Check Out the Trailer

F.W. Murnau is best known for his German silent classic NOSFERATU. He came to the U.S. specifically to make SUNRISE, a visually innovative romantic drama. At the very first Oscars, the film garnered awards for actress Janet Gaynor, cinematographers Charles Rosher and Karl Struss, and Best Unique and Artistic Production (an award only given at the first Academy Awards). Many critics’ lists rank this film among the best films of all time. The American Film Institute ranked in 63rd on its 100 Passions List, and last year the film made the 10th anniversary redo of AFI’s famed 100 best American films list. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 1989, while the film ranks within the top 250 films voted by fans on the Internet Movie Database. I list these accolades for nothing more than to show how a simple, well-told story can last the test of time. Film styles and techniques have evolved over time, but a powerful story never fails to resonate.

As the opening title cards state, this is a story that could take place at any time or any place. The characters are simply named The Man and The Wife. The Man (George O’Brien, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON) is cheating on his wife (Gaynor, SEVENTH HEAVEN) with a vacationing Woman From The City (Margaret Livingston, THE CANARY MURDER CASE). The scheming vamp finally convinces the man to drown his wife then sell the farm and move with her back to the city. After a great deal of struggle, the man finally takes his beautiful blonde bride out on the lake to commit the evil deed, but she catches wind of his devious plot.

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