Review of Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) by Joe L — 29 Nov 2008

A stunning achievement. murnau is my new favorite director among the silent masters. he brings a visual inventiveness to an otherwise cliche storyline that goes far beyond 'the last laugh.' as a storyteller, murnau understands the importance of balancing tragedy with comedy, and is always investigating the psychology of his characters.

there is a sequence shot on a train that predates the use of rear projection, and the shifting light as the train moves is beautiful and haunting. also makes innovative use of double exposures and moving cameras throughout.

you can feel the encroaching sound era.. many effects are synchronized, and voices are discernible in crowd scenes. it would be many years before the camera could fly so freely after the introduction of sound.

also: george o'brien. stunningly handsome. the original jon hamm.