If the Sun Never Returns
| If the Sun Never Returns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Claude Goretta |
| Written by | Claude Goretta |
| Produced by | Sylvette Frydman Jean-Marc Henchoz Alain Sarde |
| Starring | Charles Vanel Philippe Léotard |
| Cinematography | Bernard Zitzermann |
Production companies | Les Productions JMH Marion's Films Sara Films RTS Radio Télévision Suisse |
Release date |
|
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Countries | Switzerland France |
| Language | French |
If the Sun Never Returns (French: Si le soleil ne revenait pas) is a 1987 Swiss-French film directed and written by Claude Goretta, based on Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz’s novel of the same name. It was entered into the main competition at the 44th Venice International Film Festival and was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 60th Academy Awards.[1][2][3]
Synopsis
In a mountain village deep in a valley and deprived of sunlight for months at a time, an old man regarded as a prophet and sorcerer foretells that the sun will not return and that the village will sink into an endless winter. As panic spreads among the villagers, Isabelle resists the hysteria and urges them not to give in to fear or fate.[1]
Cast
The cast includes:[4]
- Charles Vanel as Anzevui
- Catherine Mouchet as Isabelle Antide
- Philippe Léotard as Arlettaz
- Raoul Billerey as Denis Revaz
- Claude Evrard as Follonier
Production
The film is based on Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz’s novel Si le soleil ne revenait pas.[5]
Reception
Awards and nominations
The film was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 60th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[2]
Critical response
Filmdienst described the film as a mystified version of a weighty Heimatfilm of the 1950s, with beautiful images of the Swiss mountain landscape. It added that Goretta sets the villagers’ despair against an unshakeable belief in the continuation of life.[4] The Guardian wrote that much of Goretta's later film work, including If the Sun Never Returns, remained little known outside francophone countries.[6] The Los Angeles Times described the film as a “dour parable” set in a remote Swiss village and wrote that Goretta depicts the villagers' fears in somber tones, though it found the ending disappointing.[7]
Festival screenings
The film premiered in 1987 at the 44th Venice International Film Festival that year.[1][3] In later years, it was screened at festivals including the 10th Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in 2010 and the 76th Locarno Film Festival in 2023, where Variety reported that the screening drew a packed audience, including young people.[1][8]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Si le soleil ne revenait pas". Swiss Films (in German). Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 "If the Sun Never Returns (Si le soleil ne revenait pas)". AFI FEST. American Film Institute. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Si le soleil ne revenait pas". Archivio Storico delle Arti Contemporanee (ASACdati) (in Italian). La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Wenn die Sonne nicht wiederkäme". Filmdienst (in German). Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "SF DRS zeigt «Wenn die Sonne nicht wiederkäme»". SRF Medienportal (in German). 13 April 1990. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "Claude Goretta obituary". The Guardian. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "Capsule Reviews of AFI Festival Movies : Following are reviews for the American Film Institute Film Festival. All screenings are at the Cineplex Odeon Century Plaza Cinemas unless otherwise indicated. : : SUNDAY". Los Angeles Times. 16 April 1988. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "Locarno's Heritage Monday Panelists Argue for Marketing Old Classics Like Current Films: 'There Is a New Generation Coming to Cinema Now'". Variety. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
Further reading
- Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.