Sadly Over-hyped

How sad is this?

An Exercise In Nonsense

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Burnt by the Sun is a propaganda film made in Russia. Nikita Mikhalkov exemplifies Stalin's reign as a force of terror that destroys all facets of life. The scene is set in the middle 1930s with a seemingly happy family under Stalin's rule. Sergie Kotov is a retired war hero and a very respected man amongst his village peers. Along with Kotov's (nearly) likable character, the movie also followed around a bright orb (sun) that ruined (burned) everything it came near. This orb became a clear metaphor for Stalin's rule. Nikita Mikhalkov's film was released in 1994 but the premise is in the heart of Joseph Stalin's tenure. Literature and movie censorship was at an all-time high during the Stalin era. Russians that made images that negatively portrayed communist Russia were banned all together. Even a film that featured Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy recently (April 2015) was forced to stop production because of negative publicity about the Stalin days. Even though this film does not directly point to Stalin's paranoia there is no mistaking the distaste Mikhalkov had for this time period. This writer enjoyed how Kotov was built up through the storyline. To the everyday civilian, Kotov was very respected but not feared. Not feared in a sense that a nearby villager can interrupt Kotov's day off in order to protect the villages' interests. On the other hand, his wife might hate him but I hear that is a rather common thing nowadays. All in all, the audience could see Kotov as the general 'good guy' of the picture. Kotov was enamored with mother Russia. One could decipher from the dialect that Kotov was a loyalist to his country. Pictures of Kotov and Stalin proudly placed within his home as well as having a personal line directly to Stalin. But his loyalty and years of dedication could not protect Kotov from Stalin.A golden orb was seen thrashing and destroying everything in its path for the duration of the film. The orb is thought to be Stalin's power that stretches as far as the sun can reach. The fireball can be seen traveling from scene to scene; once it came inside a home and destroyed a picture frame (family), a random tree (maybe the environment around you), and even Mitia (oneself). The best characters in the picture were Mitia and Nadia. Mitia was a hot and cold type of character. He was either the most animated character or the most depressing. On the other hand, Nadia stole the show. Nadia brought a liveliness that cannot be matched. It was definitely one of the best child performances on the big screen. Overall, Mikhalkov view on life in the mid 1930s was eye opening and informative. This slow paced film might have been in trouble if it weren't for Nadia's performance.

This masterpiece of a psychological drama done in the immediate post-soviet Russia is very hard to review, for fear of saying too much.First let's say that the author clearly wants to give stalinist Russia its due. But there's much more depth to it than that ; this film is first and foremost about destiny, how fate can ruin even the most well-meaning and virtuous lives. It is also about guilt and remorse, in a very subtle way.In 1936, in Soviet Russia's countryside, a Red Army Colonel, loving husband and father of a little daughter, a dignified and proud man, receives a visit from an eccentric, playful and handsome man, to the great joy of the other residents of the house, who know him well, for he had lived in the place many years ago.Through the eyes of the little girl, in the span of one summer day, a drama will unfold...But who is the real culprit? The mysterious man (Oleg Menshikov, who gives a memorable performance!)? The stalinist system? And what about the immaculate Colonel (impeccably played by the Director, Nikita Mikhalkov)? Is he so really virtuous after all? Doesn't he have, he also, a dirty little secret which changes everything?Once again, to say too much would be counter-productive...Just for the immense performance, of Oleg Menshikov, up to its heart-wrenching conclusion, this film is worth watching...A must-see.

Burnt by the Sun is a fantastically made film, focusing on the injustices of Stalin. It details the arrest of a Russian Civil War veteran, Sergei Petrovich Kotov.At 135 minutes, some will say that the movie runs long but I disagree. While the plot does not really begin until the second half, the extra time is not wasted on viewers. We see much of Kotov, his family, and are made that much more sad when his fate is revealed.The characters are all incredibly interesting and well-developed. We learn much about Kotov, Nadya, and Mitya. The latter is especially interesting. We can see immediately that there is something wrong with Mitya and do not trust him. Then, when he and Kotov pretend to be friends around Nadya, we begin to feel he is not that bad of a character, and that the movie might end well (I did, at least). But finally, when he kills the lost farmer and salutes the image of Stalin (one of my favorite moments), we realize Mitya is gone.However, given everything that the film does to show cruelty, I was surprised by how tame it made certain scenes. The lost farmer is shot off screen, as is Kotov death. At first glance, this seems unnecessary. Why not show their deaths in full force? In the end though, I think the director made the right decision. There are some scenes that, no matter how powerful they are, will not live up to people's expectations. It was better to leave these moments off-screen so that the audience can imagine them as they see fit. It seems like these scenes are only revealed to the viewer when there was no other choice (like the balloon carrying the image of Stalin). This way, the movie tells as much of the story as it has to and leaves the rest to the audience. I enjoyed it.

Burnt by the sun is one of those rare movies which take the viewers by complete surprise by the time it enters climax scenes. For more than first half of the movie we see a highly decorated Russian officer in his summer house with his family spending his day off in bath, beaches, playing football, dancing. During this time, an unexpected guest arrive in the house but then soon we know who he is and how he is connected to this house (although we don't know why he is there) and we again are lost in a lazy summer day in Russia listening to stories, songs, dancing. Then as we move on story starts to unfold before us and we are for a shock, especially last ten minutes, which for me, was one of the most powerful and harsh realization of history on cinema ever. It completely took me off guard after watching movie till that point, although there was this element that something is gonna happen, but I by no means expected this. As a viewer, I was lost for most part with so much peace around and little interference of the government in the movie that I forget not just what period it is set in, but the place too, as we are use to seeing the kind of Russian life during revolution and war times which is nothing but tragic. I guess movie did it part in not just portraying troubled soviet history but very convincingly showed us that even though people might have done bad deeds but during those period it was safe that way for them and their family. For them it was all about survival,living was secondary, but I can only guess as in current time I don't have to worry about survival but I worry about living. I sincerely salute every soul who lived through that sad period of history.Acting wise all actors were good but I must admit the little Nadya was amazing as the daughter of Nikita Mikhalkov colonel's daughter (she is his real life daughter) and she impresses us with her innocence, cuteness and boldness at times with elders (not rudeness, its just innocence of a child) throughout the movie. The scenes between Nadya and her father are one of the best aspects of the movie. Direction is top class. Music suits to the mood of the movie. Highly Recommended!!