles -- a man, his son and his grandson -- Fiennes gets to bed down a bevy of beauties throughout the years. In his third reincarnation on screen, it just seems a bit much to watch him go at it again. Restraint might have been in order.
What the film does do extremely well is conjure major themes -- the inhumanity of the species, the symbolic meaning of a family name, the aching need for tolerance and acceptance in modern society -- and make them personal.
The cast in each generation of the story helps in this process. The Genie nominees -- Fiennes, the mother-daughter team of Rosemary Harris and Jennifer Ehle (who play the same character in two different eras), James Frain, William Hurt and Rachel Weisz -- are joined by others just as worthy of accolades: Deborah Kara Unger, John Neville, Molly Parker.
They combine as the story ebbs and flows through the century, personalizing history, making it intimate and immediate. In the end, Sunshine is a powerful transforming experience.
(This film is rated R)
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