Review of Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) by Todd S — 12 Sep 2007

Unlike, say, "Birth of Nation" or "Battleship Potemkin," both of which try to make broad swaths of history cognizable without words, the love story in "Sunrise" could not be more simple.

Murnau dispenses almost entirely with title cards and instead uses visual experimentation to evoke the characters' subjective states. Yet, despite its simplicity, the story, too, is radical and unexpected.

The climax unfolds not with the husband's attempted homicide of his wife, which occurs almost at the beginning of the film, but instead comes when both characters discover the possibility of redemption.

"Sunrise" is the only silent film I have seen that does not feel restricted by its medium.