Behind the Sun

Starring:JosÃ© Dumont, Rodrigo Santoro, Rita Assemany, Ravi Ramos Lacerda, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Flavia Marco Antonio, Everaldo Pontes, Caio Junqueira, Mariana Loureiro, Servilio De Holanda, Wagner Moura, Gero Camilo, Othon Bastos, VinÃcius de Oliveira, Soia Lira, Maria Do Socorro Nobre
Director: Walter Salles
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Behind the Sun is a rapturous Western, a big film about a big, unwanted destiny visited upon a vulnerable, young hero. Adapted from the novel Broken April by Albanian writer Ismail Kadare (the story has been transferred from Europe to Brazil's rugged, northeastern badlands in 1910), Behind the Sun concerns two families and their long-running land war, which has robbed many a young man of his hope, love and, ultimately, life. Sent by his aggrieved father to avenge the slaying of an older brother, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), in torment, carries out his bloody, ancestral obligation and then proposes a truce between the families. Director Walter Salles (Central Station) aims to make a magnificently crafted, lush, and exotic epic told in broad strokes for art house aficionados, and he succeeds almost to a self-conscious fault. Still, there is nothing like a stirring, archetypal tragedy about the endless repercussions of violence and the sacrifice of innocence to a dubious cause. --Tom Keogh

Average customer rating:

Bruce Lee - A Warrior's Journey

The lost Bruce Lee movie!

Great Documentary!

Included as an extra on Enter the Dragon (Two-Disc Special Edition)

get to know the man behind the legend

Bruce Lee - A Warrior's Journey
Starring: Sun-Man Bae , Pierre Berton (II) , Yuan Chieh , James Franciscus , and James Garner
Director: John Little (II)
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B00005UF83
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Amazon.com

Bruce Lee's life, philosophy, and final film are examined in this reverent documentary, which traces the master's path through the development of his own style, his battles with mainstream Hollywood and martial arts traditionalists, and his emergence as the world's top box-office draw. Just as interesting as Lee's life is the chance to see lost footage from The Game of Death, Lee's final, unfinished film. Outtakes offer the opportunity to see Lee's perfectionism in action, and the reconstructed storyline reveals how Lee's personal martial arts philosophy shaped the film. And yes, there is a spectacular nunchakau fight. Interviews with Lee and those close to him highlight his energy, intelligence, and remarkable charisma. Fans of Lee will welcome this new insight into his filmmaking, and those unfamiliar with his life and work will come away with a new respect. The DVD includes a Lee filmography, the theatrical trailer for The Game of Death, and audio commentary by the director. --Ali Davis

Description

Bruce Lee was an enigmatic, legendary figure at the time of his death in 1973. His popularity has never waned and this 2001 documentary on the black belt movie star attempts to explain some of his magnetic appeal. Included in this biographical film is footage of The Game of Death, the film that Lee was involved in at the time of his death. Pieced together by Lee aficionado John Little, the film's finale is a flurry of images of the master in action for over 30 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

Bruce Lee - A Warrior's Journey.......2007-05-14

I bought this movie as a gift for my husband. He said it was awesome! Except for his ipod, it's the best gift I ever bought him. Considering some of the gifts I've bought, that's high praise.

The lost Bruce Lee movie!.......2006-12-29

I'll keep it simple: If you're a fan, this is an absolute must to own. The recovered footage from Game of Death is so complete that I felt I was watching a Bruce Lee movie that I didn't know existed until now. The other parts of the DVD may be old hat for true fans, but the Game of Death footage will blow you away.

Great Documentary!.......2006-11-18

After seeing all the low quality and below standard documentaries on Lee, this film is by far the best. The interviews with Abdul-Jabbar and his widow Linda Lee provide much insight into the man and his vision. Very well produced and I definitely found out alot about the martial arts legend that I didn't know before. I watch this DVD all the time and was definitely worth every cent! I highly recommend it to any fan of the martial arts.

Included as an extra on Enter the Dragon (Two-Disc Special Edition) .......2006-06-26

This program is included as an extra on Enter the Dragon (Two-Disc Special Edition).

get to know the man behind the legend.......2006-05-18

bruce lee - a warrior's journey is one of the best documentary's on lee ever made,period!! talking to friends,co-stars,and his family it paints a very moving portart of a man who wanted to show the world how great "kung-fu"(my way of calling it not his) really was and the art it could be. he spent his whole(short) life tring to get the movies to see that it was more than just wild jumps and kicks and was really a way of life.
the best part of this show is the footage of game of death,the movie he was making when he died,the footage is put together following his script and notes and is 30 mins. of the best action ever put on screen. check this film out and see just how great a stsr mr. lee was and could have been.

Average customer rating:

Good movie
In the best tradition of Brazilian regionalist storytelling
Behind the Sun
Words cannot do this film justice!
Feuding Families, Brazil, 1910. Strong, Not a False Note

Behind the Sun
Starring: José Dumont , Rodrigo Santoro , Rita Assemany , Ravi Ramos Lacerda , and Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Director: Walter Salles
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B0000640VQ
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Amazon.com

Behind the Sun is a rapturous Western, a big film about a big, unwanted destiny visited upon a vulnerable, young hero. Adapted from the novel Broken April by Albanian writer Ismail Kadare (the story has been transferred from Europe to Brazil's rugged, northeastern badlands in 1910), Behind the Sun concerns two families and their long-running land war, which has robbed many a young man of his hope, love and, ultimately, life. Sent by his aggrieved father to avenge the slaying of an older brother, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), in torment, carries out his bloody, ancestral obligation and then proposes a truce between the families. Director Walter Salles (Central Station) aims to make a magnificently crafted, lush, and exotic epic told in broad strokes for art house aficionados, and he succeeds almost to a self-conscious fault. Still, there is nothing like a stirring, archetypal tragedy about the endless repercussions of violence and the sacrifice of innocence to a dubious cause. --Tom Keogh

Description

Golden Globe Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, BEHIND THE SUN is a critically acclaimed story about love, loyalty, and the choice a son must make between honoring his family and following his heart. In the brutal Brazilian badlands of 1910, two families are locked in a bloody, generations-old feud. In one family, the oldest remaining son, distressed by the prospect of death and encouraged by his younger brother -- begins to question the cycle of violence. Then a beautiful young woman crosses his path and opens his eyes to life outside his culture's rigid code of honor. Stunningly photographed and exquisitely told, this outstanding motion picture masterpiece will transport you to a vastly different place and time ... a place somewhere "behind the sun"!

Customer Reviews:

Good movie.......2007-05-30

It's no Central Station (Central do Brasil), but this movie is a good one. I'm a fan of Brazilian cinema, and I'll be adding this one to my list of favorites. It's a touching movie about a young guy caught in the middle of a family feud. His brother has been killed and now the weight of his family's honor and tradition..etc, becomes his burden to carry. The movie is basically about how he chooses to deal with the situation. For anyone studying the portuguese language, the portuguese in this movie isn't very hard to understand.

In the best tradition of Brazilian regionalist storytelling.......2007-05-13

This was a captivating movie, with beautiful filming that captures the awesome, rugged beauty of the Brazilian sertao. And the story was as captivating and satisfying as it was conventional. What is remarkable about this film, beyond the beauty of the imagery, is the bittersweet ending, that leaves you both relieved that the outcome was not what was expected, but that also was as sad and tragic as a story could be.

Although this movie was based on a novel by an Albanian writer, it fits well in an established genre of Brazilian story-telling, the stories of the sertao.

The only thing that seemed a bit unnecessary to my imagination was the indication at the beginning that the movie occurred in 1910. Given the transcendence of the story, this was not necessary. This movie could have been set in 1879, 1910, or 1928. It doesn't really matter - it is a mythical, fabulous pre-modern sertao that is the setting, not any particular time and place.

Behind the Sun.......2007-05-13

This is a beautiful, little known film. It is not full of spectacular action sequences but is full of quiet, natural beauty and the depth of human emotions and desires.

Words cannot do this film justice!.......2006-02-07

Set in Brazil in 1910, Behind the sun is the tale of two families who are caught up in a deadly feud over land, which each family says they own. It is a mythical tale of the eldest son fighting until his death, so that the family can retain possession of disputed territory, with the eldest brother forced to play the part of murdering his brother's murderer, time after time. Set in the remotest part of Brazil, Tonio (played by Rodrigo Santoro) is forced to carry out a bloody ritual, killing the son of a neighbor for land in a feud which claimed the lives of many young men. After Tonio does the job required by his family, he seeks a truce with the opposing family, wanting to end this pointless tradition, one which is causing only pain and acrimony among the families. The other family does not wish to put an end to this tradition, and gives Tonio a certain amount of time before his own life is on the line once more. After this, Tonio falls in love with a girl from a traveling circus, and must make a decision of whether to continue his family's bloody tradition, or follow his heart and find the redemptive power of love. I cannot say too much else for fear of giving away some of the story and plot lines, but it is a wonderfully crafted movie and story.

The metaphors in this film are many and are stark, and get the point across very simply, but also very effectively. From the oxen turning going in circles churning out the sugarcane, to the path taken by Tonio throughout the movie (and different at the end), Walter Salles gets his point across very well, and on a dramatic scale as well, as the scenery is breathtaking beyond measure. It is quite simply, an amazing movie.

Highly recommended.

Feuding Families, Brazil, 1910. Strong, Not a False Note.......2005-02-16

Striking images all around, 'Behind the Sun' shows how a good picture can let you smell the air of the place, the breath of the people. Walter Salles ('Central Station' 'The Motorcycle Diaries') tells a story that resembles Greek dramas, with its simplicity and strength, but it is the picture's sheer beautiful visuals that makes 'Behind the Sun' a boon to every filmgoer. In short, watch this.

It's in 1910, in Brazil, in the middle of nowhere. Two families are feuding with each other, according to their peculiar rules. If one goes down, another member of the family revenges his death by killing the killer only. Thus the life goes on.

Among one of the family, we see the brothers -- younger Paku and elder Tonio. They work hard to make sugar, using the old machine and two cows, with their silent sad-eyed mother and very strict father. And the day finally comes when Tonio is ordered to kill: the spilled blood has turned yellow.

The bloody cycle of death is briefly disturbed when a beautiful circus girl comes to the near town. Or is it to be disturbed? Will Tonio choose another way of life? And what does Paku do?

You may say the plot is melodramatic. It is, sure, but the power of the story cannot be dismissed so easily. Walter Salles succeeds in creating the atmosphere of the place, and despair and hope of the characters as well, all of which are so compelling.

Also helped by the good acting from Rodrigo Santoro (in 'Love Actually' as Laura Linney's love), the film is about those characters and images. like 'Central Station.' For all its slightly conventional storytelling (and very powerful one), 'Behind the Sun' remains a gripping experience all throughout.

The story is inspired by a novel 'Broken April' written by Ismail Kadare. The film changed the original's location (in Alvania) to Brazil, and was shot in the really desert places where the sun scorches from the deep blue sky onto the red rocks. (It is said that the cast and crew had to travel from the nearest hotel to the location more than 200 km. everyday.) And see Vinicius de Oliveira, as the family member rivalling Tonio's, who was the little boy in 'Central Station'

Average customer rating:

I am so thankful I saw this movie...
Persecution of Ex-Muslim for Christ's Sake...
Story of a Young Muslim Who Converts to Christianity

Behind the Sun

Manufacturer: ChristianMovies.com
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B00097E6MM
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Customer Reviews:

I am so thankful I saw this movie..........2006-12-10

This movie was far more than I expected. It is very well produced in every way. I'm still amazed that I hadn't heard of it until recently and only came across it when browsing a printed catalog. But the reason I'm submitting a review is to say that this production is truly impactful. It has penetrated my heart and thoughts and affected my actions. I truly believe that this movie was orchestrated by the Father Himself for those on the narrow path and those looking for the straight way.

Persecution of Ex-Muslim for Christ's Sake..........2006-11-19

"Behind the sun" is where Samir's family threatens to send him if he doesn't renounce Christianity. Samir has a career and a girlfriend in the US, but has traveled back to the Middle East to visit his family and share with them the good news of Jesus. Things don't go as exactly planned, and the movie recounts the persecution not just of Samir, but of the local underground church comprised of Christians from an Islamic background. It's significant that the film distinguished between the above-ground, tolerated church comprised of historically Christian Arabs sort of "grandfathered into" Christianity and so tolerated, versus the underground church consisting of converts from Islam.

Though BEHIND THE SUN is a rather simple story, I'm rating it highly because of its importance as a reminder to not forget our suffering brothers, plus the story, uncomplicated though it is, is of high quality in presentation. Also, all Christians should be able to relate to the protagonist's experience on some level, anyway, since the Bible promises persecution to all who live godly in Christ Jesus. 4.5 stars

Story of a Young Muslim Who Converts to Christianity.......2006-09-22

In this movie, a Muslim, Samir, from an unnamed Islamic country attends university in Chicago. While there, he come into contact with some Christian students, and from the testimony of their life, he converts to Christianity. When he returns to his country, he has to face all the Islamic consequences for Muslims who become Christians (or any other religion). Samir's father, rather than kill him, disowns him; however, his uncles are out to kidnap him for forced 'reconversion' to Islam; if he then refuses, the plan to kill him.

At the same time, a Christian pastor in his country is imprisoned and it is a foregone conclusion that his trial will result in his martyrdom. Other Christians in the country, through smuggling means with a Frenchman, are bringing Bibles and taking developments of the pastor's situation out for news sources in the West. Samir, with no place to stay and no money finds the secret Christian group, and after a period of mistrust of him (thinking he is a secret police spy), let him join the group. With his life in grave danger, Samir also sees the great need of the Christians in his country, so, when it comes time for him to return to Chicago, he has a difficult decision to make.

This movie may be distributed by the Christiano Film Group, but it is produced by Open Doors, International, and is far, far above the quality of the Christiano produced movies. Not only is it a much more professional quality, it doesn't beat you over the head with "Christianity" like the Christiano movies do. In this movie, the drama is paramount; it lets the Christian message come through simply by the example of the lives of the Christian characters. Indeed, it also shows a Muslim cousin of Samir risking his life to help his cousin.

If you are looking for a movie that will cause you to tense up from the danger to the main character, one that shows the risks of Christians in an Islamic country, and one that subtly gets its Christian message across without offending, then you will really like this movie. In my opinion, this movie is as good or better than the best of the Billy Graham organization's movies.

Average customer rating:

A celluloid nightmare
A MOVIE
I really cannot decide about this film.
This Story Must Be Told
SICK!!!

Men Behind The Sun
Starring: Zhe Quan , Gang Wang , Andrew Yu , Runsheng Wang , and Dai Yao Wu
Director: Tun Fei Mou
Manufacturer: Cav Distribution
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B0000AQS1H
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Customer Reviews:

A celluloid nightmare.......2007-05-20

When discussing World War II, you'll hear a lot about German atrocities committed throughout Europe. You'll even hear about the Soviet Union taking upwards of 20 million casualties in that fight. What you won't hear much about, unfortunately, concerns the carnage inflicted upon China by the Japanese Imperial Army. Even to this day, Japan refuses to take full responsibility for the injuries wreaked upon their neighbors during that conflict. Once in awhile you might stumble over an article in the paper involving the Japanese government's activities in Korea. China is another matter altogether. Silence seems to reign about what happened on Mainland China between 1931 and the end of the war. Remember the North Korean nuclear test a few months back? Remember how the Japanese started talking about building their own nuclear arsenal as a counterbalance in the region? China went nuts when they heard that talk. If you don't understand the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and the genocidal campaigns that occurred shortly thereafter, you won't understand why the communist regime threw a hissy fit about Japanese nukes. Welcome to the film "Men Behind the Sun," a movie that explains a lot about modern Asia's attitudes toward the Japanese.

When Japan conquered Manchuria in 1931, the created a puppet state called Manchukuo the following year. They used this area as a source for raw materials to fuel their war machine, and also as a staging ground for invading the rest of China. What followed was a nightmare for everyone involved. Arguably the worst atrocities centered on a place called Unit 731, a Japanese research facility that used mostly Chinese men and women (other nationalities died there too) as test subjects in order to develop various biological and chemical weapons. The scientists at the research facility often performed vivisections, without anesthesia, on prisoners of war and pregnant women. They messed around with amputation, sometimes to learn the effects of massive blood loss and sometimes to see what would happen if gangrene went unchecked. Other tests included using flamethrowers on innocent civilians and studying the killing and maiming capabilities of grenades. Worse, the laboratory dove head first into learning all they could about employing diseases as a weapon. They used ceramic containers filled with anthrax and cholera infected fleas as bombs in civilian areas, killing hundreds of thousands of Chinese men, women and children. Unit 731 developed this program by first testing it on inmates at the facility.

I could go on and on about the atrocities committed by these monsters. You can read about them on dozens of Internet sites devoted to Imperial Army war crimes. You can also watch T.F. Mou's "Men Behind the Sun". I went into great detail about what went on in Unit 731 above because we see many of these events unfold in nightmarish detail in the film. We see the Japanese scientists' penchant for vivisection taken to nauseating extremes in a scene involving a small child. We see the monsters put a guy in a high-pressure chamber so they can find out what happens when they turn the dial up as high as it will go. Experiments conducted to find out what occurs when a human being's limbs are frozen and then suddenly thawed leave the viewer with a horrific vision that will stay with you long after the film ends. A central theme of the movie revolves around the base commander figuring out how to spread fleas riddled with diseases via ceramic containers. Then there's the racist tone of the film. The Japanese Army's most powerful weapon was racism. By dehumanizing the Chinese, it was easier for the personnel in this facility to perform the experiments.

"Men Behind the Sun" is a grim, grim movie. I called it an exploitation film above, but I'm not sure about the accuracy of that label. The atrocities depicted in the movie hew so closely to what actually occurred in Unit 731, as documented by numerous investigations conducted after the war, that to call Mou's vision an "exploitation" flick does a grave disservice to the victims of the Japanese Army. The director himself doesn't think "Men Behind the Sun" is an exploitation movie; he makes his true feelings abundantly clear in an interview included as an extra on the disc. His motivation for the film is to educate viewers about the atrocities committed during the invasion of China. Well, this motion picture certainly does that in spades. A few subplots in the film, including one showing a contingent of recently recruited Japanese soldiers playing ball with a Chinese boy, probably serves as an effort by the director to inject a bit of humanity into the proceedings. That the boy in question ends up on an operating table in the movie's most grotesque sequence only underscores what the movie tries to teach the viewer, mainly the destruction of real people under the heel of the Japanese invaders.

The DVD version of "Men Behind the Sun" isn't the best in technical terms. The picture quality lacks sharpness, and the audio is only adequate. I'm not sure I'd want to see a pristine version of this film, and you'll likely agree if you ever sit down with it. Even the paucity of extras (the aforementioned text interview and a trailer for the film) isn't worth complaining about. You're watching this film because you either want an education about what went on in China during the war or because you want to see sickening scenes of gore. If it's the latter, you're missing the point--although you'll see gore that, in a couple of scenes, apparently involved the use of real cadavers. Yeah, it's that bad. I really suggest you read up on Japanese atrocities in Asia before watching the film. If you remember what you're seeing, for the most part, actually happened, I think you'll come away from the movie with a different attitude about what constitutes exploitation filmmaking.

A MOVIE.......2007-03-09

WELL THIS ONE I GOT FOR SOMEONE ELSE AND THEY DO LOVE THE MOVIE I DON'T KNOW TO MUCH ABOUT IT. BUT SHE LOVES IT

I really cannot decide about this film........2007-03-09

On one hand, the film depicts a truly foul evil committed by the Imperial Japanese Empire that should and must be told. On the other hand, the director tortured animals on screen(rats and cats) and purchased a corpse for an onscreen autopsy---seemingly learning nothing from his subject. He also apparently believes the Communist lie that the United Nation used biological warfare during the Korean War. The film is also wildly graphic and violent in a way that teeters terribly close to pornography. So on one hand, he depicts a great evil------while embracing evil of another stripe. Unfortunate that victims of Unit 751 cannot have their story told in a film with a more certain integrity......but this is all we have at the moment.

This Story Must Be Told.......2007-01-20

Much is written about the Holocaust. Many movies have been made, memorials erected, and in Washington we have a Holocaust Museum. We often overlook Japan's atrocities in Asia--equal to anything the Nazis ever did. This movie is based upon real historical events. It shows very graphically some of the things that occurred at Unit 731 in Japanese-held Manchuria. Not for the faint of heart, it tells a gruesome story that must be told, and never forgotten.

SICK!!!.......2006-09-01

i HAD TO see this movie, its pretty grimmy, i loved it.
i just orderd it last night from amazon and i hope i get it based on what the guy under me said, but maybe he just complains alot. i cant wait for it to come. thares alot of rumors about this movie sutch as the little boy gets disected while hes passed out and they take out his heart... this is supose to be REAL it sure looked it. this movie is NOT FOR EVERYONE!! its VERY nasty, great movie for when u want to go over somebodies house for the first time, put this movie in and get a great first impression!!!!

Average customer rating:

Underrated!
Mixed feelings
Quirky and likable.
I was quite surprised by how good this was
A lost little girl found alive

Things Behind the Sun
Starring: Aria Alpert , Ruben Anders , Rosanna Arquette , Mitchell Boshnack , and Owen Butler
Director: Allison Anders
Manufacturer: Showtime Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B00008G8YM
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Customer Reviews:

Underrated!.......2007-05-20

I usually always see anything that stars the slightly trashy-for-some-reason-always-sexy Rosanna Arquette. It's a fetish and I'm getting help for it. And Don Cheadle has methodically established himself as a bankable Hollywood talent. I also love the earnestness of independent films. Although not many people have seen this film, it showcases a performance from Don Cheadle, that could've served as an aggregate preview of his future work. I must admit though, I'm not quite yet a Gabriel Mann fan. I think he sometimes comes off as a skinny, spaced-out younger version of James Spader. For those of you who don't appreciate independent films, you may not enjoy this movie, because it does take a while to come together. But with a little patience this film delivers. This film also shows abit of courage, as it delves into some of the rarely talked about fallout only rape victims can identify with. (Namely the subsequent preferring or needing of abusive situations for sexual satisfaction and the revolving door of guilt that scenario consequently opens.) Although Things Behind the Sun is predictable in spots, the strength and depth with which the characters are explored makes this film an underrated winner.

Mixed feelings.......2007-01-23

This isn't an easy film to watch, but I'm glad I did. Don Cheadle plays Chuck, one of the most understanding boyfriends on earth. It's his character that I had the most questions about after finishing the film -- questions the more I pondered, the more they helped. Gabriel Mann plays Owen, a rock journalist doing a piece on Chuck's songwriter girlfriend, Sherry, who has a hit song about her traumatic past, which stirs up memories of Owen's own traumatic past. Owen decides to turn the piece into an "I'll get 'em for you" story on the boys that hurt her, and includes himself for good measure.

This is Allison Anders most personal film, and probably her strongest. A lot of times I wish these films dealing with abuse would give more backstory on the assailants, not to justify the behavior, but to attempt to understand the causes. Without being shown any hope of redemption, I suspect many abusers are more likely to keep up the bad behavior; and without being shown the causes, many potential abusers may miss the warning signs. Then again, you could just label them all evil and wipe them off the face of the earth to make room for more strip clubs and shopping malls.

Quirky and likable........2006-12-14

Things Behind the Sun (Allison Anders, 2001)

When you make a movie like this-- a deeply personal autobiographical flick whose main characters are played by relative unknowns, but whom you've surrounded with top-flight actors who are consistently underrated by Hollywood-- you're bound to make either a film that will eventually be called one of the greatest ever made or a piece of utter crap. There's really no middle ground-- or at least, there wasn't before. Along comes Allison Anders and changes all that. Things Behind the Sun is not the kind of deathless filmmaking we've all been aware, in the back of our heads, she's capable of since we all saw Four Rooms. But it's certainly not bad, not bad at all. It's a little manipulative, kind of cheesy in spots, but if you're aware that this is autobiography, you can't not watch this movie and keep thinking to yourself "this could have been so much worse than it is."

Sherry McGrale (Deadwood beauty Kim Dickens) is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter in Florida with a past so ugly she's repressed it, but everyone around her knows something very bad happened; she shows up drunk on the lawn of the same house three years running. Chuck (Don Cheadle), her manager, tries to get her through and best she can and keep her from derailing her career. An intern at a music magazine in LA gets ahold of one of the group's demos shortly after and plays it for her boyfriend Owen (Dominion's Gabriel Mann, doing his best James Spader impersonation), a writer at the magazine, who is stunned by it, and campaigns stridently for the magazine to go interview the young singer. Owen, of course, has a catch-- he, and his older brother Dan (Killing Zoe's Eric Stoltz), are directly involved in the traumatic events in Sherry's past.

It's the kind of coincidence that simply doesn't fly in fiction, which is likely the main reason that the movie's publicity (and the DVD's jacket copy) goes to such lengths to impress upon potential viewers that, yes, it really did happen this way. And once you swallow the mother of all coincidences, Things Behind the Sun becomes an intriguing movie about memory, guilt, and forgiveness, brave enough to ask the questions and never provide satisfactory answers for them. Despite her closeness to the material, Anders takes almost a hands-off approach to directing-- put the actors in front of the camera and let them do their thing. You need a strong stable of actors for that, and Anders has them. Just to back things up, her minor characters read like a who's-who of the best B-list talent Hollywood has to offer-- Elizabeth Pena, CCH Pounder, Patsy Kensit, Rosanna Arquette, Alison Folland, and a number of others. (It helps to have your main character's backing band made up of members of Redd Kross and Dinosaur Jr., as well.)

Anders has put together quite a good little film here, one that has been unjustly overlooked. Do yourself a favor and rediscover it. *** ½

I was quite surprised by how good this was.......2006-09-26

I didn't expect much from this film. And it starts off rather slowly, and tends to not explain things, which leads to a bit of confusion about what is going on, where it is going, etc.
But I must say, by the end of the film, all loose ends are sewn up remarkably well, and it tells a very poignant story indeed. I am very glad I gave it a chance and finished it out, as I tend to give up on movies if they look like shlock to me in the first 20 minutes or so (for we must admit, there is a lot of Hollywood shlock going around these days). This one didn't look Hollywood shlocky, it just looked quirky, and quirky is okay with me, so I stuck around, and I'm glad I did. It deals with the subject of rape in a mature and moving way. The only drawback to this movie is that this Gabriel Mann fellow couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, but the rest of the concept, the rest of the production, the rest of the writing, the rest of the acting and singing and gut-wrenching, was so very, very good that it still adds up to five stars in my book. (And thank this moviemaker, this screenplay-writer, whoever, for somehow managing to deal with a touchy subject like rape and dealing with it from a balanced human perspective, and not a radical modern feminist perspective.)

A lost little girl found alive.......2004-01-13

This is an absolutely wonderful film that I had never heard of before chancing upon it at a public library. Someone there should get a raise. There are two excellent reviews here by eurotrashgirl and jhclues, and I have only a few things to add.

If you are close to someone whose life has been degraded by childhood cruelty, you must see this film. If you merely love superbly realistic storytelling and wonderful acting, see it as well. In addition to the performances mentioned by the other reviewers, the lovely and gracious Elizabeth Pena has a brief but crucial role as the young mother who now lives at the house where Sherry was raped those many years ago. Her character sets a beautiful example of overcoming disdain and disgust to sense someone else's pain and reach out in compassion. Very moving and inspiring.

Be warned that this is definitely not for the immature or squeamish. There are several torrid sex scenes that push the boundaries of an R rating. They all serve the needs of the story in one way or another, but most are at least disturbing and two rapes of young girls are both terrifying and heartrending. Think hard before letting your kids see this.

All in all, a film I would like to add to my collection and see again (but not more often than I can stand something this intense).

A Walk in the Sun
Average customer rating:

War as It Is

Enhanced realism

DVD: Walk in the Sun

Extraordinary Focus on the Ordinary Infantryman

The Battle for Tibet

A Walk in the Sun
Starring: Dana Andrews , Richard Conte , George Tyne , John Ireland , and Lloyd Bridges
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: St Clair Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B0001GH7D6
Release Date: 2004-02-17

Amazon.com

Alongside larger-scaled epics, this 1945 drama looks modest, but director Lewis Milestone achieves a gritty realism that is ultimately closer to the truth of combat. A World War I veteran, Milestone had already created a classic war film--and powerful antiwar statement--in 1930's All Quiet on the Western Front, focusing on German troops in the trenches during "the Great War." For obvious reasons, A Walk in the Sun views the action from the perspective of American troops, but Milestone and a strong cast headed by Dana Andrews and Richard Conte prove remarkably clear-eyed in this chronicle of a platoon moving through the Italian countryside following the successful, but bloody, invasion of Italy. There's little of the cheerleading fervor or reflexive demonizing of the enemy visible in other films from the period; instead, the men's treacherous odyssey captures the sense of random chaos as their bucolic trek is interrupted by sudden skirmishes. We're shown the deep bonds forged between the soldiers, the loss of innocence that is the inevitable price of combat experience, and the capricious fates that can spare one soldier while exterminating another. Milestone would extend his mastery of wartime fiction to include the Korean War, captured in the equally fine, equally sobering Pork Chop Hill. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

War as It Is.......2007-01-23

Brown's book, from which this movie came, is short, rather elusive, and definitely unusual if not unique. If you compare it with "The Naked and the Dead", also a great book about WWII, you will immediately see my point. Rarely has an individual soldier/author captured the utter banality of legalized violence so concisely. The combat scenes are terse almost to the point that you might miss them if they weren't so harrowing. The book is really about human beings caught in a situation of others' making, their endurance and its limits and, finally, their need for one another. This is the only American war movie I have ever recommended to anybody. I think that "All Quiet on the Western Front" is now too far away in time and space; "The Big Red One", even with Fuller's original restored, is still too chaotic; what I've seen of "Pricate Ryan" does not impress me. It is possible that "Letters from Home" will be a winner, but I've not seen it yet. "Walk in the Sun" is a very simple movie with an uncomplicated story line that is beautifully acted and very well photographed. The production values are high. The quality of the DVD is, unfortunately, inconsistent and in places downright poor. But here there is a problem; I saw this movie on the big scene when it came out. You had to listen closely to the dialoguw; it was not shouted, nor were events telescoped. The cliches of the genre are there, but the way they are handled is what makes the movie so compelling. The further into it you go, the less you want it to end.

Enhanced realism.......2006-08-18

This is a good movie; no doubt about that. However, before an attempt at appreciation, a few critical remarks may be in order. Many movies are beneath critical comment: only good works merit serious thought. My first impression, because there was so much talk, was that this was a filmed radio play. In fact, it strikes me that it could have been written for sound alone, and perhaps would even have been more intense if only heard and not seen. The interior monologues, and the ballad (which did not impress me greatly), added to the impression that sounds were paramount. Secondly, considerable adjustment has to be made in recognizing the year in which it was made, and its purpose at the end of WWII. All WWII films were a form of propaganda, and had to show the home troops in as positive a light as possible. Heroism was an absolute necessity. At the same time, the world was war-weary, and peace was just around the corner. The perennial hope at such times is that there will be no more war. Some hope.

The build-up is slow, and there is, frankly, just a little too much talk. A non-American reaction is: why do Americans jabber so much? Can't they button their lips and get on with the job? This might be explained if the script had been designed for radio in the first place.

Ultimately, nonetheless, the viewer is won over, and is definitely left with a strongly positive impression of this production as a genuine work of art. I would put this down to an excellent performance by Dana Andrews, who has the best, and best-written, role to play. The scenes, although very obviously extremely low-budget, are effective and realistic, somehow rising above the budget limitations. The film is memorable in precisely the same way as All Quiet on the Western Front, and in fact I was often reminded of the earlier film, even before I realised they both had the same director. How anyone could compare this fine film with Spielberg's cartoon is beyond my understanding.

DVD: Walk in the Sun.......2006-03-01

It is a classic war movie, and one that deals with combat fatigue. It is very dark in a couple of spots, but it is otherwise a very good copy.

Extraordinary Focus on the Ordinary Infantryman.......2005-12-18

I use the term ordinary to emphasize just how extraordinary the US infantryman was in WWII. In motion pictures it seems that most war films focus and glorify trained teams sent on secret missions or small groups of elite fighting men trained for a specific purpose. Most of these films never really focus on the men, the morality and camaraderie developed (one exception being THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE) and the day-to-day grind of combat and unsettled nerves. A WALK IN THE SUN is one of a handful of war films that focuses on these endearing elements of civilian men thrown into this mundane (on the surface) yet extraordinary routine of constant exposure to death from enemy ordnance. They are a unit from mixed backgrounds thrown into this maelstrom of uncertainty and death. They develop camaraderie and build trust in each other and execute the daily task they are ordered to without real knowledge of the bigger picture and without specific question of purpose. They get the job done ay any cost whatever the reason. Men die, they grieve and they keep moving. They are on the lowest rung in the field of getting the job done. And they persevere. Recent pictures like SAVING PRIVATE and the restored Sam Fuller epic THE BIG RED ONE have redirected the focus to the lowly ordinary infantryman out there getting the job done. BATTLEGROUND and THE STORY OF G.I. JOE have been around for a while and they too have gotten their deserved recognition. Their greatness comes because they have focused on the men. A WALK IN THE SUN is poetic in nature. Mild mannered Sterling Holloway's death scene is very poignant and difficult to watch and even fathom because of the irony that war has exposed these men to. The diversity of the men is great yet the leader types pick up and take charge when it becomes necessary without any hesitation. Dana Andrews is a man seeing that they get the job done. John Ireland, in one of his better performances, is a distant and cool character that seems like the eyes and ears of the viewer taking in all that transpires. Screenwriter Robert Rossen's script is rich in the character studies of these men including Richard Conte, Lloyd Bridges, Norman Lloyd, George Tyne, Huntz Hall and Herbert Rudley under Lewis Milestone's lyrical direction. Beware that this DVD may not be up to your standards of picture quality.

The Battle for Tibet.......2005-10-08

Somewhere along the line this film gained a reputation as a ground-breaking war picture. That is hardly the case. In fact, the first 20 minutes are so poor that I nearly gave up on it.

The film concerns a US Army infantry outfit in the invasion of Italy in WWII. After about an hour Dana Andrews character of Sgt. Bill Tyne begins to take shape. The other thing that keeps the film moving and rather unique is a snap crackle dialogue that occurs between two members of a machine gun squad that entertain each other with quick witted barbs and come-backs as they hump along the tripod and ammunition. Richard Conte is great, as one half of this duo. I could listen to their routine all day.

Other than that the production values are marginal at best and the rest of the cast is pretty forgettable. A scene in which a sergeant has a nervous breakdown is also not very believeable.

A war film worth taking a look at but if you don't add it to your permanent collection it won't be missed.

Average customer rating:

War as It Is
Enhanced realism
DVD: Walk in the Sun
Extraordinary Focus on the Ordinary Infantryman
The Battle for Tibet

A Walk in the Sun
Starring: Dana Andrews , Richard Conte , George Tyne , John Ireland , and Lloyd Bridges
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Similar Items:

Guadalcanal Diary
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ASIN: B000007SFF
Release Date: 1998-06-30

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

War as It Is.......2007-01-23

Enhanced realism.......2006-08-18

DVD: Walk in the Sun.......2006-03-01

It is a classic war movie, and one that deals with combat fatigue. It is very dark in a couple of spots, but it is otherwise a very good copy.

Extraordinary Focus on the Ordinary Infantryman.......2005-12-18

The Battle for Tibet.......2005-10-08

Average customer rating:

War as It Is
Enhanced realism
DVD: Walk in the Sun
Extraordinary Focus on the Ordinary Infantryman
The Battle for Tibet

A Walk in the Sun
Starring: Dana Andrews , Richard Conte , George Tyne , John Ireland , and Lloyd Bridges
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Similar Items:

Guadalcanal Diary
Gung Ho
Men in War
Attack
Beach Red

ASIN: B00005Q63S
Release Date: 2003-01-01

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

War as It Is.......2007-01-23

Enhanced realism.......2006-08-18

DVD: Walk in the Sun.......2006-03-01

It is a classic war movie, and one that deals with combat fatigue. It is very dark in a couple of spots, but it is otherwise a very good copy.

Extraordinary Focus on the Ordinary Infantryman.......2005-12-18

The Battle for Tibet.......2005-10-08

Arthur Cohn Presents (American Dream/Behind the Sun/Black and White in Color/A Brief Vacation/Central Station/Dangerous Moves/The Garden of the Finzi-Continis/One Day in September/Two Bits)

Average customer rating:

Arthur Cohn Presents (American Dream/Behind the Sun/Black and White in Color/A Brief Vacation/Central Station/Dangerous Moves/The Garden of the Finzi-Continis/One Day in September/Two Bits)
Starring: Fernanda Montenegro , Marília Pêra , Vinícius de Oliveira , Soia Lira , and Othon Bastos
Director: Walter Salles , Vittorio De Sica , and Kevin Macdonald
Manufacturer: Homevision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Similar Items:

Tennessee Williams Film Collection (A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 Two-Disc Special Edition / Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1958 Deluxe Edition / Sweet Bird of Youth / The Night of the Iguana / Baby Doll / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone)
The Queen
Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)
Little Miss Sunshine
An Inconvenient Truth

ASIN: B0001689WY
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Description

In the history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Arthur Cohn has received more Oscars® than any other producer. He is the only foreign film producer to have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Home Vision Entertainment is proud to present this unique collection of highly acclaimed films produced by the legendary Arthur Cohn, available exclusively from HVe in this special nine-disc collector's set.

Assembled and distributed by Home Vision Entertainment, this homage to Academy Award™-winning Producer Arthur Cohn is an unprecedented collaboration among Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Classics, Paramount Pictures,
Universal Studios, Miramax Studios, and Buena Vista's Home Entertainment Group.

This unique set features the following films, produced by Arthur Cohn, on DVD:
American Dream, Behind the Sun, Black and White in Color, Sky Above Mud Below, A Brief Vacation ,The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, One Day in September, Two Bits, and Dangerous Moves

Oscar™ and Academy Award™ are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Average customer rating:

A Walk in the Sun
Starring: Dana Andrews , Lloyd Bridges , Richard Benedict , Steve Brodie , and James B. Cardwell
Manufacturer: Critic's Choice
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000M06EP8
Release Date: 2007-01-30

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