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But Fiennes flatly denies any concern that he might become typecast as the arrogant romantic with base passions boiling just under a frosty surface, the sort of parts already perfected by fellow Englishman Jeremy Irons. "They're not really aristocrats are they, in Sunshine?" he asks rhetorically. "They're just prosperous middle-class people."
In Sunshine, the three-hour Canadian-produced epic about an enduring family of Hungarian Jews, Fiennes has the daunting task of playing three generations of troubled heroes, a father, son and grandson. In the Istvan Szabo-directed historical drama, each man must make a difficult moral choice to cope with, respectively, the corruption of the Hapsburg empire, the Nazi Holocaust and finally Soviet totalitarianism. Their plight, of course, mirrors the agony of Hungary itself through much of the 20th century. But the family and their Budapest home are hardly middle-class as Fiennes plays, first, a judge, then an Olympic fencing champion, and finally a disillusioned bureaucrat. It is the second time he's portrayed a Hungarian patrician in a film with strong Canadian roots, the other being 1997's The English Patient. But apart from dead-eyed Nazi commandant Amon Goeth in Schindler's List, a common thread runs through Fiennes' characters in films like Onegin, Wuthering Heights and his other new film, End of the Affair.
"I just look for a strong gut response to the script, the character I've been asked to play," he says. "I try to be open to various things, and not saying 'I'm being pigeonholed.' And if a really great part comes along, of another aristocrat or whatever, then I'll do it if it's well-written."
As Ignatz, Adam and Ivan, Fiennes dons various facial hair and mannerisms to distinguish the trio of men who display a broad range of angst and passion. In addition to their politically-based battles, they also indulge in a string of tempestuous love affairs, with two of the women played by emerging Canadian actresses Molly Parker (Kissed) and Deborah Kara Unger (Crash).
With Unger especially, the onscreen sexual encounters are graphic and rough, a veritable collision of ecstasy, desperation and violence.
In another powerful scene set in a German concentration camp - it's been described as a crucifixion by ice - Fiennes is also called upon to perform a full-frontal nude scene, although as in Schindler's List, it is horrifying and not at all sexual.
Fiennes is satisfied the scenes were choreographed with discretion and sensitivity.
"Not for a second did I feel exposed in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. I think the nudity is really well photographed. I think if I felt it was going to be very exposing...then I would not do it."
Unger, the B.C. actor who has a growing reputation as a sultry Ava Gardner lookalike, agreed that despite their graphic nature, her scenes with Fiennes are not gratuitous and look more revealing than they actually were.
But she concedes such performances can easily cross a line if not handled properly by a technically astute co-star like Fiennes.
"I'm very sensitive to that. I will walk off the set if an actor crosses a line with me in a sex scene. That's no excuse for a personal violation. Another profession gets paid for that."
Unger defends the wild abandon of the lovemaking, calling it a byproduct of the pent-up frustration of people living in such totalitarian times.
"It's not gratuitous. It's their only outlet for expression. There's a silence that is assumed in every relationship in that period, because you're being bugged, being watched everywhere."
Sunshine's domestic contribution came from two Canadian producers of Hungarian extraction, Andras Hamori, president of Alliance Atlantis Pictures, and Robert Lantos, former Alliance boss now with his own production company, Serendipity Point Films.
The film, which is just opening in Canadian theatres, has already garnered a whopping 14 Gemini nominations. Under a distribution deal with Paramount Classics, it will not be seen in the U.S. until late spring, making it ineligible for the next Academy Awards.
--- Some quotes from those involved in the Alliance Atlantis/Serendipity Point film Sunshine:
"Being from Hungary, the film had a deep resonance for me. But it was also about something much larger, about how you can never escape your roots." - producer Robert Lantos.
"Identity crisis is the worst psychological disease of this century, and it's not just a Jewish problem. Millions and millions suffer under the question 'Who am I?' and whether to change country, language and cut roots." - director Istvan Szabo.
"Working with Istvan Szabo is a very enriching experience. I was very excited when approached by him. I thought the script was an amazing journey."- actor Ralph Fiennes.
"To me the essence of the film is about the disease of people wanting to be accepted. It is about compromising on your own individuality, which is something we can all understand." - producer Andras Hamori.
"What was the purpose of this miserable life?"- actor John Neville as
despondent older Gustave in the film.
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© EL STEPHO
Added to the RF Reading Room on December 17, 1999
EL STEPHO