Barnes & Noble

A tour de force for talented thespian Ralph Fiennes, this sweeping drama directed by Istvan Szabo (Mephisto) is undeniably melancholy, but it's also passionate and absorbing and all but unforgettable. Sunshine details the misfortunes of the Sonnenscheins, a once-prosperous clan of Hungarian Jews living in Budapest, whose members fall victim to several anti-Semitic regimes during the 20th century. First, respected teacher Ignatz runs afoul of Jew haters in the World War I era; later, his son dies in a Nazi death camp; still later, his grandson escapes persecution by becoming a Communist bureaucrat. Fiennes plays three generations of Sonnenscheins, and with Szabo's help makes each son a distinctive character. In a clever casting move, Ignatz's wife, the family matriarch, is played as a young woman by Jennifer Ehle (who in some shots resembles the young Meryl Streep) and as an old woman by Ehle's mother, Rosemary Harris. William Hurt is very effective as a disgraced Communist, and Rachel Weisz registers strongly as Ignatz's mistress. Sunshine has a mulitutde of powerful sequences, such as the particularly haunting scene in which Fiennes is frozen to death by his Nazi captors. Szabo's three-hour epic is not for the faint of heart, but it demonstrates human tenacity and resiliency in a most powerful manner. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

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

Chicago Sun-Times

...this is a movie of substance and thrilling historical sweep...Roger Ebert

Product Details

• UPC: 097363388043
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, stereo
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 3:00:00
• Sales Rank: 10,044

Features:

DVD MENU