Sunshine (1999 film)

Sunshine
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIstván Szabó
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLajos Koltai
Edited by
Music byMaurice Jarre
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 13 September 1999 (1999-09-13) (TIFF)
  • 27 January 2000 (2000-01-27) (Hungary)
Running time
180 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Germany
  • Austria
  • Hungary
  • Canada[2]
Languages
  • English
  • French
Budget$26 million
Box office$7.6 million[3]

Sunshine is a 1999 epic historical drama film directed by István Szabó and written by Israel Horovitz and Szabó. It follows five generations of a Hungarian Jewish family, originally named Sonnenschein (German: "sunshine"), later changed to Sors (Hungarian: "fate"), during changes in Hungary, focusing mostly on the three generations from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. The family story traverses the creation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through to the period after the 1956 Revolution, while the characters are forced to surrender much of their identity and endure family conflict. The central male protagonist of all three generations is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. The film's stars include Rachel Weisz and John Neville, with the real-life daughter and mother team of Jennifer Ehle and Rosemary Harris playing the same character across a six-decade storyline.

The film was an international co-production among companies from Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Canada. It won three European Film Awards, including Best Actor for Fiennes, and three Canadian Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture.

  1. ^ "SUNSHINE (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 10 December 1999. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  2. ^ Vidal 2012, p. 130.
  3. ^ "Sunshine (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 March 2017.