Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1928) - Unique and Artistic Production awardee

Review No. : 0016

Title : Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans

Year : 1927

Director : F. W. Murnau

Country : United States

World’s Verdict : Rotten Tomatoes – 98%; IMDB – 8.4 out of 10.0; Academy Award – Unique and Artistic Production, Best Actress, Best Cinematography.

My Verdict : 2.8  out of 5.0.

Sunrise is a silent film that won an award for Unique and Artistic Production at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929.  This was the year that particular award was ever given out.  The following year, the Academy dropped the award and decided that the award known as Outstanding Picture won by Wings (1927) was the highest honor that could be awarded.  Sunrise is also one of the pioneers to use a synchronized musical score and sound effects.

A vacationing woman (Margaret Livingston) from the city starts an affair with a farmer (George O’Brien) who has a meek wife (Janet Gaynor) and a son.  One night the mistress asks the farmer to go with her to the city and sell his farm.  The mistress also suggests for the farmer to kill his wife by drowning her in the river and make it seem like an accident.  The morning after, the farmer asks his neglected wife to join him on a leisurely boat trip.  He attempts to push her out of the boat but loses his urge to kill her and rows furiously back to a nearby shore.  Once they hit the shore, the scared and emotional wife runs to safety and the man chases her.  They got into a tram that takes them to a neighboring city.  The couple spends the day walking around the city as they rekindle their love to each other.

The Good

• Impressive cinematography – There is no question that the cinematography in this movie is top-notch and well-thought of.  This is the undoubtedly the film’s strength, the techniques include superimposition effects, impressive tracking shots and the application of forced perspectives.
• High production value – The production does not look cheap at all.  An example is the city fair that the couple visited, it shows roller coasters, tents, and a ballroom, all looks grand on screen.

The Bad

• Occasional over-the-top acting – The acting of O’Brien and Gaynor polarizes between believable and overacting.  I like how Gaynor acts when she subtly cries on the tram after her husband tries to kill him but it is borderline annoying to see her being happy like an eight-year old girl (and she looks like an eight-year old girl).  O’Brien has subtle moments, too, but sometimes he acts too dramatically, like when he is searching for his wife in the river, he looks so scared that his eyes are wide open and about to pop out.  It is so over the top, I just don’t buy it.

Some hail Sunrise as a masterpiece, I don’t think so.  It has good cinematography but that doesn’t make it a masterpiece, it does have a good theme but the acting is not that good and the story is not compelling.  I’m happy to have seen it once, but I don’t have any plans to watch it again.