Review of Sunrise (1985) by Jay R — 08 Mar 2011

Sunrise marked the end of the beginning of cinema. Technology was finally starting to advance, and soon, all movies would have sound. The silent era was coming to and end, and it could not have ended any better than Sunrise. It's a perfect example of what silent film is able to do. It is able to express those feelings when words are not needed. It is able to shape characters, their beliefs and their inner workings. It is able to show us how music can be a channel of even more feelings. This is everything silent cinema can do, all in a brisk 95 minutes. This is one of my favourite silent films.

Sunrise is the story of a countryside relationship in trouble. The Man (George O'Brien) isn't getting along well with his wife (Janet Gaynor). In a fit of desperation for a better life, The Man has an affair with The Woman From The City (Margaret Livingston). He promises to sell his farm, and go away with her to the city. What of The Wife? She is to be drowned and made to look like an accident in the overturned boat. But when the moment comes, he cannot do it. They row to the city, The Wife in fear of The Man and The Man trying to win back the wife.

The beautiful thing about Sunrise is ow director F.W. Murnau controls the emotions throughout. There is never an inauthentic over overblown attempt to grab you. It moves along at such a merry pace. It begins with distress and depression, then slowly grows into a jovial feeling and even celebration. It's such an incredibly happy movie in part, showing the rekindling of a lost love. It's infectious to watch their relationship get better and better.

The irony of all this is that the city, with all the bustling businesses actually repair the country folk. The Man doesn't need to Woman From the City to enjoy the actual city, you need love. It's a tired tale, but due to the silence of Sunrise, it is actually easier to feel the love. No cheesy lines or heartfelt speeches. It is about what you feel.

Also the happiness is shown in many ways. The marriage is captured as a new found admiration rather than an overly sentimental attempt to save what they have left in their love. They never want to forget how they feel at that moment, and that is a reason take a picture. That still resonates today. Taking a date to the carnival, having dinner, dancing, these are all celebratory symbols of life. Sunrise is such a celebration of togetherness, it's easy to forget that this started as a murder attempt. That lingers in the back of your mind.

I also thought there was a brilliant concept with the fact that the City woman actually needs the city to survive. She needs the expensive clothes, the pounds of make up, the best hat and the rich man to be who she wants to be. She is actually a repulsive woman, and the city is her only means of keeping her appeal in tact. The city is really all she has to offer. Unless she wants to throw some sexual favors around.

Sunrise is a film that casts waves of emotion that stir and make you genuinely hopeful by the end. It's such a light and uplifting film, yet so deep and full of small expressions here and there. It's a film that marks the end of a great era: the birth of film. It's n era that presents it's final hand, and it's exhilarating to watch.