Murnau seems to be gaining a new appreciation among cineastes. I had just finished watching a beautifully restored print of "White Mane", Lamorisse's masterpiece, and tuned in TCM's Silent Sunday feature, Murnau's "Sunrise".
First, I must agree that his imagery is superb, a cinematic Atget.The downside was the plot. A muddled variant on Dreiser's "An American Tragedy". There seems to be a recent trend toward "drown your lover" films. The matter-of-fact aspect of the murder plot left me wondering about the seeming lack of humanity. Saying more would be revealing too much. Suffice to say, I was left to speculate about what constitutes a deal-breaker in a marriage.
The more confusing aspect was the sense that middle Europe was a suburb of Los Angeles. We drifted between the Black Forest , 1920 Berlin and L.A. Villagers evoked scenes from "Frankenstein"--not horror, but peasant life.
The most telling scene for me was the open trolley ride from forest to big city. It was a magical scene, moving through space and time. It recalled for me the similar ride in 1940's Philadelphia from Fairmount Park to Woodside Amusement Park.
Given the time in which "Sunrise" was made, it certainly broke new ground in imagery. Unfortunately, the narrative was More banal melodrama.
First, I must agree that his imagery is superb, a cinematic Atget.The downside was the plot. A muddled variant on Dreiser's "An American Tragedy". There seems to be a recent trend toward "drown your lover" films. The matter-of-fact aspect of the murder plot left me wondering about the seeming lack of humanity. Saying more would be revealing too much. Suffice to say, I was left to speculate about what constitutes a deal-breaker in a marriage.
The more confusing aspect was the sense that middle Europe was a suburb of Los Angeles. We drifted between the Black Forest , 1920 Berlin and L.A. Villagers evoked scenes from "Frankenstein"--not horror, but peasant life.
The most telling scene for me was the open trolley ride from forest to big city. It was a magical scene, moving through space and time. It recalled for me the similar ride in 1940's Philadelphia from Fairmount Park to Woodside Amusement Park.
Given the time in which "Sunrise" was made, it certainly broke new ground in imagery. Unfortunately, the narrative was More banal melodrama.