History Film / Sunrise

** "Silent film" is in quotes here because the only thing that makes it a silent film is its lack of spoken dialogue: ''Sunrise'' was the first film to use the experimental [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movietone_sound_system Fox Movietone]] system, making it the first motion picture have its sound track printed on film. Aside from the score being present, there's even some early use of sound effects during a scene where the Man and Wife are standing in the middle of an intersection (that scene also features some wordless grumbles, making ''Sunrise'' one of the earliest films with some form of recorded human noise).

Full title: ''Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans''. A 1927 film directed by [[Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau F. W. Murnau]]. It was his first American film and won two Oscars at the first UsefulNotes/AcademyAward ceremony: Best Cinematography and Best Artistic Quality of Production (an alternate Best Picture award that existed only that year). It is perhaps best known for its massive critical acclaim (even over 80 years later) and for either inventing or perfecting many of the camera, special effects and storytelling techniques we take for granted now.

The story follows a rural man (George O'Brien) who, under the influence of an urban temptress (Margaret Livingston), plans to kill his wife (Gaynor) by pushing her out of a boat. He can't go through with it, though: the couple continue their boat ride to TheCity, where they reconcile and have a day's worth of innocent adventures. But AStormIsComing...

''Sunrise'' is considered a stylistic masterpiece and is the UrExample, TropeMaker or TropeCodifier of many now-common camera and special effects techniques like EpicTrackingShot and ForcedPerspective. Its lyrical camera movement and minimal use of intertitles are typical of Murnau, and [[GermanExpressionism German Expressionist]] influence shows in the oversized sets of the amusement park where much of the film takes place and in the juxtaposition of outdoorsy tactile details with soundstage artificiality in the village scenes. But the setting is not disturbing in itself, as it is in many German Expressionist films (the fractured brainscapes of ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'', the cold machine-world of ''Film/{{Metropolis}}'', the corrupt antiquation of Murnau's own ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}''). Instead, it functions as an unobtrusive, archetypal backdrop for what is in essence a modern fable.

The film was selected for preservation in the inaugural year of the Library of Congress' UsefulNotes/NationalFilmRegistry (1989).

* EvilDetectingDog: When the Man takes the Wife out on the lake, their dog knows something is up.

* [[FunWithSubtitles Fun With Intertitles]]: When the Woman asks the Man "Couldn't she be drowned?", the titles melt and fall to the bottom of the screen.

* HostileWeather: Which nearly kills The Man and The Wife.
* ImportantHaircut: The Man gets a shave, getting rid of his scruffy beard, symbolic of being renewed and cleaning himself.

* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: The plan was to make the wife's drowning look like an accident.
* MessyPig: One gets loose at a restaurant.
* TheMistress: The Woman From The City.
* MoodWhiplash: ''Everywhere.'' The scene where the Man tries to murder his Wife is pretty scary. After that the narrative is tragic for a while, then it morphs into something like a country-bumpkin-in-the-city comedy, then it's quite romantic and sweet as the Man and the Wife sail home under the moon, and then the storm happens...

* WeddingDay: The Man and Wife stumble upon a wedding in the City, leading to their reconciliation.

The story follows a rural man (George O'Brien) who, under the influence of an urban temptress (Margaret Livingston), plans to kill his wife (Gaynor) by pushing her out of a boat. He can't go through with it, though: the couple continue their boat ride to TheCity, where they reconcile and have a day's worth of innocent adventures.

But when they begin to row home, a storm rises, the boat sinks, and the man believes his wife to be dead.

The temptress approaches the man again, but this time he rejects her; he is about to strangle her when villagers arrive with news of his wife's survival. He abandons his erstwhile mistress and returns to his wife. The film ends with them together, watching the sun rise.

* FascinatingEyebrow: The photographer raises his eye brow fashionably when the couple leaves his studio.

[[quoteright:238:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sunriseblue.jpg]]

* DownOnTheFarm: Setting for the first part, contrasting with the latter portion when the couple goes to the City.

----

The film was selected for preservation in the inaugural year of the Library of Congress' NationalFilmRegistry (1989).

Full title: ''Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans''. A 1927 film directed by [[Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau F. W. Murnau]]. It was his first American film and won two Oscars at the first AcademyAward ceremony: Best Cinematography and Best Artistic Quality of Production (an alternate Best Picture award that existed only that year). It is perhaps best known for its massive critical acclaim (even over 80 years later) and for either inventing or perfecting many of the camera, special effects and storytelling techniques we take for granted now.

Janet Gaynor won the first ever AcademyAward for Best Actress for this film, as well as ''[[Film/SeventhHeaven 7th Heaven]]'' and ''Street Angel'' (at that first ceremony, the acting awards were given for one's body of work during the year).

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Gaynor didn't even get to O'Brien's collarbone level. This makes the scene where he looms over her in the boat particularly effective.

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The Woman from The City is the Dark Feminine (hedonist, cheater), while The Wife is the Light Feminine (good all the way through).

Full title: ''Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans''. A 1927 film directed by F. W. Murnau. It was his first American film and won two Oscars at the first AcademyAward ceremony: Best Cinematography and Best Artistic Quality of Production (an alternate Best Picture award that existed only that year). It is perhaps best known for its massive critical acclaim (even over 80 years later) and for either inventing or perfecting many of the camera, special effects and storytelling techniques we take for granted now.

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The Woman from The City is the Dark Feminine (hedonist, cheater), while The Wife is the Light Feminine (goody-goody all the way through).

Full title: ''Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans''. A 1927 film directed by F. W. Murnau. It was his first American film and won three Academy Awards: Best Actress (Janet Gaynor), Best Cinematography, and Best Artistic Quality of Production (an alternate Best Picture award that existed only that year). It is perhaps best known for its massive critical acclaim (even over 80 years later) and for either inventing or perfecting many of the camera, special effects and storytelling techniques we take for granted now.

The film was selected for preservation in the inaugural year of the Library of Congress' National Film Registry (1989).

* AcademyAward: See above. It should be noted that at the time acting awards were given for one's body of work within the year, so Gaynor's Oscar was not just for this film, but also for ''Street Angel'' and ''Seventh Heaven''.
* AmusementPark

* Comforting Comforter: The Wife does this for her husband. Later he does it for her on the boat trip back.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sunriseblue.jpg

!!Tropes include:

* ComfortingComforter: The Wife does this for her husband.

* EnforcedMethodActing: O'Brien achieved the beaten, plodding walk of the Man in the first part of the film by putting weights in his shoes.

* BettyAndVeronica
* ChekhovsBoomerang: The bulrushes.

* ComfortingComforter
* DownOnTheFarm

** "Silent film" is in quotes here because the only thing that makes it a silent film is its lack of spoken dialouge: ''Sunrise'' was the first film to use the experimental [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movietone_sound_system Fox Movietone]] system, making it the first motion picture have its sound track printed on film. Aside from the score being present, there's even some early use of sound effects during a scene where the Man and Wife are standing in the middle of an intersection (that scene also features some wordless grumbles, making ''Sunrise'' one of the earliest films with some form of recorded human noise).
* ThunderEqualsDownpour
* TheVamp

** "Silent film" is in quotes here because the only thing that makes it a silent film is its lack of spoken dialouge: ''Sunrise'' was the first film to use the experimental [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movietone_sound_system Fox Movietone]] system, making it the first motion picture have its sound track printed on film. Aside from the score being present, there's even some early use of sound effects during a scene where the Man and Wife are standing in the middle of an intersection (that scene also features some wordless grumbles, making ''Sunrise'' one of the earliest films with some form of recorded human noise))

** "Silent film" is in quotes here because the only thing that makes it a silent film is its lack of spoken dialouge: ''Sunrise'' was one of the very first films to use the experimental [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movietone_sound_system Fox Movietone]] system. The film's score is printed alongside the images, and there's even some early use of sound effects during a scene where the Man and Wife are standing in the middle of an intersection (that scene also features some wordless grumbles, making ''Sunrise'' one of the earliest films with some form of recorded human noise)

* MoodWhiplash: ''Everywhere.'' The scene where the Man tries to murder his Wife is pretty scary. After that the narrative is tragic for a while, then it morphs into something like a country-bumpkin-in-the-city comedy, then it's quite romantic and sweet as the Man and the Wife sail home under the moon, and then [[ItGotWorse the storm happens...]]

''Sunrise'' is considered a stylistic masterpiece and is the UrExample, TropeMaker or TropeCodifier of many now-common camera and special effects techniques like EpicTrackingShot and ForcedPerspective. Its lyrical camera movement and minimal use of intertitles are typical of Murnau, and [[GermanExpressionism German Expressionist]] influence shows in the oversized sets of the amusement park where much of the film takes place and in the juxtaposition of outdoorsy tactile details with soundstage artificiality in the village scenes. But the setting is not disturbing in itself, as it is in many German Expressionist films (the fractured brainscapes of ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'', the cold machine-world of ''{{Metropolis}}'', the corrupt antiquation of Murnau's own ''{{Film/Nosferatu}}''). Instead, it functions as an unobtrusive, archetypal backdrop for what is in essence a modern fable.

* MessyPig: One gets loose at a restaurant.

<<|{{Film}}|>>

* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: The Wife.]]

* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: The Wife. [[HeGotBetter She gets better]].]]