Review of Sunrise (1985) by Mike L — 06 Oct 2012

George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor star as a man and a wife who live in no particular place or setting, except on a farm next to a large city, the mystery is set. The opening scenes, holy crap, it would be hard to do these with green screens let alone 1927 technology. The angles are very much German in design (the lantern in the foreground) as is the scanning scene of a woman (the rival brunette) walking to the house. The separate beds seem odd, especially for pre-code, but the scene does work for that angle.

What a dark theme, yet how observant that a dog, in this case a German Sheppard, knows what that man is up to. This should not be any surprise to any dog lover when there are breeds, that can detect when a diabetic is low in sugar and bark as a warning. It is a creepy movie as we follow the husband who trails his wife after he cant go through with killing her, as they go into the city and he stalks her. The many religious images that follow show that she should forgive him, no matter what, are of the time and again creepy. The strolling scene through the busy streets to the tree-lined country side and back to the city is a marvel of editing. Through the process we see that while George is an average actor, Janet is a doll, someone who we emphasize with and realize is an extraordinary actor. The direction is innovative and keeps a conceptual aspect through the whole movie. As the movie progressed we forget what a creep the husband is and become fascinated with Janet's portrayal of a wife who convinces her husband to rediscover what he fell in love with the first place. The storm sequence is a great piece of special effects and suspense. A fascinating movie.