Before Sunrise (1995)

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers (WGA):

Richard Linklater (written by) &
Kim Krizan (written by)

Release Date:

27 January 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Jump on and live a Eurorail journey you will never forget!

Plot:

A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one romantic evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.

Plot Keywords:

Train | French | American | Love | Europe

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ethan Hawke	...	Jesse
Julie Delpy	...	Celine
Andrea Eckert	...	Wife on Train
Hanno Pöschl	...	Husband on Train
Karl Bruckschwaiger	...	Guy on Bridge
Tex Rubinowitz	...	Guy on Bridge
Erni Mangold	...	Palm Reader
Dominik Castell	...	Street Poet
Haymon Maria Buttinger	...	Bartender
Harald Waiglein	...	Guitarist in Club
Bilge Jeschim	...	Belly Dancer
Kurti	...	Percussionist
Hans Weingartner	...	Cafe Patron
Liese Lyon	...	Cafe Patron
Peter Ily Huemer	...	Cafe Patron
Otto Reiter	...	Cafe Patron
Hubert Fabian Kulterer	...	Cafe Patron
Branko Andric	...	Cafe Patron
Constanze Schweiger	...	Cafe Patron
John Sloss	...	Cafe Patron
Alexandra Seibel	...	Cafe Patron
Georg Schöllhammer	...	Cafe Patron
Christian Ankowitsch	...	Cafe Patron
Wilbirg Reiter	...	Cafe Patron
Barbara Klebel	...	Musician on Boat
Wolfgang Staribacher	...	Musician on Boat
Wolfgang Glüxam	...	Harpsichord Player
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adam Goldberg	...	Man Sleeping on Train (uncredited)
Paul Poet	...	Guy in Bar (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Linklater

Writing credits (WGA)
Richard Linklater		(written by) &
Kim Krizan		(written by)

Produced by
Gregory Jacobs	....	associate producer
Wolfgang Ramml	....	co-producer
Gernot Schaffler	....	co-producer
John Sloss	....	executive producer
Anne Walker-McBay	....	producer
Ellen Winn Wendl	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Fred Frith

Cinematography by
Lee Daniel		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Sandra Adair

Casting by
Alycia Aumuller
Judy Henderson

Production Design by
Florian Reichmann

Costume Design by
Florentina Welley

Makeup Department
Karen Dunst	....	hair stylist (as Karin Dunst)
Karen Dunst	....	makeup artist (as Karin Dunst)

Production Management
Bernhard Schmatz	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Buche	....	second assistant director
E. Otto Sperl	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Maria Bluemel	....	stand-by props (as Maria Blümel)
Max Space	....	art department assistant (as Maximilian Jezo-Parovsky)
Michael Suchy	....	property master
Mark Lambert Bristol	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wayne Bell	....	sound effects editor
Stan Ginsel	....	assistant sound editor (as Stanley Ginsel)
Douglas Greenfield	....	stereo consultant: Dolby
Tom Hammond	....	supervising sound editor
Steve Jaszkowiak	....	foley mixer
Ossama Khuluki	....	foley artist
Paul Koronkiewicz	....	boom operator (as Paul Koronkiewiecz)
Christopher Moriana	....	foley artist (as Chris Moriana)
Charles W. Ritter	....	dialogue editor (as Chip Ritter)
Larry Seyer	....	sound re-recording mixer
Russ Smith	....	assistant sound editor
Reilly Steele	....	adr mixer
Thomas Szabolcs	....	sound mixer
Todd Toon	....	foley editor
Patrick Giraudi	....	foley editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Alexander	....	Steadicam operator
Walter Bednarik	....	dolly grip
Gabriela Brandenstein	....	still photographer
Phillip Grausam	....	electrician
Matthias Grunsky	....	clapper loader (as Mathias Grunsky)
Susanne Habitzel	....	best girl electric
Roland Heinrich	....	grip
Thomas Horváth	....	second electric (as Thomas Horvath)
Gero Lasnig	....	gaffer
Francesco Lorusso	....	grip
Heinz Menschik	....	first assistant camera
Thomas Öhl	....	electrician
Bernd Pfingstmann	....	third electric
Clark Walker	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Chloe Ernst	....	casting associate: New York
Robyn Levinson	....	casting assistant
James Pantone	....	casting associate: Los Angeles
Lisa Pantone	....	casting associate: Los Angeles
Regina Schlagnitweit	....	casting: Austria
Birgit Sturm	....	extras casting: Vienna People

Editorial Department
Barbara Albert	....	assistant editor
Peter Fahrngruber	....	avid consultant
Sheri Galloway	....	second editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Steve Johnson	....	colorist
Bob Kaiser	....	color timer
Eric A. Lewy	....	first assistant editor
Christine Radovanov	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Arlene Fishbach	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Michael Hopfgartner	....	transportation captain
Stegan Stein	....	driver: trailer (as Stefan Stein)

Other crew
Catherine Bauer	....	production assistant
Uli Halbritter	....	production coordinator
Jeff Hill	....	publicity: Clein+White
Philipp Kaiser	....	location assistant
Alexander Kleinszig	....	key production assistant
Kurt Werner 'Mingo' Krusche	....	location manager (as Kurt 'Mingo' Krusche)
Avi Levy	....	production accountant
Karol Martesko	....	co-production liaison
Morgan Miles	....	assistant production accountant
Axl Newrkla	....	set location manager
Andrea Nunner	....	accountant: Austria
Chris Paton	....	unit publicist: DDA London
Monika Petrillo	....	script supervisor (as Monika von Manteuffel)
Hans Weingartner	....	production assistant
Reini Weissensteiner	....	set production assistant (as Reinhard Weißensteiner)
Susanne Wouk	....	set production assistant

Thanks
Wolfgang Ainberger	....	we wish to thank
Karen Arikian	....	we wish to thank (as Karin Arikian)
Manfred Bartunek	....	we wish to thank
Ivan Bigley	....	we wish to thank
Arie Bohrer	....	we wish to thank
Laura Duda	....	we wish to thank
Courtney Eldridge	....	we wish to thank
Jürgen Forster	....	we wish to thank
Walter Galosch	....	we wish to thank
Leonhard Gmür	....	we wish to thank
Robyn Gray	....	we wish to thank
Stefan Grissemann	....	we wish to thank
Alexander Horwath	....	we wish to thank
John Hunt	....	we wish to thank
Heather McGrath Jacobs	....	we wish to thank
David Jewell	....	acknowledgment: poem "Delusion Angel" written by
Alan Jones	....	we wish to thank
Gudrun Kampl	....	we wish to thank
Constanze Kargl	....	we wish to thank
Lynn Keller	....	we wish to thank
Kurt Kren	....	we wish to thank
Doris Krumpl	....	we wish to thank
Shirley Linklater	....	in memory of: my grandparents (as Shirley)
Amy Lowrey	....	we wish to thank
Peter Muhr	....	we wish to thank (as Peter)
Vesna Muhr	....	we wish to thank
Jim Osborne	....	we wish to thank
Katharina Pirker	....	we wish to thank
Bernhard Praschl	....	we wish to thank
Ulla Rapp	....	we wish to thank
Christa Reeh	....	we wish to thank
Stefan Ruul	....	we wish to thank
Maria Schmidt	....	we wish to thank
Franz Schwartz	....	we wish to thank
Heinz Skala	....	we wish to thank
Philipp Teuchtler	....	we wish to thank
I.D. Lila von Schwarzenberg	....	we wish to thank
Dagmar Wagner	....	we wish to thank
Fritz Wagner	....	we wish to thank (as Fritz)
Peter Wallner	....	we wish to thank
Heinz Wendl	....	we wish to thank
Cornelia Zweigert	....	we wish to thank

Production Companies

• Castle Rock Entertainment (presents) (a Turner Company)
• Detour Filmproduction (producer)
• Filmhaus Wien Universa Filmproduktions (in association with) (as F.I.L.M.H.A.U.S., Wien)
• Sunrise Production
• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (1995) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Columbia Pictures (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• Concorde-Castle Rock/Turner (1995) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Filmayer (1995) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (1995) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (Argentina)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (laserdisc)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (video)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Austin Recording Studio  re-recording facility
• Austrian Airlines  we wish to thank
• City of Vienna, The  we wish to thank
• Clein + White  publicity
• Curtis Brown Associates  used by permission of ("As I Walked Out One Evening" written by W. H. Auden Copyright © 1940 W. H. Auden All Rights Reserved.) (as Curtis Brown, Ltd.)
• Dennis Davidson & Associates Public Releations (DDA)  unit publicist (as DDA London)
• Digital Sound and Picture  foley recorded at (as Digital Sound)
• Frederick's  caterer
• Kunsthaus Wien  we wish to thank
• Listo Film  negative processing and dailies
• Mayor's Office of the City of Vienna, The  we wish to thank
• Milan Records  soundtrack published by
• Moody Hall Madrigals  we wish to thank
• Ottakringer  we wish to thank
• Pacific Title  opticals and titles
• Sloss Law Office  legal services
• Sound One  adr recorded at
• Soundcrafter  sound post-production
• Technicolor  prints by
• Texas Motion Picture Service  we wish to thank
• Vienna Film Financing Fund  this film received financial support from (as The Vienna Film Financing Fund [WFF])
• Vienna People  extras casting
• Vienna Tourist Bureau  we wish to thank
• Zomba Music Services  we wish to thank
• Österreichische Bundesbahn (ÖBB)  we wish to thank

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA | Austria | Switzerland

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:10 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Germany:6 (bw) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R (No. 33555) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Vienna, Austria

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

One of the albums Jesse flicks through in the record shop (the blue album with the face at the top) is "Sleepwalkers" by The Kinks.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: You can hear people screaming in the roller coaster, but there is no one sitting in it.

Quotes:

Celine: You know, I've been wondering lately. Do you know anyone who's in a happy relationship?
Jesse: Uh, yeah, sure. I know happy couples. But I think they lie to each other.
Celine: Hmf. Yeah. People can lead their life as a lie. My grandmother, she was married to this man, and I always thought she had a very simple, uncomplicated love life. But she just confessed to me that she spent her whole life dreaming about another man she was always in love with. She just accepted her fate. It's so sad.
Jesse: I guarantee you, it was better that way. If she'd ever got to know him, I'm sure he would have disappointed her eventually.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jag bara undrar (2005)

Soundtrack:

Come Here

Casablanca for the 1990's - pure cinematic gold

Before Sunrise is romance for the slacker generation. Richard Linklater's romantic drama is an offbeat telling of a dream come true for most people. The film depicts romance in all it's glory, but without any of the pitfalls that befall most couples; and in short the film is about two people that have a relationship that's as close to perfection as relationships will ever come to - with just one problem, the problem of time. While most relationships wind down with time, this one keeps going strong throughout and time itself is the only thing that wears out. Before Sunrise is certainly not the typical sentimental 'Hollywood romance', which is another aspect that puts this film leagues ahead of the pretenders. The story follows two people, Jesse; an American and Celine; a French girl that meet on a train into Vienna. They instantly connect, and after telling her his awful idea for a television show and almost getting off the train, Jesse asks Celine to join him for the day in the picturesque city of Vienna...

Before Sunrise works principally for two reasons - realistic acting and an immense script that builds the characters through their thoughts and feelings and thus allows us to get to know them as we do the people in real life. This allows the characters to be free, and it's easy to believe that these are real people and not just actors working from a script. This also allows us to feel for the characters for who they are, and not merely because they're the protagonists. This kind of realism is hard to capture as, at the end of the day, we as the audience know that they're watching a film and not observing real life; but Before Sunrise represents one of the truest to life exhibitions of realism ever to be seen on screen. A truly great script cannot work on it's own, and needs great actors to deliver it to an extent that does it justice, and although I'm not a fan of either Julie Deply or Ethan Hawke; on viewing this film, there is nothing you can do but give them both respect. I don't know whether they were in character or just playing themselves, but when a film is this good; it hardly matters.

In a film like this, it is the writing that's the most important thing, and contained within the script are several observations about life, most of which I personally could relate to. This represents what Richard Linklater has achieved with this script as not only does it create and build the characters, but it also manages to expose what true love is, along with several other aspects of life. The fact that not all the anecdotes are relatable to me personally again represents the brilliance of writing. Everyone is different, and so different parts of the script will appeal to different people. There could be certain aspects about one person that one person loves and another hates; and that's the case with the musings in this script. Adding to the beauty of the film is the city of Vienna. The city itself isn't really important to the film as this is a story that could have taken place just about anywhere - but it makes for some lovely visuals and the upbeat, energetic romance that blossoms throughout the movie is matched by the beauty of the location.

Before Sunrise is simultaneously beautiful and captivating. Richard Linklater has created something that is rare in the world of cinema; a film that captures the beauty of life without ever going over the top or being overly sentimental. Before Sunrise is what it is. And what it is, is pure cinematic brilliance.