The Dark Side of the Sun (film)

For other uses, see The Dark Side of the Sun (disambiguation).

The Dark Side of the Sun^[a] is a 1988 American-Yugoslavian drama film directed by Božidar Nikolić and stars Brad Pitt in his first leading role, as a young man in search of a cure for a rare and deadly skin disorder.

The Dark Side of the Sun
VHS cover art
Directed by	Božidar Nikolić
Written by	Andrew Horton Nikola Jovanović Željko Mijanović
Produced by	Anđelo Aranđelović Mile Citaković Susan Haken Duško Mihailov Boris Nitchoff
Starring	Brad Pitt Guy Boyd Milena Dravić
Cinematography	Bozidar Nikolić
Edited by	Petar Jakonić
Music by	Vojislav Kostić Kornelije Kovač
Distributed by	Avala Film Cinequanon Pictures International Inc
Release dates	December 21, 1988 (1988-12-21) (Yugoslavia) January 5, 1999 (1999-01-05) (United States)
Running time	101 minutes
Countries	United States Yugoslavia
Language	English

Director Božidar Nikolić picked Brad Pitt out of 400 candidates for the main role. Brad Pitt was very happy for the pick and was paid only $1,523 for seven weeks of filming in Dubrovnik, Croatia and Kotor, Montenegro (then Yugoslavia) in 1988.^[1] The movie was released directly-to-video in 1997.^[2]

Plot

Rick is a young American with a rare skin disease that prevents him from exposing himself to any kind of light, especially sunlight and is mostly seen as an expert motorcyclist, entirely clad in leather. After trying several cures without success, his father takes him to a village in Croatia where they meet a healer, who is supposed to save him. But the treatment does not work and when a young American actress falls for him Rick decides to forget about his illness and enjoy life, feeling the sun on his skin for the first time. The disease takes its course but his father understands the choice he made.^[3]

Cast

• Brad Pitt as Rick Clayton
• Guy Boyd as Walter Clayton
• Milena Dravić as Emily Clayton
• Nikola Jovanović as Spake
• Cheryl Pollak as Frances
• Gorica Popović as Nina
• Stole Aranđelović as Vidar (the healer)
• Constantin Nitchoff as Ed
• Sonja Savić as Alan's Girl

Home media

A Region 4 PAL DVD was released in Australia by the budget label Payless Entertainment under licence from Screen Media.