Cheap Burnt by the Sun (DVD) (Nikita Mikhalkov, Ingeborga Dapkunaite) (Nikita Mikhalkov) Price

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Customer Reviews of Burnt by the Sun

I am more willing to excuse some of the ham-handed bits of the movie, Russian movies, Russian literature; hell, most Russian art that makes it to the West has it moments of over-importance. We Americans seem to like our Russians brooding, mysterious, and over-bearing.

Not being a native speaker I can't comment on the dialog or the stilted acting, to me what these people are saying in the end really doesn't matter. It's the interactions between these people and their passions, petty complaints, and obsessions that make this movie.
Granted each character has more tics than a fine Swiss wristwatch but they are Intelligentsia.

"Burnt by the Sun" is solid film and yes, it does go over the top from time to time. However, the cinematography alone was worth an Oscar. I gorgeous colors used in the film breathe nostalgia and doom at the same time. Set design and costumes too add to this mix. The director succeeding in showing a certain class of people and their fragile lives and how those lives where steam-rollered by one of the 20th centuries worst despots.

I succumbed to the hoopla
I had read so many wonderful things about this film, so I ordered it and waited with breathless anticipation...only to find that 20 minutes in I had to consciously restrain from hitting the 'fast forward' button.

Mikhalkov's slow panoramic lead-ins are nice for the viewer who has never seen a Russian wheat field, but the entire plot of the movie could have comfortably fit into a 1.75 hour film instead of the 2.5 hour extravaganza it is. The majority of scenes featuring the director/actor come across as the indulgences of a megalomaniac.

Mikhalkov's star turn as the reformed Soviet recruiter beloved by all who know him requires infinite patience at times, since those scenes go on forever. The only strikingly real part of his performance was the adoration between father and daughter Nadya. Nadya Mikhalkova was a true delight to watch as the precocious daughter of Kotov, though at times her unconditional love of Papa seemed to be coaxed.
Even Mitya, the musician turned government agent in exile, appeared flat in some instances, as if actor Oleg Menshikov was instructed by the director not to outshine him.
Throughout the entire film, Kotov's wife Marussya was in serious need of anxiety medication. Her nervousness was understandable though; she was caught between the magnetism of Menshikov's Mitya and the ego of Mikhalkov's Kotov. I could imagine that was not a fun place to be.

Warning to viewers: scenes between the two men may cause testosterone poisoning. Kotov always comes across as trying to one-up a younger and much more talented man, but in one particular scene it's painfully blatant.

Menshikov is a brilliant actor; he could have very easily carried the film had he been featured more prominently. The look of pure evil that crosses Mitya's face near the end of the movie is spine-chilling, and well worth the long long wait to see.

Overall, Burnt by the Sun isn't a terrible movie, it reminded me of Tolstoy - tedious, but thought-provoking. I felt it was a remarkable attempt to deal with Stalinism, and to show the conflicts between love of country and family.

Under the Shadow of Stalin
Mikhalkov always had a flair for Chekhovian drama, and he doesn't disappoint the viewer in this movie, which essentially updates "The Cherry Orchard" to Stalinist Russia. What we get is a tumultuous day in the life of a theatre group in a tranquil rural community, lorded over by the proud Commander Kotov, as the small town prepares for the celebration of Stalin's first ride in an air balloon. Mikhalkov deftly mixes humor with pathos, the hallmark of all his movies, as the bucolic life is broken by the return of Mitya (impeccably played by Oleg Menshikov). We slowly get to learn of Mitya's mission with a profound sense of foreboding. The acting is purposely staged to give the scenes their rich theatrical air, yet there is a naturalism too, as Mikhalkov has such a fine eye for detail. To reveal too much of the movie is to give away its stunning climax. It was one of the first films to emerge from the post-Soviet era and gave Mikhalkov a broader international audience, earning him an Oscar in 1994.