Sunrise: cinematic experience of dream

Sunrise is an extraordinary movie. Considered by many to be the best silent film ever, it was the first work of German director F.W. Murnau in Hollywood. Released in 1927, at the dawn of sound films, it was not a commercial success, but it was almost a century ago an unforgettable experience.

The truth is that after the soundtrack came about, precisely that same year 1927, with The Jazz Singer, much of the cinematic experience lies in the dialogues. In Sunrise, the strength is in the images and emotional expression of the actors.

Also, the movie is not completely silent. It uses a piece of equipment called "Movietone," which was an audio track recorded on a vinyl record that was played back in the speakers as the movie was being projected. This method allowed for a complete sound experience with instrumental music and various sound effects such as traffic noise, thunder, and the like. There are no dialogues, and even intertitles are rare and of little content.

The story is simple and universal "of no place and every place." The characters are not named: they are just The Man (George O'Brien), "The Woman" (Janet Gaynor), and "The City Woman" (Margaret Livingston). The Man, a married farmer, has an affair with The City Woman, who suggests, on a date, that he kill The Woman, sell the farm, and come live with her in the city.

Man is reluctant at first, but they come up with a plot: he will invite his wife for sailing and drown her on the way. Everything works perfectly well, until, inside the boat, the man goes to the woman, but cannot commit the crime. However, the woman realizes that something is wrong and runs away from him as soon as they reach the shore.

When they finally reconcile, they decide to have fun in the city together, where fun episodes happen with dances, comedic scenes, and moments of tenderness. At night, tired and happy, the couple return to the farm, but a storm strikes them halfway back.

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