Sunshine (1999)

VHS CASE/SIDE

Length of film: 181 Minutes

Rated: R

Genre: Drama, History, Romance

Director: István Szabó

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Rosemary Harris, Rachel Weisz, Jennifer Ehle, Deborah Kara Unger, Molly Parker, James Frain

IMDB Rank: 7.5/10

Part 1 Time: 83 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  98 Minutes

Where does the first part end? Adam Sors (Ralph Fiennes) and Greta (Rachel Weisz) speak outside of the Hungarian Fencing Club.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “No no Greta!” Adam shouts to Greta responding to her comment about her love for him.

First line of dialogue on the second part: No dialogue- montage stock footage of the opening of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin Germany.

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Somewhat, Adam is preparing for the Olympic games, he has had to hide his Jewish heritage in order to be a successful fencer. Greta (Adam’s brothers wife) seeks to leave Gustave (James Frain) to pursue a relationship with Adam. Will Adam be successful in the 1936 Olympic Games? What will be the fate of the Sonnenschein family as World War Two approaches?

Which part is better? The entirety of the film explores the fate of a Hungarian Jewish family during the 20th century. Ralph Fiennes does an incredible job playing three generations of the Sonnenschein family through his three roles of Ignatz, Adam, Ivan. Part 2 is by far better as we are able to see the rise and fall of Adam as well as the impacts that World War 2 and Communism have on the Sonnenschein family.

Academy Awards: None