Red Sun

Summary

“I think I’m too sentimental.”

Radiance Films, despite being one of the newest film distribution labels, have already proven themselves to be excellent curators of foreign and independent cinema. Their releases of Yakuza Graveyard and Big Time Gambling Boss have shown their comprehension and enthusiasm for Japanese film, while their releases of Welcome to the Dollhouse and Miami Blues have shown their enthusiasm for offbeat American cinema. Their release of Red Sun finds the label jumping head first into the New German cinema. Fran Simeoni, Owner/CEO of Radiance, has once again shown himself to be an excellent arbiter of taste with this release which is as influenced by Jean-Luc Godard as it is influenced by socio-political movements in Germany. I had never heard of the film until its release was announced, but I was excited to dive into the film and learn more about German cinema of the Sixties and Seventies.

A man named Thomas (Marquand Bohm) goes to Club Take Five. He has been dropped off there after hitchhiking. He talks with a bartender named Peggy (Uschi Obermaier) who at one point was his girlfriend. They drive to Lake Standberg together and then they go back to her apartment that she shares with some other girls. Thomas sleeps next to her. A roommate named Silvie (Sylvia Kekule) wakes Peggy. Peggy is told that Isolde (Gaby Go) is giving them trouble. In a room, a man that Isolde has brought back from the Take 5 is tied up to a chair and gagged. Peggy points a gun at him. She goes back to the bedroom and wakes Thomas and they fool around. Later, Christine (Diana Korner,) Isolde, and Silvie enter the room where Peggy is feeding Thomas. He unwittingly helps load the body of  their victim into the ladies’ VW. He does not realize that the women he is around have laid out rules that involve killing boyfriends after just a few days. Meanwhile, the ladies make small explosives to serve some anarchic purpose.

Red Sun is an intriguing film. The writing of the picture lays out a plot that would read on paper as an offbeat thriller, but the film is articulated through the gaze of a Godard-influenced artist. Every now and then I view a film which I enjoy while not having any real explanation for why the film was enjoyable. In the case of Red Sun, I enjoyed the colorful direction (seemingly inspired by Raoul Coutard’s cinematography in Le Mepris and Pierrot le Fou,) the playful nature of the anarchist feminists in the film, and the detached way in which the film was realized. The film looks great with numerous striking sequences, even though I am not exactly sure what the film was really aiming to say. 

Sometimes I find a film enjoyable largely for the sensorial pleasures of the film. This is a good case and point where I can’t adequately describe what exactly the filmmaker was trying to say, but I enjoyed taking the ride that the film offered. I can see people being turned off or can just as easily see people being turned on to the film with good rationales either way. I can’t imagine that this would be a film that would excite many of my friends, but if you are really into art house cinema or New German films, I think the film is something you can easily ponder and enjoy. The film is well shot by director Rudolf Thome with help from cinematographer Bernd Fiedler. There are some really cool looking moments in the film that grabbed my attention.

There is a dry sense of humor to the proceedings in Red Sun and a very laissez-faire approach to sexuality. It would be impossible to deny that the model and actress who plays Peggy, Uschi Obermaier, is extremely attractive, but I would be hard pressed to say whether or not I believe she can act. Her screen presence is strong despite displaying almost no emotion whatsoever in the film. Sometimes all a film needs is “a girl and a gun” like Godard famously said. This film has that, and an intriguing premise. I enjoyed it and could see myself revisiting it in the future, despite not having a clear idea of what this film was really setting out to accomplish.

Video

Radiance Films presents Red Sun in its original 1.67:1 aspect ratio in 1080p. The restoration was performed in 2K and overseen by Rudolf Thome. Additional restoration work was performed by Radiance for this release. This is another very well done transfer from Radiance. Color timing looks accurate to the source and the film shines on the format. Grain is prevalent but never seemed overly chunky. The cinematography of the film Berne Fiedler has lots of colorful moments which translate well to the format. Fans of the film will really appreciate this presentation.

Audio

Radiance Films have provided a restored LPCM 2.0 Mono track. As one might guess, the mono track is limited in how immersive it feels, but I thought the track sounded very good overall. There is some hiss, but the cleanup jobs has been performed well.

Supplements:

• Scene Specific Commentary by Rudolf Thome and Rainer Langhans
• Rote Sonne: Between Pop Sensibility and Social Critique – Johannes Von Moltke discusses both the cultural influences on Red Sun and the motivations of the storytelling in the picture. Its a good piece.
• From Oberhausen to the Fall of the Wall – starting by discussing the credo of “Papas Kino isn’t Tot” which means “Daddy’s Cinema is Dead,” Margaret Deriaz discusses German film history from the sixties onward beginning when 26 filmmakers signed the Oberhausen Manifesto which rejected the norms of German cinema in favor of creating a New German Cinema. This New Wave eventually led to the rise of filmmakers such as Rudolf Thome, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, and Rainer Werner Fassbender. This piece filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of New German Cinema, so I appreciated its production by Radiance for this release. I look forward to more pieces by Margaret Deriaz in the future.
• Radiance has included an exceptionally well done booklet featuring additional interviews and essays. Their booklets are already proving to be some of the very best produced in the business. It is 51 pages long.

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.25/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 4.5/5

Overall – 4/5

Red Sun is a German New Wave film with an enticing premise but, like many avant-garde films, the amount of pleasure an audience takes out of the film will be totally dependent on what types of films the viewer prefers. Because I have a fondness for Godard’s Pierrot Le Fou, I found myself enjoying the relaxed pacing and vividly colorful cinematography of Red Sun. I would not recommend this film to your average joe cinema viewer, but I think people with more arthouse sensibilities will find the film interesting. Radiance Films had promised from the beginning to highlight films that probably would not be championed elsewhere. This is another interesting film release from the label with some extremely well thought special features that lend a better understanding to the New Wave German film movement of which Red Sun was a part. The Oberhausen special feature was particularly enlightening about the rise of German New Wave cinema. The picture quality and audio quality are both satisfactory and Radiance has provided an excellent 51 page booklet.