Each new film by Nikita Mikhalkov - we expect, causes a wave of stormy emotions and reviews, both positive and negative. The scandalous name of Nikita Sergeyevich, the owner of the Nika and Oscar awards, co-owner of several business enterprises, an active public figure and blogger, plays an important role in such a stir: he as a person arouses admiration for some, and for others - hatred. As for his latest film “Sunstroke,” the reviews about the film sound diametrically opposed, and not only from the audience, but also from critics. What so excited the minds of moviegoers?
Nikita Mikhalkov and his work on the film
The historical genre is not a new thing for Mikhalkov: everyone remembers the Oscar-winning drama Burnt by the Sun, the touching melodrama Siberian Barber. What can I say, even if the thesis (and Mikhalkov is a graduate of the directing department of VGIK) Nikita Sergeevich, released back in 1970, was called "Calm Day at the End of the War" and transferred the viewer in 1944, during the Great Patriotic War.
Before shooting "Sunstroke" (reviews of the film, by the way, caused great disagreement between critics), the director had been planning the idea for 37 years. The script was based on two works of the Russian writer Ivan Bunin at once - “Cursed Days” and “Sunstroke”. According to Mikhalkov, he rewrote Bunin's story by hand 11 times in order to learn the style of the writer and create texts that most closely match Bunin’s syllable. Many of the details that the viewer saw on the screen were born during the filming process as improvisation: for example, cinema quotation of S. Ezenshtein (episode with a sidecar flying down the stairs) and the finale (disappearance of the ship in the fog).
Why is the film "Sunstroke" the audience received such mixed reviews, despite all the efforts of Mikhalkov? After all, it would seem that the director was very painstakingly working on the picture?
Sunstroke Summary
Mikhalkov’s film “Sunstroke” received negative reviews, but first of all the complaints concerned the plot and the dynamics of its development. Indeed, the director originally approached the film adaptation of Bunin's works.
The film begins with carefree paintings from the time of Tsarist Russia: a young lieutenant of His Majesty's army, traveling on a ship, meets a beautiful stranger and literally loses her head from her. Then these shots are interrupted by episodes from 1920, when the same lieutenant was in the Soviet filtration camp, deprived of epaulettes and military rank, anticipating the impending disaster, and reflecting on how everything could have changed this way in just a few years?
In fact, in 175 minutes of the tape, only 2 major events take place - the novel of a young lieutenant with a beautiful stranger and his death in 1920 on a barge sunk by the Red Army. Sketches from the past and present are constantly replacing each other throughout the film. This picture is not a sharp dynamic plot, but rather the atmosphere, moods, metaphors and hidden parallels. Many passages could be part of a good video clip. It is lovers of a dynamically developing movie on the film "Sunstroke" reviews, reviews left negative.
Film crew
Mikhalkov began work on the script for the painting in 2010 together with
Vladimir Moiseenko. The latter was not the first to collaborate with Nikita Sergeevich - before they worked together on both parts of the film Burnt by the Sun. However, in 2011 Moiseenko passed away, and Alexander Adabashyan, a well-known actor and screenwriter concurrently, was forced to join the group.
Mikhalkov’s film “Sunstroke” received the most controversial reviews, but real professionals worked on it. For example, the operator of the picture was Vladislav Opelyants, who participated not only in the filming of video clips for pop stars (Mumiy Troll, Zemfira, Alla Pugacheva), but also in the project “State Counselor”, “Burnt by the Sun-2”, “12”.
The soundtrack for the film was written by Eduard Artemyev, who had previously worked on music for films by Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrei Konchalovsky, etc. Misha Zayets, who had previously collaborated with Emir Kusturitsa, took part in the editing .
Actors and roles
"Sunstroke" - a film, reviews of critics about which touched the cast. This time Nikita Mikhalkov bypassed famous stars and gave preference to novice actors.
Undoubtedly, the bright discovery was the Latvian Martins Kalita, who received the main role. According to the director, Martins took him with his "a la Hollywood" appearance, as well as incredible sensuality - that is how Mikhalkov saw the main character.
The main female role (a mysterious stranger) was played by Victoria Solovyova - a graduate of the theater school named after Schepkina. For the actress, this was the first experience of filming a movie.
The audience, of course, remembered the expressive Rosalia Zemlyachka performed by Miriam Sekhon and the touching cunk photographer performed by Alexander Michkov. Miriam Sekhon can also be seen in Oksana Bychkova’s film “Plus One,” Michkova in the film “Dostoevsky”.
In addition, the film was attended by Serbian actor Milos Bikovic (t / s “Married Bachelor”), Alexey Dyakin (t / s “Furtseva”), Anastasia Imamova (t / s “Ivan the Terrible”), etc.
Filming
“Sunstroke” (for now let’s omit reviews of the film) is a rather spectacular picture. The episodes on the ship were filmed in Switzerland. The filming had to be moved to
Lake Geneva, since only wheeled steamers were found there - it was on them that they moved at the beginning of the 20th century. in Russia.
The final scene on the barge was filmed in the pavilions of the Mosfilm studio. But full-scale shooting was carried out in Odessa, as well as in the city of Gorokhovets (Vladimir region) and Pavlov-on-Oka (Nizhny Novgorod region).
Budget and box office
On October 9, 2014, “Sunstroke” was released in Russian distribution, reviews of the film appeared in various Russian publications the very next day.
The budget of the picture was 21 million dollars. Unfortunately, at the box office the film collected only 1 million 693 thousand dollars. But a few months after the premiere, the picture went on in Russian cinemas.
Film Critics Reviews
“Sunstroke” is a film, the critics of which are diametrically opposed: opinions were divided 50 to 50, almost equally.
For example, the review from the Afisha magazine in Moscow is negative. The author of the article reproaches Mikhalkov with an excess of metaphors, details, that the director repeats himself, that the text in the mouth of the actors sounds like Nikita Mikhalkov mastered them for hours, imposing intonations and logical stresses inherent only to him.
In the newspaper Novye Izvestia a few more were added to the above remarks. Like, the director draws strange associative parallels: how memories of adultery can help a captive whiteguard figure out how it all happened? And how could Darwin’s ideas provoke the Red Revolution?
At the same time, the newspaper MK, Komsomolskaya Pravda and several others spoke out in defense of the director and his work, noting the artistry and high quality of the picture, as well as its relevance. In the actual inaction of the main characters, including the White Guards, some critics find the main idea of the picture: while the officers indulged in entertainment and dreams, were tormented by philosophical questions and put their fate and the fate of the country into the wrong hands - that’s when “all this happened”.
Viewers reviews
So it happened! A movie based on the story “Sunstroke” (Bunin) appeared on the screens. The film received feedback immediately, and primarily from ordinary viewers.
Some film enthusiasts admit that after the first viewing they rated the film in the Troika area (on a five-point scale). But over time, they had a desire to review individual episodes, which often pop up in memory. And the more they watched the film, the more they began to understand the allegory and metaphorical connections made by the director. Many viewers attribute the picture to the genre of philosophical cinema and rightly notice that it cannot be compared with blockbusters in the spirit of Interstellar or Transformers: “Sunstroke” is a completely different order of cinema.
Negative reviews from the audience relate to anti-communist ideas that are allegedly promoted in the film, the lack of dynamics in the plot. Again, comments are made about the fact that Mikhalkov has recently begun to copy himself.
In a word, “Sunstroke” - a film, comments, reviews received very mixed. That is why, before you spend your time watching it, you need to think about whether you are in a mood to unravel charades and metaphors today or whether an emotional state requires a simpler and more understandable movie to discharge. It is necessary to choose the right genre for leisure, then there will be no complaints to the director about the dynamics and sharpness of the plot.