Movie Description
SUNRISE chronicles the murderous desires--and ultimate repentance--of a wayward husband. Deeply attracted by a sophisticated vamp who worms her way into the couple's simple country existence, the man agrees to take his wife into the city by rowboat...with plans to drown her on the way. In the midst of their journey, however, he realizes he cannot go through with the act. But the pure and innocent wife has already understood what he meant to do. Heartbroken, and with tear-filled eyes, she stumbles away from him through the city streets. Now he must find some way to win her back -- and prevent the fates from punishing him for his misdeeds...Director F.W. Murnau, and cinematographers Charles Rosher and Karl Struss, created stunning expressionist imagery that poignantly captures the characters' complex desires and points-of-view. This is one of the most visually gorgeous and emotionally rich silent films ever made.
| Credits | | Cast: | Arthur Housman, George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor |
Notes
SUNRISE was an original selection to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989.
A silent film.
Editorial Reviews
"...SUNRISE is intensely stylized....Film becomes poetry in SUNRISE....Every frame of this timeless masterpiece is visually awesome..."
Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas (04/29/1986)
"[A] masterpiece..."
Sight and Sound - Brad Stevens (02/01/2004)
"[I]t's one of cinema's most astonishing love stories: beautiful, immoral and infinitely tender..."
Total Film - Jonathan Crocker (02/01/2004)
"SUNRISE conquered time and gravity with a freedom that was startling to its first audiences. To see it today is to be astonished by the boldness of its visual experimentation."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (04/11/2004)
"Carl Mayer's screenplay...allows Murnau to achieve some astonishing visual effects."
Sight and Sound - Geoffrey Macnab (12/01/2005)
Awards
1928Academy AwardsBest ActressJanet Gaynor, 1928Academy AwardsBest Artistic Quality of Production, 1928Academy AwardsBest CinematographyCharles Rosher, 1928Academy AwardsBest CinematographyKarl Struss
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