| The Sun | |
|---|---|
 Russian poster |
|
| Directed by | Alexander Sokurov |
| Produced by | Igor Kallenof Marco Muller Andrei Sigle |
| Written by | Yuri Arabov |
| Starring | Issei Ogata Robert Dawson |
| Music by | Andrei Sigle |
| Cinematography | Alexander Sokurov |
| Editing by | Sergei Ivanov |
| Release date(s) | 2005 |
| Running time | 115 min |
| Language | Japanese English |
| Preceded by | Taurus |
| IMDb profile | |
The Sun (Russian: Сóлнце, Solntse) is a 2005 Russian biographical film about Japanese Emperor Hirohito directed by Alexander Sokurov. The film is the third in Sokurov's planned tetralogy on the leaders of Russia (Taurus about Lenin), Germany (Moloch about Hitler), Japan and another unknown world leader.[1]
Contents |
Synopsis
The film centres on the meeting of Emperor Hirohito and General Douglas MacArthur after Japan's defeat in World War II.
Historical accuracy
Having confessed himself not «being interested in the history or politics which took place, not really interested in historical events or the period» [2], Sokurov gives a personal impression of Hirohito and choose to omit all references to questions surrounding the Tokyo tribunal about the personal responsibility of the emperor as head of the Imperial General Headquarters and thus in the Japanese war crimes.
This choice reflect even in the events such as the imperial conference between the emperor and his council and the meeting between Hirohito and MacArthur where none of the words are related to imperial interpreter Katsuzô Okumura's transcript. Thus, as Okumura noted that the general praised the emperor's "august virtue" (miitsu) [3], Sokurov present a tense meeting where MacArthur clearly show is disrespect and Hirohito is confused and talking to himself. According to The Times, the film has not been widely screened in Japan due to fears of violence from right wing extremists over its portrayal of Hirohito.
References
- ^ The Sun (Solntse) (2005) Reviewed by Jamie Woolley bbc.co.uk
- ^ Aesthetic choices: Aleksandr Sokurov’s The Sun World Socialist Web Site
- ^ John Dower, Embracing Defeat, 1999, p.296
