Il sole anche di notte (1990)

Second viewing; first saw it on May 9, 1992.

English title: Night Sun.
English translation of the Italian title: The Sun, Even at Night.
Alternate English title: The Sun Also Shines at Night.

Based on the short story Father Sergius, by Leo Tolstoy, written between 1889 and 1891, revised in 1898, and published for the first time in 1911 (according to the Italian Wikipedia entry Padre Sergij; the Father Sergius article on the English Wikipedia gives different dates).

The main character is an 18th-century military man from the lower nobility who, after an amorous misadventure, becomes a religious man. Struggling with his proud temperament, he goes in a quest for ultimate truth, while reluctantly interacting with the superstitious peasantry who regards him as a saint.

This is a personal favorite of mine, for somewhat idiosyncratic reasons. While I admit that it seems to occasionally yield to a certain lethargic sentimentality, especially through the use of the musical score, there is a possibility that it hit a soft spot in me for this reason also. Both Sands and Kinski are exceptionally good-looking in this, in an expressive way that certainly favors the movie; as a matter of fact, the film seems perfectly cast in its entirety. Mainly, I liked the way it focused on an individual soul, without losing track of the bigger picture of the collective aspects of religion and social class.

Rating: 86 (down from 87)