And The Loser Is... #6- The Expression That I Get

A great number of the films on my 'to watch' list for this project are from the early years of the Academy Awards. Just to give you a quick idea of the task ahead of me, I have 56 films ticked off pre-1960, and more than 250 post-1960. Taking that even further, I've only seen 8 films which were nominated over the first 11 ceremonies. One of those, and the only one I've seen from the very first ceremony in 1929, is F.W Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.

Sunrise: Of no place and every place.

Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau is a German director, considered one of the pioneers of the Expressionist movement (use of shadow and camera angles to express mood and theme, etc), is probably best known as the man who directed the horror classic Nosferatu (1922). He was courted by Hollywood in 1926, and Sunrise was his first American production. While not a commercial success (which led to the studio reining in Murnau's creativity on future projects), the film was well-received by critics, and is the answer to an interesting trivia question; it is the only film to win an Oscar in the category of Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production. It also won a Best Actress award for its star, Janet Gaynor, and the Best Cinematography award for Charles Rosher and Karl Struss.

Gaynor plays The Wife, opposite George O'Brien as The Man, a married couple from the country who are having relationship problems, instigated by a city girl who has her sights set on The Man. In an attempt to reconcile their differences, The Man takes The Wife on a trip to the city, and the meat of the film follows their experiences in this unfamiliar territory.

The country-bred protagonists are charmed by this unnamed metropolis, as are we; Murnau's rendering of the city is delightful. These sequences play out episodically, as the two lovers experience a cosmopolitan salon, and later, a jumping nightclub. This latter scene is arguably the film's best; while the couple are enjoying the atmosphere, a piglet runs free across the dance-floor, dining area and kitchens. With the staff in hot pursuit, and chaos following the pig's every trotter-step, it is The Man who finally comes to the rescue, earning himself a small slice of big city celebrity.

These whimsical vignettes are one of cinema's finest evocations of the joy of love. The couple clearly have their problems, as any couple does, but as the sequence unfolds, you really get the sense, with credit going to the two leads, that this is a relationship borne of true love. They quarrel and sulk, but finally it is as though they were falling in love for the first time, as we see the problems they left behind in the country gradually fade away.

However, the film has a sting in its tale, and when the lovers return to their farm, the young adulteress is waiting. She hatches a final plot to have The Man for herself, a plot murderous in intent. It is at this time that The Man realises the consequences of his actions with the city girl, and the extent of his love for The Wife. Ultimately, this is a film about cherishing what you have, and offers itself as a cautionary tale against taking love for granted. As the opening titles put it: This song of the Man and his Wife is of no place and every place; you might hear it anywhere, at any time. For wherever the sun rises and sets, in the city's turmoil or under the open sky on the farm, life is much the same; sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet.

The whole film was shot on a specially constructed sound-stage, including the city, and the lake on which the final dramtatic scenes take place. It is a remarkable achievement in cinematography, as Murnau brings over many of the techniques he was known for in Germany. More than anything, it is a thrilling story of love, passion, revenge and redemption, which feels as vibrant and relevant now as it doubtless did back in 1927 when it was released. If you're a silent film novice, maybe someone a bit reluctant to dip your toe into the sea of silent cinema, there is no better place to start than with this masterpiece, to which I give 5 stars.

In ATLI... #7 I'll take a look at some other European directors with Oscar success, and I hope to have another film ticked off my to watch list. Until then, here's looking at you.