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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.

This film is one of the best romances because it understands reality, which makes its love story feel more real. The man and his wife where inseparable when they first wed, but time has pulled them apart, and left room for the husband’s eye to wander. The bittersweet irony of the ending brings real emotion to this story. Though the story is very simple, Murnau takes the tale, which was based on a novel by Hermann Sudermann and adapted for the screen by Carl Mayer, and brings heart to the material, touching on universal feelings of marital ruts and the differences between country folk and city dwellers.

On the filmic side, Murnau’s innovative use of superimposed images to capture the inner feelings of the characters is still effective. There’s something very haunting about the tormented man sitting on the edge of his bed and the ghostly image of his mistress appearing with her arms around his neck. Rosher and Struss paint the frames with light and shadow like masters. The title derives from the final shot, which is a poignant exclamation point on the film’s themes of renewal, love and redemption. Even the title cards, while used sparingly, are not neglected. One of the key dramatic plot points in revealed in titles that dramatically melt away.

Gaynor won the Best Actress award for this film along with her work on SEVENTH HEAVEN and STREET ANGEL. At the time an actor or actress could be nominated for their body of work for a given year. With Gaynor’s three nods to Gloria Swanson (SADIE THOMPSON) and Louise Dresser’s (A SHIP COMES IN) single nominations, how did the others stand a chance? Nonetheless, for this single performance, Gaynor is the heart of the story, giving the most natural of the performances. She is especially effective in the film’s more carefree moments, which there are many. Despite the lofty title and plot description, this movie does have many light and funny moments, along with its dark and dramatic elements. There’s a simple walk through traffic that even adds a brilliantly dose of whimsy. Often our favorite movies are the ones that can balance between various emotional ranges without seeming melodramatic or manipulative. SUNRISE does this marvelously.

A true masterpiece is a film that is of its era and yet transcends it as well. Even some good silent films have not dated well, but this is not the case with SUNRISE. Being awarded Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production makes the film seem overly artsy and pretentious, but really what makes this film unique and artistic is its innovative and evocative use of camerawork. Murnau uses his understanding of cinema to bring us deeper into the tale. The story is so good that we forget about the lack of sound or the mannered performances, and just fall under the spell of these characters.