Review of Sunrise (1985) by Chris D — 19 Jun 2010

While a good film, it does little to change the fact that I just don't like silent films. I find them to lack to focus and organization of the films after this period. Sunrise is no exception. Thankfully it doesn't succumb to the usual pitfall of overacting, which I find in many silent films.

The acting in this film is quite good. The first act is slow, but pretty interesting, as the last act. The second half is almost completely unnecessary. It consists of the two leads going about town doing completely random shit and being in love.

It doesn't get the story anywhere, and any storyteller knows that showing people in love is uninteresting. That's why romance films always have people trying to find love, or falling out of love, because conflict is the essence of drama.

Also, the film changes tone wildly during this part. It's schizophrenic, the way it goes from dramatic murder plot to silly day in the city, complete with drunken pig and dance scene, to people almost fucking dying.

It's not terribly erratic, but I would have liked some consistency. But, the technical aspect of this film is absolutely amazing. The cinematography and visual effects are truly astounding, and help make this film a cinematic classic.

So, it's not perfect, and I didn't quite enjoy myself, but it is a technical marvel and worthy of its praise.