by A.J.
1927-28 (1st) Academy Awards Unique & Artistic Picture* Nominee
I can think of few other silent movies as deservedly lauded
and revered, as F.W. Murnau’s silent classic, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. It received the award for Best
Unique and Artistic Picture, and ended up being the only film to ever receive
that award because the category was eliminated the following year. Like The Crowd, the story of Sunrise is simple: A husband and wife
living a simple life in the country are pulled apart when the man is seduced by
another woman, but brought back together as he tries desperately to earn his wife’s
forgiveness, trust, and love. The setting, as we’re told in the opening titles,
is “of every place and no place.” The characters do not even have names; they
are the Man (George O’Brien), his Wife (Janet Gaynor), and the Woman from the
City (Margaret Livingston). These simplicities belie the technical mastery of
the language of the moving image to tell a story, convey ideas and themes, and affect
audiences.
Murnau did not like the use of intertitles (title cards and
dialogue cards) so they are used sparingly, and after a certain point in the
film they are not used at all and the story is told purely though images. These
images, including the performances of the actors, don’t just show us the plot,
they express the inner emotions of the characters. After his romantic encounter
with the glamourous Woman from the City, the Man decides to kill his wife.
However, his slow, lumbering walk conveys the conflict and guilt he feels. He
walks as though the burden of his decision is literally weighing down on his
shoulders. He lumbers like Frankenstein’s monster would in James Whale’s 1931 film.
Murnau actually had lead weights put in George O’Brien’s shoes to make his
steps slow and heavy. We are relieved, naturally, when he does not hurt his
Wife, but each of them are devastated by what almost happened.
Sunrise, also like
The Crowd, has two distinct halves
each with a dramatic shift in tone. The first half of Sunrise feels somber and potentially tragic. The second half, after
the Man and Wife reconcile on an excursion to the city across the lake, is
romantic and optimistic. In these scenes in the city, we see the Man and Wife
from the front whereas in the first half of the film the camera was always at
their backs. The Man no longer walks like a golem. They smile and laugh as they
walk through the City, holding each other’s arms as though they are the only two
people in the world.
Sunrise was the
first film F.W. Murnau made after being brought to America by producer William
Fox. It was the first film released by Fox with a Movietone soundtrack. It had
music, sound effects, and even some unsynchronized words in a crowd scene which
audiences would have heard coming from the film itself. However, there were no
characters speaking—true “talkies” would come along very soon. Despite the
presence of a complete soundtrack, it still uses images first and foremost to convey
story and emotion.
The entire film is rich with technical creativity and
impressive shots that all enhance the story. The special effects in Sunrise were all done “in-camera,” meaning that they were created using the
camera and not added in later. Superimposed images, miniatures, and
matte paintings are all done with such precision and inventive flair that they
remain impressive today. In one of the most famous scenes in Sunrise we see the backs of the Man and
the Woman from the City as they sit together, and visions of the City, bright
and carnival-like, appear before them. In another scene, we see the Man, visibly
troubled by his decision to get rid of his wife, but wrapped in the ghostly
arms of the Woman from the City; her image is first superimposed above him,
then appears all around him. Early in the film the camera glides smoothly
alongside the Man as he walks through marshy, uneven ground. Murnau and his
cinematographers achieved this effect by putting dolly tracks on the ceiling of
the set, rather than the ground, so that the camera could easily pass over the
uneven terrain. At a time when many films were still a series of static shots
of people in rooms, Murnau’s camera seems to fly.
In the modern era, there are many films in which the
spectacle of special effects distracts from the story and characters and
becomes the focus of the film. The old-school (the first school, actually)
in-camera special effects used in Sunrise
may seem quaint today, but they are quite technically sophisticated. Using such
inventive and impressive special effects to truly enhance the story is a trait
which I think will always be rare, but will always be the sign of a quality
film and master filmmaker. I think any modern moviegoer would enjoy and
appreciate what they see in Sunrise
and, fortunately, it is readily available on DVD and Blu-ray. This is a simple
story, but not a simple movie. Its dreamlike feel, subtly wondrous effects, and
nameless characters turn this story into a fable—something that exists out of
time and remains as magical and powerful as ever.
Nominee: Fox
Producer: William Fox
Director: F.W. Murnau
Screenplay: Carl Mayer, from an original theme by Herman
Sudermann
Cast: George O’Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston
Release Date: September 23rd, 1927
Total Nominations: 4, including Unique & Artistic
Picture
Wins: Unique & Artistic Picture, Actress-Janet Gaynor,
Cinematography-Charles Rosher and Karl Struss
Other Nominations: Art Direction-Rochus Gliese
*The 1st Academy Awards had two categories for Best Picture:
Unique & Artistic Picture and Outstanding Picture. The Outstanding Picture
category is widely considered to be the forerunner to Best Picture since the
Unique & Artistic Picture category was discontinued. Since at the time each
category was thought of as equally the top award I have included the Unique
& Artistic Picture nominees as Best Picture nominees.
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