Review of Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) by Michael C — 17 Mar 2009

One of the best silent dramas I have ever seen. I mean, what other silent drama has madcap humor, genuine horror, two attempted murders, and a pig getting drunk? I can't name any, and all of those wonders are in this delightful gem of a film.

It was directed by F.W. Murnau, a German director best known for "Nosferatu" (the first vampire film) who emigrated to Hollywood and made this film as his first feature. It definitely is a German Expressionist film, with its brilliant use of shadows, fog, lighting, and scale, but it also has some uniquely American touches.

One of the other things I loved with it was its daring experimental spirit. It did a lot of really creative things with scene card subtitles I had never seen done before, and the direction of the actors was great; Janet Gaynor won an Oscar for this, but honestly I felt George O'Brien stole the film, with his best scene being where he asks the wife whom he earlier tried to murder to forgive him, as he realizes he adores her.

This premise sounds absurd, but he sells it in such a submissive heartbreaking way that it manages to work. If you are one to scoff at silent film, watch some of the legendary works of Murnau such as this before passing judgement.