Sunshine (1999)

The fate of a Hungarian Jewish family throughout the 20th century.

Director:

István Szabó

Writers:

István Szabó (story), István Szabó (screenplay)

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, Rosemary Harris, Rachel Weisz

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 12 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes	...	Ignatz Sonnenschein / Adam Sors / Ivan Sors
Rosemary Harris	...	Valerie Sors
Rachel Weisz	...	Greta
Jennifer Ehle	...	Valerie Sonnenschein
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Maj. Carole Kovács
Molly Parker	...	Hannah Wippler
James Frain	...	Gustave Sonnenschein
David de Keyser	...	Emmanuel Sonnenschein
John Neville	...	Gustave Sors
Miriam Margolyes	...	Rose Sonnenschein
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Gen. Jakofalvy
Mark Strong	...	István Sors
Bill Paterson	...	Minister of Justice
Trevor Peacock	...	Comrade Gen. Kope
Hanns Zischler	...	Baron Margitta

Storyline

The film follows a Jewish family living in Hungary through three generations, rising from humble beginnings to positions of wealth and power in the crumbling Austro-Hungarian Empire. The patriarch becomes a prominent judge but is torn when his government sanctions anti-Jewish persecutions. His son converts to Christianity to advance his career as a champion fencer and Olympic hero, but is caught up in the Holocaust. Finally, the grandson, after surviving war, revolution, loss and betrayal, realizes that his ultimate allegiance must be to himself and his heritage.

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Plot Keywords:

one word title | sex scene | jewish | female frontal nudity | man in shower | 

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Taglines:

En skæbnefortælling om tre generationer i kamp for at overleve. [Denmark]

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, and for violence, language and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Hungarian Official Site (Intercom) Metropolitan Filmexport

Country:

Germany Austria Canada Hungary France UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

14 July 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Taste of Sunshine

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$84,869, 11 June 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,095,981, 4 February 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Atlantis Communications, Bavaria Film and Television Fund, Channel Four Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

181 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jennifer Ehle, who plays Young Valerie, is the daughter of Rosemary Harris, who plays Older Valerie.

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Goofs

When Adam Sors returns to Budapest after the 1936 Olympics, there is a brief shot of the train station in Budapest showing several Bzmot type trains that were first put in use in 1977.

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Quotes

Ivan Sors: [speaking to the graveside of Andor Knorr] Andor Knorr, one of your murderers has come to your grave, to say goodbye to you. I was your first interrogator, someone who you trained to defend the cause without mercy. We believed we were going to make the world better place for people, but, instead, we made it so much worse. As servants of power-hungry criminals, we became criminals. Our politicians lied to the people by saying they were doing good. And then the people lied to the politicians by ...

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Connections

Referenced in Diamond Tongues (2015)

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Soundtracks

Stalin Cantata
Written by A.V. Alexandrov, Iljuskin
Arranged by Frigyes Hidas, István Raics
Performed by Szabó Zsolt Orchestra and Choir
BM Szimfonikus Zenekar, Trikolore Kft

User Reviews

Holocaust Fatigue?

Schindler's List was apparently enough for most film goers. "Sunshine," superior to "Schindler" in many respects, got fewer accolades and much less attention. Why do I think "Sunshine" is superior to "Schindler?" Primarily because it tells the story of the Holocaust through the lens of a single family whose pre-Holocaust history gives a dimension and depth to the tragedy of that family that "Schlinder" is incapable of providing because of its quite different narrative strategy and focus. To be sure, "Schindler's" narrative sweep affords a greater sense than "Sunshine" of the scope of the slaughter. But "Sunshine" stands in relation to "Schindler" as a novel stands to a work of history. One brings the insights offered by individual tragedies, the other brings more of a societal perspective. The best "Holocaust" film, however, remains in this viewer's opinion, "The Pawnbroker" with Rod Stieger, which had an even narrower focus than "Sunshine" and brought the horror of the Holocaust to life by exploring the emotional desolation/death suffered by a single survivor. A truly great film.