Director: F.W. Murnau
Starring: George O’Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston
A sophisticated city woman seduces a farmer and convinces him to murder his wife and join her in the city, but he ends up rekindling his romance with his wife when he changes his mind at the last moment.
‘Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans’ is a film about infidelity. A Married man living on a farm with his wife and young child is having an affair with a woman from the city. His wife is clearly aware of the affair, and sits home sadly thinking about the good times while her husband is with his mistress.
One night when The Man is with his mistress, she suggests he sell the farm and move to the city, and that they should kill his wife. Upset at first, The Man then considers it. The plan is to drown her, and one fine day The Man invites his Wife to go on an outing on the lake.
To avoid spoilers, I won’t go into much detail further. There are interesting developments, with well crafted suspense. While the second act is mostly humorous, the film quickly shifts gear for the final act. ‘Sunrise’ boasts amazing production value for a film made almost a century ago. The storm scenes were also very well done (although not quite as impressive as Buster Keaton’s ‘Steamboat Bill Jr.’ released the following year).
‘Sunrise’ is often listed among the best films of the silent era, and its easy to see why. Those not wanting to watch silent films are losing out on some amazing films! I love silent films!
(Silent Film)
Would I watch it again? Yes.
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