Sunrise (1927) Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (original title)

Director:

F.W. Murnau

Writers:

Carl Mayer (scenario)
Hermann Sudermann (from an original theme by)
(more)

Release Date:

4 November 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.

Plot Keywords:

City | Farmer | Love | Murder | Fireworks

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

George O'Brien	...	The Man
Janet Gaynor	...	The Wife
Margaret Livingston	...	The Woman From the City
Bodil Rosing	...	The Maid
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	The Photographer (as J. Farrell McDonald)
Ralph Sipperly	...	The Barber
Jane Winton	...	The Manicure Girl
Arthur Housman	...	The Obtrusive Gentleman
Eddie Boland	...	The Obliging Gentleman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Herman Bing	...	Streetcar Conductor (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey	...	Dance Hall Manager (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Manager of Hair Salon (uncredited)
Sally Eilers	...	Woman in Dance Hall (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland	...	Angry Driver (uncredited)
Fletcher Henderson	...	Performer - Song: 'Tozo' (uncredited)
Thomas Jefferson	...	Old Seaman (uncredited)
Bob Kortman	...	Villager (uncredited)
F.W. Murnau	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Barry Norton	...	Ballroom Dancer / Kissing Couple (uncredited)
Robert Parrish	...	Boy (uncredited)
Sally Phipps	...	Ballroom Dancer / Kissing Couple (uncredited)
Harry Semels	...	Carnival Gallery Man with Pig (uncredited)
Phillips Smalley	...	Head Waiter (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Barber (uncredited)
Clarence Wilson	...	Money Lender (uncredited)

Directed by
F.W. Murnau

Writing credits
Carl Mayer		(scenario)
Hermann Sudermann		(from an original theme by)
Katherine Hilliker		(titles) and
H.H. Caldwell		(titles)

Produced by
William Fox	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Sheldon Mirowitz		(2011)
Willy Schmidt-Gentner
R.H. Bassett		(Los Angeles premiere) (uncredited)
Carli Elinor		(Los Angeles premiere) (uncredited)
Erno Rapee		(New York premiere) (uncredited)
Hugo Riesenfeld		(1928) (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Charles Rosher		(photography)
Karl Struss		(photography)

Film Editing by
Harold D. Schuster		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Rochus Gliese		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Charlie Dudley	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herman Bing	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Don B. Greenwood	....	property master (uncredited)
Alfred Metscher	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Edgar G. Ulmer	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Gordon Wiles	....	art department head (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Frank Williams	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Hal Carney	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Frank Powolny	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Stuart Thompson	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Maurice Baron	....	orchestrator: Erno Rapee score (uncredited)

Other crew
William Fox	....	presenter

Production Companies

• Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Fox Film Corporation (1927) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hispano Foxfilms S.A.E. (1982) (Spain) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• BIM Distribuzione (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• Deutsche Vereins-Film AG (Defa-Deutsche Fox) (1927) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Fox Film (1927) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• NFM Distributie (1997) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Television (????) (USA) (TV)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Critics' Choice Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Eureka Entertainment (2009) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Eureka Video (2005) (UK) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" - USA (original title)

Runtime:

94 min | Germany:106 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Movietone) (musical score and sound effects) | Silent (alternate version)

Certification:

Germany:6 | Portugal:17 (director's cut) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U (video re-rating) | UK:A (original rating) | South Korea:15 (2004) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Was the first and only film to win the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' (AMPAS) 'Best Picture' award in the category of "Artistic Quality of Production" (or "Unique and Artistic Picture"). This was the only year that this award was ever given out.

Goofs:

Continuity: The number of bottles left on the table after the piglet bumps it changes between shots. There are five bottles when the piglet bumps it, but when the Man comes in and grabs the piglet there are seven bottles on it.

Quotes:

The Man:[pleading to his wife] Don't be afraid of me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Henri Langlois: The Phantom of the Cinémathèque (2004)

Simply the best

While some film critics disagreed in the late fifties, giving the nod to Murnau's equally brilliant "Last Laugh," this in my view is the crowning achievement of the German genius. Many polls rank it as the greatest silent film ever made and many rank it very high on the all time list of great movies.

The plot is melodramatic, the acting in places heavy handed, and the action seemingly non-existent, at least in the eyes of the "Terminator 3" generation,yet "Sunrise" is so captivating a film that it can be watched over and over again and deliver the same punch every time. In fact, like the other greats,including "Citizen Kane," you can probably get something new out of "Sunrise" every time you watch it, no matter how many times you watch.

Murnau takes barren sets and dark, hallow rooms and turns them into treasure troves of lighting and nuance. He creates something as simple as a railway depot or a big traffic intersection and makes it a story all by itself.

"Sunrise" stands today as one of the most visually fascinating films ever made. Murnau's cinematographers, Charles Rosher and Karl Struss, got an Oscar for their work and surely deserved it. Janet Gaynor won the Best Actress award for her body of work that also included "Seventh Heaven" and also richly deserved the prize. Her face expresses her inner emotions so perfectly that some of her scenes are achingly beautiful.

And the film itself received an academy award for "Most unique and artistic production," an award never given out again, maybe because no picture could live up to the standard set by "Sunrise."

The new DVD version being marketed on the quiet by Fox is marvelous, with a wonderfully restored print that seems just as bright today as it must have in late 1927 when the film was released. The DVD includes an interesting commentary option by cinematographer John Baily and no film is better suited for this, since it tells its story brilliantly with pictures alone, so the commentary option is not a distraction.

One of the great tragedies of the cinema in my view is that few people alive today have seen "Sunrise." They have no idea what they are missing.

This one ranks among the five best films ever made.