Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1420. Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)

    1420. Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on July 17, 2016 1927, 8 - 10, 90-99 mins, Drama, Jul 16, Movies Of 2016, Review, Romance, United States
    8.1 Beautiful
    • Acting 8.1
    • Directing 8.1
    • Story 8.2
    • User Ratings (1 Votes) 9.9

    Starring: George O’Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston

    Director: F.W. Murnau

    Running Time: 95 mins


    Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans is an American film about a farmer whose mistress from the big city tries to convince him to drown his own wife.

    Despite being made at the very end of the peak of the silent era, Sunrise is an exceptional achievement. It benefits hugely from pre-Code liberties to bring a surprising amount of emotional drama to the table, whilst also impressing with its diverse use of special effects. Nowadays, it’s all taken for granted, but there are a lot of very modern visuals throughout this movie that make it a lot more dynamic than so many silent Hollywood films.

    However, I want to start off with the story, which hugely impressed me. Although not really kicking into gear for about 15 minutes, patience pays off brilliantly as the film launches into a fast-paced and surprisingly gritty opening act that goes places you would never expect films as old as this to risk.

    It’s difficult to talk about this film without spoiling the plot, because so much happens so early on. Whilst annoying for this review, that’s an amazing achievement that films nowadays regularly fail to do, and the huge emotional power of the staggering first act was what really grabbed me and let me have such an engrossing watch right to the end.

    The second and third acts are just as engrossing, but in different ways. Again, I was so impressed to see the diverse range of genres that Sunrise encompasses and balances so well; moving to and fro between dark drama and blissful romance throughout, but always managing to provide emotional intrigue, realism and excitement wherever you look.

    And that’s where another key part of the film comes in: the performances. The film focuses largely on the relationship between the husband and wife, but George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor do an excellent job. Their chemistry is fantastic right the way through the movie, whether we’re watching a happy or sad time of their life, and that makes the emotional drama watching those darker moments all the more powerful.

    This is a very poetic film, telling such an emotional and compelling story with such simplicity (far fewer intertitles than normal), but what makes it even more beautiful is its amazing visuals.

    Of course, this is all relative to the time (i.e. there’s no CGI), but I was genuinely blown away by the way this film looked. At times, its rapid editing gives great pace, but the film’s use of projected backgrounds, a large-scale action scene, and even spicing up the look of the intertitles from time to time, all gave it a much more dynamic and lively feel than the typically more stationary, play-like films of the silent era.

    Overall, I loved Sunrise. With huge emotional power, wonderful romance and brilliant chemistry between the leads, any part of you that doubted the potential of silent film will be proven wrong. It’s exciting, dramatic, emotional and effortlessly engrossing, and that’s why it gets an 8.1 from me.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.1
    Review
    October 16, 20200

    3123. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

    8.1
    Review
    July 17, 20160

    1420. Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)

    8.3
    Review
    September 19, 20190

    2686. Ad Astra (2019)

    8.4
    Review
    February 15, 20170

    1662. The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

    8.3
    Review
    March 2, 20190

    2474. Sunny (써니) (2011)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.