Cinema
Sunrise
F. W. Murnau · 1927
Synopsis
One summer, a woman from the city on holiday lingers in a village on a lake and seduces a married peasant whose farm is failing. She urges him to sell the farm, to drown his wife and make it look like an accident, and to follow her to the city; she gathers reeds that will keep him afloat when the boat capsizes. He takes his wife out on the lake, but cannot go through with it. Terrified, she flees ashore and boards a tram; he follows her, begging her forgiveness, and they spend the day in the city.
Context
The studio gave its director carte blanche, and he had a set town built at Fox Hills, with forced perspectives, using children and small-statured extras at the back of the streets to enlarge the space; the street set is said to have cost more than two hundred thousand dollars. The village scenes were shot at Lake Arrowhead. The film received three awards at the first Oscars ceremony, including that for unique and artistic production, a category awarded only that once and dropped the following year. It was released with a score by Hugo Riesenfeld recorded using the Movietone process.
Who it is for
A silent film of about ninety-five minutes, with its original score. Few intertitles, and characters identified only by their condition.
Prizes and reception
Three awards at the first Oscars; fifth greatest film of all time for the critics polled by Sight and Sound in 2012.
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