Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Best movie of this year hands down!

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Director F.W. Murnau made an outstanding film in 'Sunrise', which is an emotional drama and real visual treat. The story of temptation is simple and stripped down to the point of not even having character names for the principals (The Man, The Wife, and The Woman From the City), but the theme is timeless, and Murnau wastes no time getting to the tension. The simplicity may bother some, but I liked how tight the storytelling was. We really don't know which way the story is going to go, and at different times find ourselves horrified, touched, and even tickled during moments of levity. Janet Gaynor delivers a strong performance, and demonstrated real range to earn the first ever Oscar for best actress. She is very cute in the scenes where she's playful, such as when she dances with her husband. George O'Brien and Margaret Livingston are solid too, but what makes the film truly special is how far ahead of its time it was in its direction. Murnau uses overlays, imagined sequences, interesting camera angles, and flat-out beautiful cinematography from Charles Rosher and Karl Struss, and there are brilliant shots in the moonlight, on the water, and in the city. Poignant and artistic, this is one not to miss.

With an opening so dramatic and intense, there's no doubt you will witness a great movie. The simple yet very profound story bout love, lust, faith and betrayal "Sunrise" captures your attention from the beginning and it doesn't leave you until the end. It is the first and only Oscar winner for Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production. With the spectacular portrayal of the 3 main characters played by George O'Brien as "The Man", Janet Gaynor as "The Wife", Margaret Livingston as "The Woman from the City" and directed by F.W. Murnau this movie show that no matter what happens in life LOVE finds a way to overcome everything bad. "The Man" is thorn apart between his two loves - his sweet and simple wife and the woman from the city, who is on holiday. She tries to convince him to kill his wife, so they can run away together. As he struggles with his feelings about both of the women, something turns inside his mind and soul. This is a classic story of the power of true love. This a movie that makes you think about your own life and what have you done for your loved ones. And no matter how bad things could go you can always find a way to make it better. Told and played very accurate, on point with every feeling and emotion showed to the audience, you don't need to hear the actors speak. They have done an outstanding job pouring their inner self to the public. The movie absolutely deserves to be named one of the greatest silent movies ever.

I found this to be a very interesting movie. At its core, Sunrise is a movie about infidelity, and the heartbreak it can cause. The editing is great here, with some very nice cuts that flow between the different scenes well. I also found the use of lighting to be very dramatic, which helped heighten the high stakes mood of the film. There are many scenes where the corners of the screen are darkened, creating an almost circular spotlight on the center of the frame. I though this was a very neat effect and it helped both to draw my eye to the action as well as make everything feel more dramatic. If I were to find fault with the movie, I would say that the character of the city girl is not very well developed. Though she is meant mainly as a temptress to lure the husband away from his wife, I would have liked so see a bit more going on with her. Overall, the movie does a great job at establishing a somber tone that really resonates and I would highly recommend it.

Sunrise wrestles with themes of morality, love and redemption. For a 1920s movie, the quality of the cinematography is impressive, with the light of sunrise illuminating the screen at the film's end while cameras even move to follow the action of characters from time to time. The film also provides quality shot to shot transitions, with city landscapes and elements of a fun fair fading in and out of focus. It's no question that Gaynor and O'Brien both perform miraculously, but the evolution of their marriage over the course of the film is a spectacle to behold. The film's greatest irony lies in the boat journeys taken by the couple to and from the nearby city. Initially, the man's love for another woman provokes a failed attempt at drowning his wife which foreshadows her fall off the boat on their return journey in the storm. Though he initially ponders sacrificing his wife for his mistress, the man experiences genuine regret and despair when he thinks he's lost her. Sunrise is an admirable look into both the fortitude of marriage and the challenges that it constantly brings about.