Review of Sunrise (1985) by Zhanyi J — 26 Mar 2009

Oscar winner in its 1929 for 'Best Unique & Artistic' production, regularly voted amongst the most influential films of all time by panels of critics, 'Sunrise' was actually made in the USA by German director, Murnau. Black & white, a silent movie with a soundtrack of music and added noises, it is fantasy of town and country, desire and love, tragedy and happy ending; in many respects, it's a fairytale.

A Man, a farmer, has an affair with a Woman, who has escaped from the Town for a prolonged holiday in the Country. He is persuaded to murder his Wife, sell up and move to the City with his mistress. He takes his Wife on a boat trip - they cross the wide stretch of water which separates the Country (with its traditions and community and intimacy) from the City (fast, commercial, impersonal, morally suspect). He fails to murder her - they spend a day in the City rediscovering their love for one another but, on the trip back across the water to their Country home, a freak storm springs up and the Wife is swept away.

The acting - and Janet Gaynor as the Wife won an Oscar for Best Actress - is pure silent movies ... exaggerated, stylised, heavily made-up. There are some extraordinarily comic scenes, there is some tense drama, there are some striking images, and there is an almost child-like playfulness in the direction and photography. But is this one of the hundred greatest films of all time?

The cinematography, from a technical perspective, is exciting and innovative, and there is no doubt that this is a master at work. Murnau was a highly influential director - possibly most famous for his 'Nosferatu' and 'Faust' - and there is undoubtedly much quality in this production. But is this a great film to watch? It's entertaining, but it is highly stylised, and it can grate a little - the narrative is predictable, the story really doesn't measure up to modern sophistication. It's a moral film, it's uplifting, and it's entertaining, and if you're interested in cinema, you'll appreciate its age and its relative quality. You are not going to sit back and describe this as one of the greatest stories ever told.

The picture quality has suffered - it can be patchy in places, seems to flicker, and the scenes in darkness or near darkness would have greatly benefited from modern technologies. I wonder if it's possible to digitally enhance these without compromising the pictorial presentation? The extras provided are of interest to film buffs - the commentary on the film is definitely worth listening to.