Sunrise (1927)

• Year: 1927
• Released: 04 Nov 1927
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Won 3 Oscars. 9 wins & 4 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018455/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sunrise
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sunrise
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: None, English
• MPA Rating: Passed
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• Runtime: 94 min
• Writer: Carl Mayer, Hermann Sudermann, Katherine Hilliker
• Director: F.W. Murnau
• Cast: George O’Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston
• Keywords: adultery, love triangle, rural area, silent film, marriage crisis,

	8.1/10
	98% – Critics
	92% – Audience

Sunrise Storyline

Beginning in summer, we meet a ‘woman from the city’ on vacation in the country, who we then discover is having an affair with a ‘farmer’. The ‘woman from the city’ then proposes that he drowns his wife so they can run away together. Overwhelmed by the woman from the city, he decides to take his neglected wife for a row in a boat. She gets excited for the date, leaving her child at home, ready for a romantic day with her husband, hoping to rekindle their lost love. Whilst our rowing in the little boat, she senses something is not right. He attempts to push her overboard, but backs out last minute. She then escapes into the city, leaving him to chase after her. Eventually, he proves to her how much he loves her and she comes to forgive him as they share the day together, rekindling their love. Still, the thought of the city woman is in the back of his mind. Suffering severe grief and anger, the farmer is faced with a moral dilemma, torn between two loves and with murder on his mind.

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Sunrise Movie Reviews

Incredibly Engaging

This is a really riveting film, sometimes thought to be the greatest of all. I tend to ignore the term “greatest,” but it is a really dynamic and creative piece. It involves a man who becomes obsessed with sex and leaving his seemingly dull life. He meets a sort of flapper who wants to take him away to the big city. But first he must do away with his wife. When an attempt fails, things are thrown into chaos. Murnau is certainly about as inventive as any film director in history. When one realizes what he does in1927, it is astonishing. Both principals are very good. Of course, silent films do depend on emoting, but within its bounds this one seems to really work. An important element of this is whether we, the audience, can forgive this guy, let alone his wife.

okay story, unbelievable cinematography

I was not bowled over by the plot of SUNRISE. It seemed like a pretty simple but watchable morality tale about a man who has an affair and his new lady tries to get the man to murder his wife. And, while Janet Gaynor received the first Best Actress award for her COMBINED work on this and two other films (the only time the committee did this), her performance didn’t seem out of the ordinary. However, I still recommend the movie because of the director and cinematographer–it simply is one of the most beautifully made silent films I have ever seen. Again and again, the images on the screen are like works of art. The way the leads are framed, the vivid and realistic storm at sea and the amazing camera angles and movement are well ahead of most silent pictures of the day.

By the way, in many ways the plot from later films such as THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME and A PLACE IN THE SUN appear inspired by the plot of this film.

Exquisite sunrise

There are plenty of reasons for film buffs to watch ‘Sunrise’. One is if they love, or at least appreciate, FW Murnau and his films and recognise their importance, that’s applicable to me. Two is if they love, or again at least appreciate, silent films, have seen some fantastic silent films myself. Three is if one is interested in seeing what the hype is, with it being widely considered a cinematic masterpiece and milestone. Four is if one is interested seeing whether Janet Gaynor’s Oscar win was deserved.

‘Sunrise’ in my mind absolutely deserves every ounce of the acclaim it garnered and still gets. Murnau was a truly fabulous and influential director whose (too few) films were watchable at their worst and amazing at their best, and while ‘Faust’, ‘The Last Laugh’ and ‘Nosferatu’ are wonderful films ‘Sunrise’ gets my vote as his best. Of the many fantastic silent films out there, in a list that includes ‘Metropolis’, ‘The Crowd’, ‘The Last Laugh’, ‘Intolerance’ and ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’, ‘Sunrise’ is one of the very finest. Cannot say enough great things about it and Gaynor’s Oscar win is easily one of the most deserving winners in the early years of the Academy Awards history (in a period with a fair share of questionable nominees).

In a period of exceptionally well made films and even for a director who was a visual master, ‘Sunrise’ looks exquisite. Not many films at the time and since had cinematography this level of stunning or full of wonder, with also a surprisingly witty style and chockful of images that actually tell a story. As always with Murnau, the sets are indicative of a lot of time, money and thought went into constructing them as they are very rich in detail and lavish. It is also one of the few films where back projection is used well and looks good, usually it looks cheap but here it is quite imaginative.

Murnau’s direction was seldom more accomplished or more inspired than here in ‘Sunrise’, which is quite a feat from one of the more accomplished and inspired directors of the silent film era. A perfect example of why he is justifiably lauded in cinema. The music is beautifully done, it appeals on the ears and is not intrusively used or emotionally over-emphasised. ‘Sunrise’ is also sincerely written and doesn’t ramble. The story is nothing short of timeless and of all the silent films in existence to me ‘Sunrise’ is the one that connects with me the most emotionally.

A lot of poignancy can be seen here and there are a fair share of memorable scenes, particular standouts being the hard hitting rowboat scene and the visually unforgettable trolley ride. It is one of the few rewatched films this year to uplift me and fill me with hope, sorely needed at a point where that was not felt very much. Simply put, ‘Sunrise’ is a masterpiece of complex range of emotion.

Wonderful acting can be seen here too, with Gaynor being perfectly cast and a revelation in the lead role, charming and deeply felt.

One can argue that masterpiece is thrown around a lot and too easily these days and personally have tried to avoid using it a lot, but ‘Sunrise’ deserves it. Amazing film and a fine example of a film that one should see before they die. 10/10.