Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

F.W. Murnau

Writers:

Hermann Sudermann (original theme "Die Reise nach Tilsit")
Carl Mayer (scenario)

Release Date:

4 November 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Crime

Plot:

A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Love | Adultery | Storm | Lost Negative

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

George O'Brien	...	The Man
Janet Gaynor	...	The Wife
Margaret Livingston	...	The Woman From the City
Bodil Rosing	...	The Maid
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	The Photographer (as J. Farrell McDonald)
Ralph Sipperly	...	The Barber
Jane Winton	...	The Manicure Girl
Arthur Housman	...	The Obtrusive Gentleman
Eddie Boland	...	The Obliging Gentleman

Also Known As:

Sunrise (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

94 min | Germany:106 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Movietone) (musical score and sound effects) | Silent (alternate version)

Certification:

South Korea:15 (2004) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Germany:6 | Portugal:17 (director's cut) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U (video re-rating) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Director F.W. Murnau wanted Camilla Horn (with whom he had worked in Germany on Faust - Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926)) for the part of "The Wife", but she was under contract to the German studio UFA at the time and they refused to loan her out, so the part went to Janet Gaynor.

Quotes:

The Man: [pleading to his wife] Don't be afraid of me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Cinematic Magic Realism

I found this movie at the library the other day and I had to rent it after being aware for the longest time that it's the highest film on the Sight & Sound list that I have not seen yet. After seeing it, can I say that it deserves its honor? … I would say so, it's the polar opposite of modern film and that gets my interest since it reveals so much that cinema has gained and lost in 75 years. It tells a simple story while getting the most out of my reaction…as opposed to movies that utilize technology, over character and story development, even though this is a movie that has time to be showy and flashy with its beautiful city sequences. After seeing Abel Gance's Napoleon, a film from the same era, I would consider this movie on par for its technical angle, which I think is half the selling point for the critic's circles. It employs a magic realism that you will not find in any modern film today, a movie where you don't care if it takes them a minute to travel from the forest to the city….