Vonia Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) Director: F.W. Munrau Watched: April 2018 Rating: 9/10 Unnamed Man and Woman tell an allegorical tale of good and evil, temptations against true love; Loved watching her turn his frowns upside down- Man having a much more austere personality than Woman; Lessons learned that stand the test of time, like forgiveness, loyalty, love's perseverance, and the fact that the best pictures are candid; Despite occasional dragging pace, near perfect harmony of comedy, suspense, romance, and sincerity; Munrau proves that the minimalism of silent films is something to be celebrated and coveted. Gogyohka literally translates to "five-line poem." An alternative to the tanka form, the gogyohka has very simple rules. Five lines with one phrase per line. What comprises a phrase? Eye of the beholder- or the poet, in this case. #Gogyohka #PoemReview #BestPicture #Classics #Silent

Kevin DiBiase I found this to be a very interesting movie. At its core, Sunrise is a movie about infidelity, and the heartbreak it can cause. The editing is great here, with some very nice cuts that flow between the different scenes well. I also found the use of lighting to be very dramatic, which helped heighten the high stakes mood of the film. There are many scenes where the corners of the screen are darkened, creating an almost circular spotlight on the center of the frame. I though this was a very neat effect and it helped both to draw my eye to the action as well as make everything feel more dramatic. If I were to find fault with the movie, I would say that the character of the city girl is not very well developed. Though she is meant mainly as a temptress to lure the husband away from his wife, I would have liked so see a bit more going on with her. Overall, the movie does a great job at establishing a somber tone that really resonates and I would highly recommend it.

grantss A woman from the city holidays in the country. There she has an affair with a local farmer, a happily married man with a young child. He is besotted with her and the life she promises for him, to the point that, upon her suggestion, he is willing to drown his wife in order to be with her. With the murder planned, he sets the wheels in motion. Will he go through with it?Directed by the legendary FW Murnau, Sunrise is a classic of the silent age. Murnau takes the viewer on an emotional and psychological roller-coaster ride. The revulsion of the thought of him killing his wife, the apprehension at whether he'll go through with it, the relief, the wonderful day they spend together, the nerve-wracking trip home, the despair and elation. A simple linear story that packs in so much emotion, wonder and intrigue.It's not all drama though – there are some delightfully funny parts, eg the photographer's statue, the pig.Powerful, searingly emotional ending.All done with no audio dialogue and minimal written dialogue. It's amazing how much emotion and plot development can be conveyed through gestures and facial expressions.Sunrise was the joint first winner of the Best Picture Oscar, in 1929. That year, and only that year, the Best Picture was split into two categories: Best Picture, Production and Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production. Wings won in the former category and Sunrise in the latter.Janet Gaynor, who gave a wonderful performance as the wife, won the first ever Best Actress Oscar for a combination of her roles in Sunrise, 7th Heaven and Street Angel.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by F. W. Murnau, this silent classic is a visual marvel, even the dialogue pages are artistically done! It's the story of a farmer (George O'Brien) who's tempted by a city woman (Margaret Livingston), who meets him on her vacation and has an affair with him, to attempt to murder his sweet wife (Janet Gaynor), with whom he has a young child. The film won an Academy Award for Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production, and helped Ms. Gaynor (along with 7th Heaven (1927) and Street Angel (1928)) earn Best Actress honors the very first year that such awards were given. Charles Rosher and Karl Struss, who would go on to receive 8 more nominations, including Rosher's win for The Yearling (1946), between them, took home the Cinematography award for their work on this film. Rochus Gliese's Art Direction was also nominated.Things are not going well for a young farming family; the man (O'Brien) is sneaking out at night to have an affair with a vacationing city woman (Livingston) while his wife (Gaynor) stays at home with their infant and creditors slowly take the assets from their farm. The neighbors gossip about his downfall and their ruin. After one particularly passionate night, when the city woman describes the wonders of the city to the man, she uses her influence over him to convince him to murder his wife. She even tells him how to do it, by drowning her. He returns home with plans to do so then, after a night's sleep, asks her to take a trip with him across the lake. She is thrilled, and dances with their maid (Bodil Rosing) who will care for the child during their absence, because she assumes he's finally come to his senses and returned to her.Once they are out on the lake, though he can't go through with it, she has read his intentions. She cries uncontrollably and then flees him when they get to the other side. She seeks refuge on a trolley car which he's barely able to catch, having chased her through the woods apologizing. Though he insists he won't harm her, once the trolley stops in the city, she exits without him and wanders across the busy street seemingly not caring if she's killed in its traffic. He catches up to her and ushers her safely across the street. Finally they end up in a church, where a wedding is taking place. When he hears the wedding vows, he begs her forgiveness and cries as she comforts his head on her lap. They leave the church oblivious to all else, walking blissfully across the street as if they're in a beautiful field back home. Of course they are not, and the honking, stopped traffic brings them back to the present.The couple then experiences the wonders of the city together, visiting a barber (Ralph Sipperly), a photographer (J. Farrell MacDonald), who catches them "on paper" in an embrace, and dancing together. Each is gently "tempted" by another, he by a manicure girl (Jane Winton), she by an obnoxious man (Arthur Housman), but both of these characters serve only to show each's concern for the other. They return home by moonlight, sailing across the very same lake together, when a storm causes interrupts their journey and capsizes their boat. Has fate conspired to make the earlier, evil plans a reality?Of course not! No, this one's not spoiled by such a tragedy. Though the man leads the townspeople on a desperate search for his wife, coming to believe that she perished in the lake, a wise seaman (Eddie Boland) from the community saves her. But, not before the mourning man is approached by the city woman and nearly strangles her in anger. The sunrises over the small farming community to find the man and the woman happily together, with their child, in wedded bliss once again.