Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Passing judgment onto a black and white silent film from the 20’s is quite very tricky for someone who has been used to the era of sound and color. The sensibilities of a silent film are definitely far from what we are watching now, as most of the time, the storyline is not even the core of the film at all. Being part of early cinema, it’s this concept of this so-called “cinema of attraction” that keeps the audience glued – not really the story nor the lines, not the characters, sometimes the stars but it's always the antics and the visual feats that entertain. It’s what made Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton famous and for F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise", it is no different. The level of sophistication however, is very high compared to the early silent films. Being made nearing the end of the decade, the incorporation of the narrative in film has already been developed and Murnau’s film was able to benefit from that.

The plot of the film is very simple: it begins with a woman from the city arriving in a small town. She begins an affair with a farm owner, whose wife and child then become neglected. The woman then invites the farmer to leave for the city. The farmer agrees but then asks about what he is to do with his wife; the woman telling him to have her drowned. The man retaliates but after a few kisses, he then becomes convinced and the next day, he invites his wife to go boating. Everything falls into plan until the man freezes in front of his wife, when he's about to push her over the boat. He sails back to the shore and his terrified wife runs and quickly boards a train. He runs after her and upon successfully reaching her, spends most of the time telling her not to be afraid of him. The two then reach the city, with the man still trying to win her back. They then enter a church where a wedding was taking place and the man slowly bursts into tears, realizing his mistake with his failure to live up to his vows. He apologizes to his wife and she forgives him. The two then spend most of their time falling back in love in the city. They go to a café and then a barbershop. They have their picture taken and visit an amusement place. The night ends with them being so in love that the man then invites the woman to spend a honeymoon of sorts by sailing back to their place - not a smart idea though, as right in the middle of their journey, they get hit by a storm. The boat capsizes and the inevitable happens – the man wakes up with his wife nowhere in sight. Good thing he was back in his town and he was able to get help to conduct a search. They fail in the first attempt, prompting the man to go back to his house. The woman from the city then finds out and tries to seduce the man once again. The man then bursts into anger and tries to kill her until his wife is finally found. The sun rises again as the couple get to reunite once more.

"Sunrise" is a piece of art as it is a medium for entertainment. Murnau’s expressionist style emphasizes a strong sense of emotion elicited by the characters for a sentimental audience. Unlike the films nowadays, this one is not really meant to be comprehended like mental puzzle. Although there’s a story to follow, the highlight is in the emotion - this is the kind of film that needs to be felt as it’s all about experiencing the magic. After all, it is a film about love.

As a silent film, the element of the “cinema of attraction” remains intact but not at the core of "Sunrise", that is in comparison to other films in the era such as those by Buster Keaton. As most of these breaks in the narrative take place during the couple’s stay in the city, they are simply placed to keep the audience stay tuned to this 95-minute film. Moreover, these breaks do not seem to be disconcerting, as they are simply meant to keeps us entertained; and eventually prepare us for the final climactic scene.

As an expressionist, F.W. Murnau succeeds with his visual artistry. The film’s oneiric scenes where the characters suddenly transport into a different place as they daydream are quite in fact the trademark of this film. Visual techniques that use double exposure and super-imposition definitely blend in with the dream-like situations, heightening the emotions while dazzling the audience all at the same time. Indeed, Murnau’s artistic efforts would then result to his recognition by the Academy during the first Oscars as the film would be awarded with an Academy Award for Best Unique and Artistic Production, a sort of runner-up award to the first Best Picture winner that was William A. Wellman’ "Wings".

Seeing the film now, almost eighty years later after it was first screened, entails a lot of consideration for its unique sensibilities. It would be interesting to see the grand difference if this film gets to be remade at present; my hypothesis is that it would not survive any treatment if a realistic approach would be applied, as it would entail erasing the visual elements that make this film a masterpiece as an art form. Nonetheless any true lover of cinema would never fail to recognize the glorious achievement of its film with its expression of love at its very heart.