The Sun

[J.sharp]

My original post about the film was a little hurried as I was in an internet
cafe, and just wanted to get my thoughts out as quickly as possible before
they evaporated.

There were a few things I really wanted to say though which I neglected in
my original post.

I was sort of impressed with the scenes of the GIs when they first saw the
Emperor. This conjured up for me the idea that this was a meeting of two
cultures that, despite having been at war together for so many years, really
didnt understand anything about each other.

But what more interested me was how many of the later scenes were played for
comedic effect - although maybe they just seemed like that because of the
really slow and sombre tone of the first hour. Certainly I was not the only
person in the theatre laughing with (at?) the scene where the gift of
Hershey bars was delivered by the Americans to the emperor.

But this was my overall impression of the end of the film - it didn't seek
to really address what had happened with any historical accuracy. I didn't
feel any more enlightened by the end of the film. I think historians of the
period will also probably notice many details that don't seem to ring true.

My main impression was not of Hirohito being humanised, but as being made to
look like a comic buffoon character, and thus by association, the whole of
Showa period Japan with him. In this respect, I didnt think the film had
anything more important to say than LOST IN TRANSLATION.

Jasper Sharp



--------- Original Message --------
From: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: The Sun
Date: 05/10/05 06:54

> Sharp-san,
> &nbsp;
> Your mixed feelings are seconded. The film had a brief release in London
and I found it intriguing but rather dull. The claustrophobia of the piece
is extreme and I found it rather hard to sit through. Also, I agree with
your complaints about the performance of Issey Ogata (shouldn't we
transliterate it thus? All the reviews give Issey, but&nbsp;using
"y"&nbsp;to indicate a long vowel&nbsp;in transliteration would make Dr
Hepburn turn in his grave! Will we then&nbsp;have to&nbsp;start writing
about geysha?). Sorry, I'm getting distracted - his fish mouth gestures are
very irritating, especially as they seem to be the only expression he has.
But I don't think the encounter with MacArthur was the high point - the
actor playing the General was wooden too. It's obvious that Sokhurov's first
language is neither English nor Japanese!
> &nbsp;
> It actually struck me that the film is rather generous to the Emperor - it
basically absolves him of any personal responsibility for Japanese
militarism, and I think it's fair to say that, at the very least, he was the
only man who could have stopped it, had he felt so inclined. My favourite
scenes were those of him fiddling while Tokyo burns - eg, his concentration
on&nbsp;marine biology, and his writing poems for his son.
> &nbsp;
> The film is interesting precisely because it chooses to restrict itself to
such a limited perspective, concentrating solely on the Emperor's thoughts,
feelings and actions, with only a distanced, diffuse sense of what is going
on around him. Sokurov's Mother and Son had the same fascination. I can't
say it made me feel it was a wonderful movie, though. Like you, I came out
wondering whether it was any good or not. Surely this is a bad sign. I've
never come out of Sansho Dayu or Tokyo Story wondering whether they were any
good or not!
> &nbsp;
> Regards,
> ALEX
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