Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927) Fox Film Corporation Director: F.W. Murnau Producer: William Fox Cast: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, Bodil Rosing. Awards ceremony: -1st Academy Awards: May 16, 1929. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles, California. Other films nominated for Best Unique and Artistic Picture this year: -Chang. -The Crowd. Plot summary: A married farmer is lured away from his young wife and baby by his mistress who insists that he runs away to the city with her and in the process he should murder his wife in a boating accident to make it look as though she drowned. The farmer agrees to go along with the plan but at the last moment he has a change of heart and instead reunites with his wife. He takes her out on the town and the pair rekindle their love for one another. That night as the couple head back to their home in their small boat on the lake tragedy strikes when a storm hits and the wife is thrown overboard and presumed drowned. The mistress shows up at the farmer's house thinking that he has simply gone through with their devious plan but when the wife is pulled from the water alive the husband rushes back to be by her side. Standout scene: Early in the film when the husband and the mistress discuss their sinister plot to murder the wife. Facts: -The 1st Academy Awards had two separate categories for Best Picture: [I] Outstanding Picture (which was won by "Wings") and [II] Best Unique and Artistic Picture (which was won by "Sunrise"). For the sake of being complete, I have reviewed both films for this project. -Janet Gaynor (the wife) won the Academy Award for Best Actress. -The Blu-Ray/DVD release from Eureka! contains two versions of the film. The USA print, which runs 94 minutes and a Czech print which runs 78 minutes. Although the Czech print is missing some footage, it does have a strikingly superior quality. The frame ratio is 1.20:1. -Silent film. -Regular Hal Roach stars appear in the film, including (click link for screenshot): Arthur Housman, Eddie Boland. Personal opinion: The first 20 minutes really held my attention but after the wife escapes the boat and runs away into the town the film starts to flatline a little bit. I was impressed with some of the directing (F.W. MURNAU) and cinematography (CHARLES ROSHER, KARL STRUSS) with some clever touches of genius along the way. Oh, and a pig gets pissed too (in one of the funniest scenes of the film). Another scene that I found amusing was when the statue in the photographer's studio gets broken and its head is replaced with a ball! Having the mistress dressed in all black was another very clever visual. There are some really risque shots towards the end with the mistress (MARGARET LIVINGSTON) too! The acting (particularly in the case of GEORGE O'BRIEN who should have won an award for Worst Actor) is shockingly embarrassing. The guy walks like the Frankenstein monster most of the time, and his speed is slow with a capital "S". He is so obvious, so robotic and over-selling his character that it becomes funny rather than serious. Did it deserve the Oscar? YES. 6/10

Review date: 01 February 2025