Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans : 10/10
1927, this film was made in 1927.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, I think I was intimidated by its cult status, referred to by François Truffaut as “the most beautiful film in the world”. I've only watched a few silent films, and I was afraid I wouldn't get into the story, that I'd be bored... I could hardly have been more off the mark!
So, yes, the acting is surprising at first, but to stop there would be to deprive oneself of a masterpiece.
The story is simple: a man from the country is seduced by a woman from the city, who convinces him to kill his wife and run away with her. In fact, the story is merely a pretext. The characters have no names, we don't know where they're set, and we don't care: Sunrise tells a universal story.
Visually, Murnau is 50 years ahead of his time. Perhaps even 100 years. Every shot is a painting, every image perfect. The lighting in the night scenes, the beauty of the shots, the fading effects... Everything is absolutely perfect, without shouting “Look at me! I make pretty shots! Have you seen my big panoramic-3D-camera-on-a-crane-with-integrated-instragram-filter?
The scene in which the man is consumed by doubt, with the woman from the city “appearing” to him like a ghost is the most beautiful thing I've seen all year, without a doubt. I have no idea how Murnau managed to pull it off back then, and if you ask me, it's pure magic.
Technically, Sunrise is beyond reproach. Direction, lighting, editing, special effects... Everything is perfect. And it doesn't matter. For 1h30, you're caught up in the story, in the feelings. We laugh, we cry, we're scared... The real tour de force of L'Aurore is to make us feel so much without seeming to.
1927, this film was made in 1927, and it's perfect.
