This silent 1927 film classic, by the director of Nosferatu, explores the love a man has for his wife when faced with outside temptation.
--Randy
Sunrise
Directors: F.W. Murnau
Producers: Unknown
Writers: Carl Mayer And Hermann Sudermann
Features: Original Aspect Ratio 1.20:1, Theatrical Trailer, Audio Commentary By John Bailey(ASC Cinematographer, Outtakes With Optional Commentary By John Bailey, Original Senario By Carl Mayer With Annotations By F.W. Murnau, Murnau's Lost Film: "Four Devils", Original "Four Devils" Screenplay, Origianl Sunrise" Screenplay, Original Movietone score(Mono) And AlternateOlympic Orchestra Score(Stereo)
Characters:
The Man...George O'Brien
The Wife...Janet Gaynor
The Woman From The City...Margaret Livingston
Maid...Bodil Rosing
Photographer...J. Farrel McDonald
The Barber...Ralph Sipperly
Genre: Drama
Review:
"Sunrise-A Song Of Two Humans" is a black and white silent film made in 1927 starring George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor. It was the first film made in Hollywood by director, F. W. Murnau. Previously he had made films, such as "Nosferatu," the first Dracula movie, in Germany. "Sunrise" is more pastoral, dealing with the theme of redemption. In this classic, a man(George O'Brien) is persuaded by his lover from the city(Margaret Livingston) to drown his wife, played by Janet Gaynor, a role for which she won an Oscar in 1929. The cinematography for this film by Charles Rosher and Karl Struss won an Oscar too, as did the film for "Most Unique And Artistic Production" - the only time in the Academy Awards history that this kind of award was given. Apparently many could not figure what category to place this film in, but they knew it had greatness.
In this film no one has a name. There is simply The Man, The Wife and The Woman From The City. F.W. Murnau wanted to make an everyman movie that people everywhere could identify with as the movie dealt with universal themes. The beginning titles start out, "This song of the man and his wife is of no place and everywhere; you might hear it anywhere, at anytime..."
The film opens showing the City Woman(who was on vacation to the country, but decided to prolong her visit) getting dressed while smoking a cigarette. The cigarette and the state of undress show the viewer of this period that the woman is evil. After walking down a street from where she was staying, she stops at a farmhouse and whistles by a fence. The Man is inside the house sitting at a table brooding when he hears the whistle. The Wife comes in to set the table, but after she leaves he gets up and sneaks out of the house to meet his lover by a nearby lake. As they are hugging and kissing the film cuts to a scene of the wife at the house hugging and kissing her baby. The City Woman asks the Man through subtitles if he will come back with her to the city. He mutters, "What about my wife?" She replies,"She couldn't get drowned?" In a clever use of the subtitles, the middle part of the sentence starts to slowly sink and disappear from the screen with the rest following. The City Woman then cuts some nearby bullrushes for the Man to use as a floatation device, as she instructs him to capsize the boat near shore after drowning his wife. The Man staggers home carrying the bullrushes and the weight of his guilt. As he sits in his bed, his wife asleep in hers, a superimposed image of the City Woman clasps him while other images of her face surround him. In the morning The Man makes a decision that will affect him the rest of his life.
Though this is a silent film it has synchronized sound. At appropriate times there are car horns, train whistles, a clank of a bucket, cheering crowds and music from a band. The "Jazz Singer," the first talking picture, had come out two months earlier, but this film had already been intended as a silent film. The acting in most movies of this time was overly dramatic, as in "Sunrise." There were many reasons such as cameras that could not zoom in for closeups, and most actors had gotten their acting experience in plays. The director, F.W. Murnau, utilized this acting even more as he was from the German Expressionistic school of filmmaking. Everything was exaggerated including the acting, the sets and the shadows in order to create mood. In the audio commentary, John Baily mentions how most German silent films used very few subtitles as the story was conveyed with these techniques. In this movie smoke and fog are used extensively to promote mood. When the couple are in the city, minatures of city landscapes are used with midgets to give a lifesize feel. Bailey points out that F.W. Murnau had George O'Brien wear ankle weights for the first half of the picture to simulate a heavy gait which was supposed to reflect his state of mind. The cities of Austin and Houston, Texas are mentioned by Bailey. He can't quite remember which had the museum that published a still photography book, "From New York To Hollywood," by Karl Struss, one of the two cinematographers that worked on "Sunrise."
There is another DVD commentary by Janet Bergstrom, for the now non-existant movie of F.W. Muranau's "Four Devils." This was filmed after "Sunrise," but all known copies were lost. Bergstrom narrates the film using the screenplay, promotional photos and art designs for the set. The back of the DVD jacket does not mention the detail taken for this screenplay. There is also a film treatment of "Four Devils' that is not mentioned on the jacket either.
This silent film moved very quickly and was not slowed down by many subtitles. People and places that are pictured seventy five years ago are fascinating to watch. The expressionistic style used by F.W. Murnau is totally different from all US silent films of this period. That may have contributed to this film not doing well at the box office of this era. Today many consider "Sunrise" to be the best film of the silent era. This DVD is so loaded with special features it would be a good introduction to the silent era and how so much was able to be depicted with what now would be considered an extremely limited medium.
----Randy