Revolution Shifting the Frontlines from the Battlefield to the Home

Jonathan Roberts

Dr. Manuel A. Pérez Tejada

English 1102

21 April 2009

Revolution Shifting the Frontlines from the Battlefield to the Home

There have been many films made about revolution throughout the history of cinema. These films have covered many historical revolutions and even some fictitious revolutions, such as in Star Wars. Almost all of these films have one thing in common. The main character is a hero of the revolution. He conquers the oppressive power and rights all the wrongs in the world. The Russian movie, Burnt by the Sun, takes a different approach. It deals with all of the negative aspects of a revolution. It also deals with the effects of revolution on the common man rather than the soldier. Soldiers do exist in the story, but the film concentrates on their home lives rather than their lives in the battlefields. While the result of a revolution can be a more just government or a more oppressive one, one thing remains the same. Before order is reestablished, people will suffer. Burnt by the Sun shows this suffering that is not caused by artillery fire or assault rifles. It shows the lives torn apart by corruption and political unrest in a nation. Burnt by the Sun is not only dedicated to all of those burnt by the sun of revolution, it also represents anyone whose lives were ruined by it.

Burnt by the Sun is a Russian film made in 1994 and released in the United States in 1995. It is based on a book written by Nikita Mikhalkov. He also directed and starred in the film as the main character, Col. Sergei Petrovich Kotov. It is set during Stalin’s rule over the Soviet Union between the two World Wars. In this time period, the government took many steps to repress the people. The Motherland was the utmost priority for the Russian people, and duty towards the Motherland was the utmost ideal. The people of Russia are said by the main character, Kotov, to act out of two extremes, duty or fear. Sergei Petrovich Kotov mentions that all of his actions are done due to the former of these two, duty. However, in this time of transition, “Kotov will come to face “that his glorious achievements of the past mean little in the new political climate” (Howe). Mitya, the man who makes his reappearance in the movie is said to act out of the latter, fear. These concepts run deep into the minds of any involved in a revolution. Soldiers often act out of duty whereas civilians act out of fear. This is applicable in any revolution and Burnt by the Sun brings these choices to light.

One of the themes mentioned early in the movie is that of the fireball. A radio reports an increasing number of sightings of the fireball throughout the countryside. This fireball is the harbinger of suffering and death. It is “the fiery yellow sun that occasionally flashes across the sky, hinting at a world about to explode” burning all those in its path (James). When the fireball makes its first appearance in the movie, it comes with the arrival of Mitya who comes to arrest Col. Kotov. This fireball cracks a picture frame containing a picture of Kotov’s family. This foreshadows the breaking of his family and the suffering that is sure to come. Later, the fireball appears again. This time, it signifies Mitya’s internal suffering after he turns Kotov in to the military police who execute him without any trial and decides to commit suicide. This also signals that the suffering for the family in the Kotov’s house is just beginning. The writing that appears on the screen at the end of the film shows that the suffering continues long after the movie ends. All of the family members are arrested and eventually are forgiven. All but Kotov’s daughter, Nadya, are forgiven posthumously. This shows that most of Kotov’s family died in prison under persecution. The fact that the fireball has been sighted many times across the Russian countryside shows that this suffering is not contained to Kotov’s family, but pervades all of those touched by revolution. The family is what is what is most affected by revolution.

The next thing to distinguish between is soldier and civilian. Soldiers know the risks when they sign up to be involved in military actions. The suffering that they feel is to be expected, especially during revolution. The civilian is not so lucky. Civilians are unwillingly forced to suffer during revolution. They do not feel the same sense of duty that soldiers feel towards the Motherland, yet they are affected just as much. This suffering is made apparent and foreshadowed by the early scene in the movie involving the tanks trying to crush the wheat field. The soldiers are acting on orders, motivated by a sense of duty towards their superiors. The citizens, motivated by fear, flood the field in a panic begging the tanks to refrain from crushing the crop. It is this panic that forces the villagers to call Col. Kotov so that he may dissuade the soldiers from crushing the fields. This is the first time that Kotov is shown to have to suffer as both a civilian and a soldier. He uses his military influence to contradict the duty of the soldiers and alleviate the fear of the civilians by turning the tanks back. This scene also points out the initial “tension between Kotov's dreams and the reality of the Stalinist apparatus” (Gaydos). This also foreshadows that he will have to make a choice between his life as a soldier and that of a civilian and the interests that each wishes to preserve later in the movie. This choice is made increasingly difficult as “the love Kotov feels for his daughter [and family] and for his motherland is exquisitely continuous” (Gleiberman).

In a revolution, civilians must adopt a somewhat military mentality. This is forced upon them by the soldiers and their interests. This is shown at two instances of the movie. The first is at the swimming hole when the gas mask drill is performed. The civilians are forced into a military mentality. They must comply with the soldiers and put on the gas masks so that the soldiers can perform their drill. This also shows that the civilians have to be prepared at any time to be thrust into the depths of the revolution and be prepared for the death and suffering that may take place should the fighting ever reach their home turf. Another instance of the military mindset being forced upon civilians is the regiment of pioneers. These are children who are drilling and marching as if they were in an army. In a time of revolution, the children know nothing but the fighting that has consumed their entire lives. The fact that these children are being trained in such a way that they will be familiar with military protocol shows how deeply the influence of the revolution runs. It does not stop at parents who must worry about their families, but it permeates into the lives of the children as they prepare to live the life of a soldier should the fighting continue.

The fine line drawn between civilian and soldier is blurred as the film continues. Mitya, the long lost friend and, as revealed in the film, the former lover of Kotov’s wife, slowly reveals that his return is no normal homecoming. He has been working for the Russian government and is responsible for the disposal of Russian generals who do not completely comply with any of the government’s recent decisions. He is responsible for the arrest and execution of these officials quietly with not trial. Slowly, the viewer learns that his next target is Kotov, possibly for “having frustrated army movements that threatened a neighbor’s wheat fields” (Ebert). Honoring his sense of duty to the Motherland, Kotov goes quietly with Mitya, after a brief goodbye to his loved ones, leaving no sign of his impending doom. He is then taken into the same wheat fields he fought to save where he is beaten and executed along with an innocent bystander witnessing the action. All of this is done as an image of Stalin is raised by balloon leaving no doubt as to who is ultimately to blame for the tragedy of all of the lives destroyed in the wake of revolution.

The image of Stalin shows that this is only a small example of all of the lives destroyed during revolution. The day was meant to be a celebration of Stalin’s accomplishments, but his image raised in the field has a dual meaning. As Stalin glorifies himself throughout the Russian countryside, similar scenes are doubtlessly playing out under each of his images. Families are being torn apart and lives destroyed regardless of whether or not they are involved in military or political organizations. In another scene in the movie, Kotov comments that Mitya volunteered to be on the frontlines of World War I. His return to Kotov’s home shows that the frontlines have shifted to the homes of anyone affected by the revolution. The motif of the fireball returns after Kotov’s death, floating through the now broken home and coming to rest on the scene of Mitya committing suicide. Even his immoral actions do not come without consequence. Soldier and civilian; these distinctions mean nothing in a time of political unrest and revolution. Ultimately all will suffer before order is returned.

Works Cited

Ebert, Roger. “Burnt by the Sun.” The Sun Times. May 19, 1995. Apr. 19, 2009. .

Gaydos, Steven. “Burnt by the Sun.” Variety. May 23, 1994. Apr. 19, 2009. .

Gleiberman, Owen. “Burnt by the Sun.” Entertainment Weekly. May 5, 1995. Apr. 19, 2009. .

Howe, Desson. “Burnt by the Sun.” The Washington Post. May 19, 1995. Apr. 19, 2009. .

James, Caryn. “Burnt by the Sun: Film Review; Charm on the Surface, and Stalinist Realities.” The New York Times. Apr. 21, 1995. Apr. 19, 2009. .