In “Burnt by the Sun,” there were many calm, peaceful scenes that juxtaposed the theme of terror in the film. The first scene where this appears was on of the first scenes in the film. The scene of the child singing an elegant song is roughly cut to a child running from tanks of the soviet army. This scene displayed foreshadowing of this theme in the rest of the film. Furthermore, the urgency of the gas drill with everyone frantically running to put gas masks on is contrasted by the peaceful image of Sergei and Nadya floating on a river in silence and peace. The contrast in these scenes related to the overall theme of the film. The calm, peaceful life of the great General Kotov, a well respected and powerful general in the army, seems to be protected from the terror that has been created by Stalin. After all, Sergei can stop many tanks with strict orders from driving across wheat fields. He is ultimately not safe from the Secret police. The Final calm scene is Sergei in his dressing room staring at a picture of him and Stalin, a trusted companion. Sergei even has Stalin’s direct line. Overall, theses scenes show that no one is safe from the terror of Stalin and his rule.
3 thoughts on “The Calm vs Terror in “Burnt by the Sun””
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I found the the juxtaposition of peaceful scenes with the chaotic are also quite interesting. In a way, the peaceful scenes humanize the characters in the film, lessening the differences between the viewer and the characters. The scene with Nadia and the general drifting on the water, for example, humanized Kotov in a way that might not have happened if viewers weren’t able to see his tenderness and love.
I agree with your analysis that the abrupt shifts between calm and terror were supposed to represent the suddenness and ferocity of the purges and raids. We have seen in our discussions that survivors described it as an eerie calm followed by immediate, powerful violence, and I think “burnt by the sun” captures that rapid shift quite well. Another aspect you mentioned that we went over in class is the sense that nobody is safe from the purges, and I agree that the film portrayed that well.
Xander, I really love the fact that you draw attention to the counterpoint between calm and chaos as a governing aesthetic principle and recurrent motif throughout the film. This is deeply perceptive and a useful lens to use in making sense of the film both on the level of individual events and characters, and the film’s broader commentary on the historical trauma of the purges as a whole. A really great observation–thank you for this!