Sunrise

F.W. Murnau, USA, 1927, 95 minutes

Sunrise, subtitled "A song of two humans", combines some of the most sophisticated techniques and mise-en-scene ever seen, along with a deceptively simple story of love and redemption. This exploration of universal archetypes sees the "Woman from the City" (Margaret Livingston) seduce "The Man" (George O’Brien) and convince him to arrange for the death of his wife, "The Woman" (Janet Gaynor) in "an accident crossing the lake. The Man, however, finds he cannot go through with the scheme and, amidst the marvels of "The City", rediscovers the greatest miracle of all: love. Thus reconciled, he and his wife return home, just as a ferocious storm blows up and overturns their boat. He makes it to shore, but where is his wife?

The moralities of the piece are, however, surprisingly complicated - especially as everything is conveyed without speech. While the creators abide by, rather than deconstruct, the binary oppositions around which their film revolves - good and evil, male and female, rural and urban, the madonna and the whore etc - they avoid directly punishing "The Woman from the City". She is even permitted to quietly slink away after her plan has failed. It’s a remarkable fate, especially when compared with the character’s spiritual descendents in the 1940s film noir.

Film-makers today can still learn from the way Murnau tells his story via the camera, while the sheer beauty and technical accomplishment of the piece stand out - for example the dolly shots as The Man goes to his illicit tryst with The Woman from the City and the multiple exposure process shots as her ghostly form tries to seduce away his doubts.

Review by Miichel Gentil
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2004