F. W. Murnau's classic silent film tells the tale of a man who finds himself falling in love with his wife all over again after stopping himself just short of killing her at his mistress' request. The director is certainly firing on all cylinders here, as 'Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)' is incredibly ambitious in its filmmaking right from the start. It creates a dark, moody atmosphere with ease and makes use of several ahead-of-their-time techniques that still manage to impress today, nearly a hundred years after the picture's release. Since Murnau supposedly hated using title cards, the story is told predominantly via visual methods - which is really how it ought to be regardless of whether the thing has sound or not. This makes for a generally compelling watch and, because it's done so well, actually conveys a surprising amount of character depth and development. The first half of the flick is great, a bold and unconventional experience that hooks you almost right away. However, at its mid-point it turns, almost on a dime, and becomes an entirely different movie. From here on in, the tone is light and playful; it basically becomes a comedy. This is really jarring and, what's worse, it doesn't even make for an interesting change in direction because the subsequent scenes are, frankly, a little dull. They see our focal couple basically just jaunting about town with a new lease on life - or marriage, anyway - and they get repetitive really quickly. They're not bad, of course, and they continue to make good use of some inventive filmmaking techniques, but they inarguably pale in comparison to their first act counterparts. It just sort of feels like the thing is stretched out to feature length, really; most of the 'happy' scenes could have done with a bit of trimming. The finale does bring things back to the more moody vibe of the first act and it works all the better for it. It finishes on a strong note, essentially bringing things full circle in terms of quality. It may sound like the mid-section ruins the affair but it's not as detrimental as that; it just knocks it down a peg or two. The overall piece is still an impressive, mostly successful silent feature that's more inventive and experimental than it has any right to be. It's an entertaining and distinct film, despite its issues. 7/10.
Review of Sunrise
