Shades of Day (2006)

"Shades of Day" is a suspenseful Hollywood fable based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novella "White Nights"(considered one of the greatest love stories ever written), but here transferred... See full summary »

Director:

Vitaly Sumin

Writers:

Vitaly Sumin (creator), Vitaly Sumin

Stars:

Camilla Bergstrom, Alexander Smith, Brian Paul Stuart

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Camilla Bergstrom	...	Linda
Alexander Smith	...	Steven Prescott
Brian Paul Stuart	...	Paul
Philippe Bergeron	...	Gary
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mark Bowers	...	Executor
Joseph Cardinale	...	Sam -
Eugenia Cross	...	Marsha
Brian J. Hinton	...	Thug
Ron Medeiros	...	Thug
Sherry Morse	...	Grandma
Scott Peters	...	Gregg Oxford
Shawn Petri	...	Thug
McKenzie Sacks	...	Cathy Oxford
Armando Santana	...	Thug
Olivia Watson	...	Linda - Child

Storyline

"Shades of Day" is a suspenseful Hollywood fable based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novella "White Nights"(considered one of the greatest love stories ever written), but here transferred to modern day Los Angeles. It's the first part of our "Dostoevsky-L.A" project, which also will include "Crime and Punishment, LA" and "Idiot, L.A". The film crosses and re-crosses the thin line that separates tragedy from comedy. It introduces us to the enchanting Linda, whose life is centered around a planned reunion with her former lover Paul. Her plans change in remarkable ways as she encounters an extraordinary cast of characters, including a new lover and a movie producer who is pursued by the Mafia.

---

Plot Keywords:

love | sex | based on novel | 

---

Taglines:

Between Dreams and Reality there's a Bridge called Love

---

Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

VM Productions - Synopsis, cast and crew biographies, multimedia

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shades of Day: Director's Cut

Filming Locations:

Altadena, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

VM Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 110 min (Director's cut) (2013)

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Chorus. Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder
Matthaus Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach (as J.S. Bach)
Paul Goodwin - Conductor
JONATHAN MILLER - director
BBC 1994
Courtesy of Cala Records, Inc.
www.calarecords.com

User Reviews

A struggling young writer rescues a woman who in turn leads him on a life-changing personal journey.

Highly entertaining and deeply affecting, this film is full of surprises. It's a noir wrapped in a fable. It has a magical quality, but the magic derives from its extraordinary characters rather than supernatural forces. And while it's character driven, "Shades of Day" manages to achieve an almost epic quality. This directorial legerdemain can be attributed to both the richness and variety of the film's iconic Los Angeles locations and to the magnitude of its themes----sex, love, betrayal, greed, and death. But director Sumin never forgets that the cinematic seeker of truth must also be an entertainer; he juggles his seemingly weighty themes with a circus-like sense of fun and adventure.

The film is beautifully shot and edited from a script by Sumin and playwright Jeff Bergquist. The title appears to be a canny reversal of "White Nights," one of Dostoevsky's finest stories. This is a case of a film being "inspired by..." in the best sense of the word. Sumin projects his understanding of Dostoevsky's story through the kaleidoscope of his own considerable imagination.

At the film's center is the astonishing performance of Camilla Bergstrom. With her portrayal of the many-faceted Linda, she demonstrates a dramatic principle that's rarely embodied in romantic films these days---namely, that in order for a love story to truly move an audience, the audience itself must be made to fall in love...

This is a fascinating film, not to be missed.