I think "Solntse" the best of Sokurov's recent trilogy about political leaders of totalitarian regime.
In fact, we can see that only one of them is about "political leader of totalitarian regime"--the first film about Hitler. Lenin in the second film is depicted as betrayed idealist with some nobility, and the last film is about the victim of his "Divinity" imposed on him by Japanese prewar regime.Emperor Hirohito will be a very difficult figure for any challenger to dramatize his life. He was educated as "living God"--religious symbol of Japanese Nation and as a representative of civilized(in many sense Westernized)royal family at the same time. And he played these roles for many years.
This film is remarkable not only in its completeness of images and dialogs,which we Japanese people can accept without felling of strangeness, but also in its insight into the main character--Emperor. There are some episodes historically not accurate, probably intended chronological distortion, which is typical for some other films of the authors(Sokurov and Arabov).But the essence of this work is made clear by this.It tells in purely cinematographic way the mental process of Empeor towards denial of the half of his identity-- Divinity and the symbol of Unity of Japan. Maybe Emperor's aura is a little mystified by introducing his American admirer--adjutant of Macathur(apparently played by Russian actor).
In fact, we can see that only one of them is about "political leader of totalitarian regime"--the first film about Hitler. Lenin in the second film is depicted as betrayed idealist with some nobility, and the last film is about the victim of his "Divinity" imposed on him by Japanese prewar regime.Emperor Hirohito will be a very difficult figure for any challenger to dramatize his life. He was educated as "living God"--religious symbol of Japanese Nation and as a representative of civilized(in many sense Westernized)royal family at the same time. And he played these roles for many years.
This film is remarkable not only in its completeness of images and dialogs,which we Japanese people can accept without felling of strangeness, but also in its insight into the main character--Emperor. There are some episodes historically not accurate, probably intended chronological distortion, which is typical for some other films of the authors(Sokurov and Arabov).But the essence of this work is made clear by this.It tells in purely cinematographic way the mental process of Empeor towards denial of the half of his identity-- Divinity and the symbol of Unity of Japan. Maybe Emperor's aura is a little mystified by introducing his American admirer--adjutant of Macathur(apparently played by Russian actor).