The Sun (film)
Encyclopedia
The Sun is a 2005 Russian biographical film
surrounding Japanese Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito
) during the final days of World War II
. The film is the third drama in director Aleksandr Sokurov's trilogy following on the leaders of Russia (Taurus
about Vladimir Lenin
) and Germany's (Moloch
about Adolf Hitler
).
) reminisces on the past while being held up in a bunker underneath his Imperial Palace in Tokyo
. Hirohito reflects on the foundation of the conflict while attempting to dictate peace terms. Later, U.S. military commander General Douglas MacArthur (Robert Dawson) is sent to bring him through the ruins of Tokyo for a meeting regarding the occupation of the victorious Allied leaders
. The two very different men strangely bond after sharing dinner and cigars, after which Hirohito retreats to his personal quarters. Following his admission of personal failures, Hirohito attempts to rebuild his war-ravaged country as a fully developed constitutional nation while his own future remains in doubt, as either the Emperor of Japan
or a war criminal.
in relation to Japanese war crimes
. Due to this omission, the character interactions in the film are reflected in such a way that the imperial conference between the emperor and his council along with the meeting between Hirohito and MacArthur, are in fact none of the words related to imperial interpreter Katsuzô Okumura's transcript. As noted by Okumura, the general praised the emperor's "august virtue" (miitsu).
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.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
surrounding Japanese Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
) during the final days of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The film is the third drama in director Aleksandr Sokurov's trilogy following on the leaders of Russia (Taurus
Taurus (film)
Taurus is a 2001 Russian biographical drama film directed by Alexander Sokurov, portraying Vladimir Lenin. It was entered into the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Leonid Mozgovoy as Vladimir Lenin* Mariya Kuznetsova as Krupskaya...
about Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
) and Germany's (Moloch
Moloch (film)
Moloch is a 1999 Russian biographical drama film directed by Alexander Sokurov. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Yuri Arabov and Marina Koreneva. It portrays Adolf Hitler as a humanized figure, living life in an unassuming manner during an abrupt journey to the Bavarian Alps...
about Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
).
Plot
Towards the conclusion of the Second World War, Japan nears defeat as Emperor Hirohito (Issei OgataIssei Ogata
, is a Japanese actor and comedian. He was interested in plays since childhood. After he graduated from Toyotama High School in Japan, he joined a theatrical company and appeared on the stage. Later, he jumped at the opportunity to be an entertainer when he took the gold medal at the audition...
) reminisces on the past while being held up in a bunker underneath his Imperial Palace in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Hirohito reflects on the foundation of the conflict while attempting to dictate peace terms. Later, U.S. military commander General Douglas MacArthur (Robert Dawson) is sent to bring him through the ruins of Tokyo for a meeting regarding the occupation of the victorious Allied leaders
Allied leaders of World War II
The Allied leaders of World War II listed below comprise the important political and military figures who fought for or supported the Allies during World War II...
. The two very different men strangely bond after sharing dinner and cigars, after which Hirohito retreats to his personal quarters. Following his admission of personal failures, Hirohito attempts to rebuild his war-ravaged country as a fully developed constitutional nation while his own future remains in doubt, as either the Emperor of Japan
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
or a war criminal.
Cast
- Issei OgataIssei Ogata, is a Japanese actor and comedian. He was interested in plays since childhood. After he graduated from Toyotama High School in Japan, he joined a theatrical company and appeared on the stage. Later, he jumped at the opportunity to be an entertainer when he took the gold medal at the audition...
as Emperor Hirohito - Robert Dawson as General Douglas MacArthur
- Kaori Momoi as Empress KojunEmpress Kojun' was empress consort of Emperor Hirohito of Japan. Born , she was the mother of the present Emperor .Her posthumous name is Kōjun, which means "fragrant purity"...
- Shiro Sano as the Chamberlain
- Shinmei Tsuji as the Old Servant
- Taijiro Tamura as the Scientist
- Georgi Pitskhelauri as McArthur's Warrant Officer
- Hiroya Morita as Kantarō SuzukiKantaro SuzukiBaron was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, member and final leader of the Taisei Yokusankai and 42nd Prime Minister of Japan from 7 April-17 August 1945.-Early life:...
- Toshiaki Nishizawa as Mitsumasa YonaiMitsumasa Yonaiwas an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and politician. He was the 37th Prime Minister of Japan from 16 January to 22 July 1940.-Early life & Naval career:...
- Naomasa Musaka as Korechika Anami
- Yusuke Tozawa as Kōichi KidoKoichi KidoMarquis served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Emperor Showa throughout World War II.Kido was the grandson of Kido Takayoshi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration...
- Kōjirō KusanagiKojiro Kusanagiwas a Japanese actor.He made his film debut in 1956 in Darkness at Noon, which was based on the true story of an innocent man arrested, tried and executed for a crime he didn't commit...
as Shigenori TōgōShigenori Togowas Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Japanese-American conflict during World War II... - Tetsuro Tsuno as Yoshijirō Umezu
- Rokuro Abe as Soemu Toyoda
- Jun Haichi as Nobuyuki Abe
Filming
Having confessed himself in "not being interested in the history or politics which took place, and not really being interested in historical events of the period", Sokurov gives a personal impression of Hirohito while omitting all references to questions surrounding the Tokyo tribunal regarding the personal responsibility of the emperor as head of the Imperial General HeadquartersImperial General Headquarters
The as part of the Supreme War Council was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime...
in relation to Japanese war crimes
Japanese war crimes
Japanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Some of the incidents have also been described as an Asian Holocaust and Japanese war atrocities...
. Due to this omission, the character interactions in the film are reflected in such a way that the imperial conference between the emperor and his council along with the meeting between Hirohito and MacArthur, are in fact none of the words related to imperial interpreter Katsuzô Okumura's transcript. As noted by Okumura, the general praised the emperor's "august virtue" (miitsu).
According to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, the film has not been widely screened in Japan due to fears of violence from right wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
extremists over its portrayal of Hirohito.
External links
- The Sun at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- The Dream Director film review by Daniel MendelsohnDaniel Mendelsohn-Life and career:Mendelsohn was born on Long Island. He graduated with a B. A. in Classics from the University of Virginia, which he attended from 1978 to 1982 as an Echols Scholar, and received his M. A. and Ph. D. in Classics from Princeton University, where he was a Mellon Fellow in the...
from The New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...