Themes: Infidelity, Political Unrest, Crimes Against Humanity
Main Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Fiennes, Rosemary Harris, Rachel Weisz, Jennifer Ehle, Molly Parker
Release Year: 1999
Country: HU/AT/CA/DE
Run Time: 180 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The fortunes of a family of Hungarian Jews are followed over the course of nearly 150 years in this epic historical drama, with leading man Ralph Fiennes playing three different roles. The story begins in the late 18th century, as Aaron and Josefa Sonnenschein (the name means "Sunshine" in German) die in an explosion while making an herb tonic for sale in their village. Their son Emmanuel (David de Keyser), the only survivor of the tragedy, travels to Budapest, carrying the recipe for the medicine with him. He's able to parlay the formula into a successful business, and Emmanuel and his wife Rose (Miriam Margolyes) raise two sons, Ignatz (Ralph Fiennes), who becomes a successful lawyer, and hot-tempered Gustave (James Frain). The Sonnenscheins also make room in their home for Valerie (Jennifer Ehle), but Emmanuel and Rose become furious when Valerie becomes romantically involved with Ignatz. Eventually, Valerie and Ignatz raise two children, Istvan (Mark Strong) and Adam (Ralph Fiennes), and the family changes its name to Sors in hopes of avoiding the anti-Semitism sweeping Europe. In time, Adam goes so far as to convert to Catholicism, and he marries another Catholic, Hannah (Molly Parker). He soon begins an affair with his brother's wife, Greta (Rachel Weisz), who is unable to persuade Adam to leave as the Nazis rise to power. Adam and Hannah have only one son, Ivan, who is fated to watch his father die in a concentration camp; as Ivan grows to adulthood (now played by Ralph Fiennes), he swears revenge on the forces of fascism and embraces Communism. Ivan throws in his lot with Communist leader Andor Knorr (William Hurt), but a liaison with the wife of a party official (Deborah Kara Unger) leads Ivan to tragic consequences and a jail term. In time, Valarie and Gustave are reunited at the family's estate as the only two members of the Sonnenschein clan who survive to witness the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. Hungarian director Istvan Szabo co-wrote Sunshine's original screenplay in collaboration with American playwright Israel Horovitz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
A heartbreaking portrait of three generations in a Hungarian-Jewish family, the multinational co-production Sunshine (1999) is the most successful narrative film from co-writer and director Istvan Szabo since his Oscar-nominated films of the 1980s. With Ralph Fiennes, Szabo at last finds a worthy collaborator to replace his memorable trilogy of films with Klaus-Maria Brandauer. Tackling three different roles that encompass a family's 20th century history, Fiennes is most remarkable in the middle of his triptych. As Adam Sors, Olympic fencing star and victim of fascist atrocity, Fiennes creates a stark portrait of indomitable pride that creates a satisfying bookend to his blazing role earlier in the decade as a Nazi in Schindler's List (1993). If at times his film strays too far afield, displaying the literary pretensions of so much European cinema in the latter part of the century, Szabo manages each time to snap back into a breathtakingly merciless confessional mode that never fails to shock and surprise. Sunshine is a remarkable self-examination of a family broken by fate and political philosophy but finding its way back to its roots. It's also an important film that charts a possible route of navigation out of a long-suffering Europe's turmoil and into an enlightened peace. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Deborah Kara Unger - Carola; James Frain - Young Gustave Sonnenschein/Sors; John Neville - Older Gustave Sors; Miriam Margolyes - Rose Sonnenschein; David de Keyser - Emmanuel Sonnenschein; Mark Strong - Istvan Sors; William Hurt - Andor Knorr; Bill Paterson; Rüdiger Vogler; Hanns Zischler; Peter Andorai - Anselmi; Jozsef Fonyo - Prison Sergeant; Balazs Hantos - Aaron Sonnenschein; Gábor Máté - Rosner; Trevor Peacock - Comrade General Kope; Mari Töröcsik - Kato; Frederick Treves - Emperor; Israel Horovitz - Poet; Sandor Simo - Doctor #2; Gabor Szabo - Priest at Conversion; Lajos Kovács - Military Police in Camp; Buddy Elias - Mr. Brenner; Andras Fekete - Footman; Zoltan Gera - Man at Synagogue; Peter Halasz - Wild Duck; Istvan Hirtling - Dr. Lanyi; Frigyes Hollosy - Mr. Ledniczky; Tamas Jordan - Sommer; Gyorgy Kezdy - Outraged Man; Vilmos Kun - Rabbi Bettelheim; Attila Lote - Count Forgach; Adam Rajhona - Caretaker; Katja Studt - Kato; Eva Igo - Policewoman; Janos Kulka - Molnar; Andras Stohl - Red Guard; Joachim Bissemeyer - Dr. Emil Vitak; Jacint Juhasz - Mr. Hackl; Karoly Mecs - Defense Secretary; Kathleen Gati - Josefa Sonnenschein; Andrea Fullajtar - Agota Hofer; Istvan Bubik - Saray; Eszter Onodi - Secretary at Officer's Club; Ila Schütz - Mrs. Ledniczky; Zoltan Seress - Tersikovsky; Dr. Zoltán Bognár - Doctor #1; Sándor Dánffy - Policeman; Tamás Fodor - Notary; István Fonyá - Warehouse Guard; Ica Gurnik - Woman in Hospital; Lászl Gálfi - Rossa; Támas Juranics - Commander of Lenin Boys; Tamás Keresztes - 1st boy; Kotáany Bence - 2nd boy; Zsolt László - Lugosy; Ádám László - Emmanuel at 12; János Nemes - Ivan at 16; Tamás Raj - Rabbi at Wedding; Lászl Szepesi - Olympic Judge; István Szliágyi - Hungler; Kati Sályom - Landlady in Vienna; Péter Takács - Stefamp Sarto; Bálint Trunká - Istvan at 18; János Vészi - Doctor #3
Credit
Zsuzsa Borvendeg - Art Director, Pál Szürös - Boom Operator, Deirdre Bowen - Casting, Ágota Kováacs - Coordinator, Edit Nagy - Coordinator, Maurice Jarre - Conductor, Daniel Krausz - Co-producer, Lajos Ovari - Co-producer, Gyorgy Szakacs - Costume Designer, Pedro Moreno - Costume Designer, Gabor Gajdos - First Assistant Director, István Szabó - Director, Michel Arcand - Editor, Dominique Fortin - Editor, Rainer Kolmel - Executive Producer, Jonathan Debin - Executive Producer, Bonnie Kanner - Executive Producer, Judit Halasz - Hair Styles, Georg Korpas - Hair Styles, Ildikó Makk - Hair Styles, Tamás Guba - Location Manager, Andreas Kahri - Location Manager, Imre Sárközi - Location Manager, Maurice Jarre - Composer (Music Score), Jeremy Woodhead - Makeup, Judit Endrényi - Makeup, Brent MacLeod - Camera Operator, Mike Woroniuk - Camera Operator, Mark Zsifkovitz - Camera Operator, Lajos Koltai - Cinematographer, Lajos Ovari - Production Manager, Stephanie Wagner - Production Manager, Ralph Brosche - Production Manager, György Sánta - Production Manager, Andras Hamori - Producer, Robert Lantos - Producer, Attila Kovacs - Set Designer, Christian Eder - Set Designer, Attila Köves - Set Designer, Miklós Molnár - Set Designer, Josef Riehs - Set Designer, Stefan Würzl - Set Designer, Glen Gauthier - Sound Mixer, Jane Tattersall - Sound/Sound Designer, Daniel Pellerin - Sound/Sound Designer, Fred Brennan - Sound/Sound Designer, Keith Elliott - Sound/Sound Designer, Peter Kelly - Sound/Sound Designer, György Kívés - Stunts Coordinator, Israel Horovitz - Screenwriter, István Szabó - Screenwriter, Andrew Rosen - Production Assistant, Krisztina Esztergályos - Production Assistant, Tam Mink - Production Assistant, Dénes Sajgál - Production Assistant, Raymond McIntyre Jr. - Visual Effects Supervisor, Payam Shohadai - Visual Effects Supervisor, Zoe Mylchreest - Unit Publicist, Catherine Charlton - Dialogue Coach, Rudolf Takács - Gaffer, Jázsef Gottlieb - Grip, Zoltán Jánossa - Grip, József Trombitás - Grip, András Tóth - Key Grip, Erzsébet Forgács - Makeup Supervisor, Dina Eaton - Music Editor, Deanna Strong - Post Production Coordinator, Christina Jahn - Post Production Supervisor, Lori Waters - Post Production Supervisor, Dorothea Schmid - Production Supervisor, Péter Ganter - Properties Master, Eva Banhidi - Script Supervisor, Gabriella Winkler - Script Supervisor, Kerric MacDonald - Second Assistant Director, Mariann Ungi - Second Assistant Director, Roderick Deogrades - Sound Effects Director, Mark Shnuriwsky - Sound Effects Director, David McCallum - Sound Effects Director, Joerg Widmer - Steadicam Operator, Tamás Nyerges - Steadicam Operator, Peter Sorel - Still Photographer, Mark Tillie - Still Photographer, Tim McHugh - Visual Effects Producer, George Macir - Visual Effects Producer, Alison Clark - ADR Editor, Sue Conley - ADR Editor, Janice Ierulli - ADR Editor, Paul Carr - ADR Mixer, Alan Salabank - ADR Mixer, Ted Swanscott - ADR Mixer, Greg Shim - ADR Recordist, Timea Luzsi - Assistant Costumer Designer, Nóra Koltai - Assistant Hair, Nóra Koltai - Assistant Makeup, Csilla Szentimai - Assistant Production Coordinator, Regina Rauter - Buyer, Tibor Egenhoffer - Construction Coordinator, József Kiss - Construction Coordinator, László Nagy - Construction Coordinator, Richard Cadger - Dialogue Editor, Wayne Swingle - Dialogue Editor, Csaba Bankhardt - Electrician, György Berghoffer - Electrician, Gyula Latorczai - Electrician, Tim Craig - First Assistant Editor, Alicia Stevenson - Foley Artist, Andy Malcolm - Foley Artist, Sharon Zupancic - Foley Artist, Nancy Brown - Post Production Accountant, Trish Gibney - Post Production Assistant, Isabel Prochnow - Post Production Assistant, Andrew Pécs - Production Accountant, Ákos Gulyás - Second Assistant Camera, Imre Béres - Set Dresser, Anikó Fazekas - Set Dresser, Gabi Högye - Set Dresser, Attila Jánosi - Set Dresser, Gábor Simkó - Set Dresser, Gyula Zámbó - Set Dresser
Sunshine is an award-winning 1999 historical film directed, written and produced by István Szabó. It follows three generations of a Jewish family (originally called "Sonnenschein" but later changed to "Sors") during the changes in Hungary from the beginning of the 20th century to the period after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The central male protagonist of all three generations is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. The film also stars the real-life mother and daughter team of Rosemary Harris and Jennifer Ehle as well as Rachel Weisz and John Neville.
Although fictional, the film weaves events drawn from several real sources into the story. One of Fiennes's three roles is based at least partly on Hungarian Olympian Attila Petschauer, but also includes allusions to the early life Miksa Fenyő and other famous Hungarians of Jewish origin who suffered from anti-Semitism and the persecution of Jews in WWII Hungary.[citation needed]
