Burnt By
The Sun
“Burnt
By The Sun —
this stunning, Oscar-
winning world cinema
classic is a fascinating
Russian/French
masterpiece set in the
unforgiving Stalinist
Russia of the 1930s...”
BURNT BY THE SUN opens with a young man, Dmitri Andreevich (Oleg Menchikov),
with his valet, Phillippe (André Oumansky), picking up the telephone in his
apartment to seal an agreement…
At the same time, military tanks are lining up on a wheat-field in the Russian
countryside. An elderly woman is so incensed that she beats one of the tanks
with a stick —
"you can crush me," she cries defiantly, "but not the wheat."
To the rescue comes the influential Sergueï Kotov (Nikita Mikhalkov) —
a "glorious hero of the Revolution, renowned Bolshevik and legendary colonel".
He and his wife Maroussia (Ingeborga Dapkounaïté) have a child, six-year-old
Nadia (the delightful Nadia Mikhalkov, playing her own father's daughter), and
live an idyllic life in a lovely home in the country along with close family
members. Everything appears to be perfect.
But one lazy summer's day their peaceful existence is threatened by the arrival
of the mysterious piano-playing Dmitri —
Maroussia's former love and protégé of her respected musical conductor father,
Boris Konstantinovich. Dmitri disappeared from Maroussia's life ten years earlier
—
before she'd met Sergueï —
and that had had a devastating effect on her emotional well-being.
The charming and talented Dmitri —
known as Mitia —
entertains the family with his songs and stories that have more than an element
of uncomfortable truth about them. But Kotov is deeply suspicious of their guest
and believes there may be more sinister motives to his visit, other than Dmitri's
desire to return to the place where he was once feted and cosseted by Boris
Konstantinovich, whose daughter he loved.
At the performance of works by the Communist composer Miniaev, in honour of
the Sixth Anniversary of the celebrations for the construc-tion of Stalin's
balloons and airships, Nadia and her adored father take a relaxing boat trip
down the river in a very touching scene that is somehow at odds with the announcement
from a loudspeaker: "Red Civilian Defence is the safeguard of the Soviet land
against the aggression of world imperialism. Happy Holiday, dear comrades!"
The youth of Nadia set against the elderly grandparents works well. Maroussia's
grandfather, Vsevolod Konstantinovich (Viatcheslav Tikhonov), reflects sadly:
"My friends, as Pushkin said, are no more or are far away…" And Nadia dances
and sings her song that echoes a sadness and has a significance for the film:
"Burned by the sun as the crimson sea did run; I heard you say, my dove, that
there would be
no love..."
What is the mystery behind the truck, whose driver is looking for a possibly
non-existent village of Zagorianka or Zagorienka? And are the innocent truly
as safe as they feel?
Burnt By The Sun is full of seemingly innocent imagery that mirrors
the depth of passion and despair of the characters. In one memorable scene,
Maroussia and Mitia are playing the piano wearing the gas masks from the Civilian
Defence Regiment training and everyone dances the Can-Can with pure joy.
There are recurring images of fireballs across the water and through the trees;
at one stage entering the house. Dmitri picks up a guitar and sings Nadia's
song and one of the fireballs sets a tree alight.
Burnt By The Sun has a pool of acting talent that also includes: Svet-lana
Krioutchkova as Mokhova; Vladimir Ilyine as Kirik; Alla Kazanskaïa as Lidia
Stepanovna; Nina Arkhipova as Elena Mikhailovna; Avangard Leontiev as The Chauffeur;
Inna Oulianova as Olga Nikolaïevna; and Lioubov Roudnieva as Liouba Groucheva.
Adapted by the film's star, Nikita Mikhalkov and also Roustam Ibraguim-bekov,
Burnt By The Sun is set against the growing threat of Stalin's regime
of terror. This poignant film lingers in your mind and received huge critical
acclaim upon its release, garnering Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy
Awards.
As well as playing the lead role of Sergueï, talented actor and film-maker Nikita
Mikhalkov wrote and directed Burnt By The Sun. He has completed a sequel,
which is due to be released at cinemas later this year (2008).
•
Burnt
By The Sun, released by Second Sight on 31 March (2008), is priced at RRP
£19.99.
"The superb ensemble acting and powerful imagery will linger in the mind" —
Empire
"A major film" —
Variety
"Burnt By The Sun is full of seemingly-innocent imagery that mirrors
the depth of passion and despair of the characters… a simmering pool of talented
acting…" —
MotorBar
“Burnt
By The Sun —