The Sun [2004] [DVD]

Whilst I understand the disappointment of other reviewers on this page, I feel they are doing the film an injustice. It's true that 'Downfall' was a magnificent film which deserves six stars on the Amazon system - but it was at the end of the day, a drama.

What the director has tried to do here is present a slice of 'reality' television - hence, the slow unravelling of events, the lack of a narrative structure (sorry guys, but in real life, the plot lines don't converge neatly after ninety minutes), the inconsistent motivations and the naturalistic flawed characters - especially Hirohito and McArthur.

What does stand out is Issey Miyako's extraordinary portrayal of the slightly autistic emperor, trapped in a life of ritual and expectation, trapped in a Japan that is a fantasy of its own creation, trapped between the past and the future. He steals the show.

Having worked with Japanese people, I'm also conscious of how breathtakingly avant garde this portrayal may still seem to them - a people for whom, like the British, the concept of royalty as being 'different' from normal people may still be irrationally held.

I was sorry to see the poor reviews for this film so I wanted to offer a more positive response as it would be a shame if people were turned away from The Sun because of Amazon reviews.

Of course a film like this is not for everyone, but really the only thing that would work against someone's appreciation and enjoyment of it is the unfortunate fact we are so conditioned by the sorts of films we see in greater majority that we can't spot the quality of these daring curiosities so easily.

In modern war films we are subjected to many hundreds of shots, fast editing, relentless explosions, battles, sentimental and derivative film music, digital effects etc. The film director's usual claim that it is merely an honest portrayal of war which should be allowed to speak for itself is, I feel, often the way they justify the relentless violence to themselves - violence which they know full well gets bums on seats. The Korean War movie Brotherhood has got ecstatic reviews on here, but aside from the impressive technical achievements (which are ten-a-penny in movies these days) it is a fairly weak film; very proud and sentimental, with no pacing or real drama anywhere in sight.

The Sun was unfortunately compared to the movie Downfall simply to help market it, but that does it no favours if you think that's what you're getting. It is a completely different sort of film, and one which even makes the superb Downfall look like a standard Westernised affair by comparison. Downfall after all had it's healthy dollop of action sequences to accompany the human drama. A film like The Sun is more risky, and interesting and rewarding in a different way. I was relieved that I am still able to enjoy slower paced, subtler films as I was worried that I had been effected by the bitesize, entertainment-on-demand age we live in to the extent I wouldn't be able to sit through a scene that doesn't last longer than a youtube clip.

In fact, I would emphasise the importance of watching a film like this in an environment that gets the best out of it. There is a lot of thought and detail under the surface level simplicity, so if you watch this on your 12-inch laptop, reclining uncomfortably on your bed in the morning you may indeed find the film tedious. But if you create a cinema-like, quiet atmosphere you will really notice the things that give this film its depth, like the background sounds and the lighting for instance. Some shots are exquisitely beautiful - they seem to be set-up to look like paintings - and I'm amazed one reviewer felt it was badly filmed.

Any seemingly negative adjectives I could use to describe this film could equally be seen as positives: slow, simple, uneventful. Why not? A good film needn't be fast, complicated and crammed with action.

It is like a play shot to film, as its main strengths come from dialogues and behaviours between characters in a simple setting. It offers a very realistic and fascinating, if you're not Japanese I suppose, look into their social customs. The scene when the Emperor reunites with his wife is magic. I was watching it with my Japanese friend who was laughing during this scene as she found it so typical of Japanese reserve, even in an emotional moment like that.

But sure, if you bought this thinking you might be getting a Japanese Saving Private Ryan or even Downfall 2, you probably will not like this film!

Similar to Oliver Hischbiegel's Downfall, released a year earlier, The Sun follows Emperor Hirohito during the final days of World War II. While American soldiers invade the land after dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Emperor remains holed up in the bunker of his palace, existing in a kind of daze. He wanders the hallways, followed by his servants who hang on his every word and action, awaiting his instructions. He quietly ponders the situation and attempts to negotiate a peace treaty with his advisors, wondering what effect it will have on his legacy. General Douglas MacArthur calls for him to dine with him, and the two almost share a strange bond while discussing politics, determining the Emperor's fate and smoking cigars.

Director Aleksandr Sokurov, who was responsible for the hypnotic Russian Ark and criminally under-seen Alexandra, adopts a similar style to that of the former. The digital image glides along the steel corridors of the bunker, following Hirohito's every move. The darkness and the grain of the image allowing a more grounded feel to the proceedings. This way, it feels less like a period piece based on real events, and places you more in the time. It's a similar approach to that taken by Michael Mann in the over-rated Public Enemies. Though Michael Mann's almost emotionless biography of John Dillinger used it in a desperate attempt to look cool and edgy (something that Mann seems to do with every new film he does - surprising given the effortless cool of the likes of Heat and Manhunter - anyway...), here Sokurov adopts the style to create a very real atmosphere.

The almost constant soundtrack, too, adds to the atmosphere of the piece. As the Emperor slowly paces the corridors, quietly discusses matter with his board and quietly reflects on his actions, the music and camera-work gave me the overall impression of doom. Not that the film is heading that way, I felt that it more represented the internal struggle of the Emperor, where his fate is seemingly out of his hands, and his country could be facing ruin. Two of the largest cities in the country have been obliterated by the U.S., who are now crossing their borders and invading. Being the Emperor, he is of the belief that he is a God. Is this the legacy of a God? What will his people remember him for?

I can't end the review without mentioning the computer generated sequence that breaks up the film. Dazed and delirious after being taken ill, the Emperor sits open mouthed at the edge of his bed, imagining scores of giant flying fish soaring through the air. The country below them lies in smoky ruin, and the fish begin to drop more bombs, the sounds of the fish's 'engines' groaning terribly. The fish by the way, just to put it into context, represent Hirohito's love for marine biology, which he persists in researching even as the Americans invade. It's a brave, interesting move in the film. It initially jarred with the quiet, controlled drama that unfolds before, but it becomes an interesting and unnerving experimental set-piece.

A cold, tightly-directed biography that cares less about the politics of the time, and more with the humanistic aspect of a powerful ruler in a troubled time, with a mesmerising lead performance by Issei Ogata.