'Sunrise' is a silent film that explores the themes of love through expressionism. The Man falls for a flirtatious girl represented through the city known as the Flapper Woman. His wife is represented through country life. The woman convinces the man to drown his wife so they can escape together. When his wife becomes suspicious of his plans and runs away to the city, the farmer pursues her slowly regaining her trust to rediscover their love for one another.
The silent film means that the film is illustrated through visual imagery and body language to convey the message and emotions of the characters. I particularly liked the fairground sequence through use of double exposure to show the rekindling of The Man and The wife's romance.
During The Marsh sequence, Murnau conveys the secretive nature of The Man and The Woman and how scandalous their affair was which was frowned upon during the time period. The darkness of the full moon combined with the false settings explore the realist vs expressionist debate which was another theme I explored during A level Film Studies.
I find the set design truly inspirational as the audience as we are able to interpret the directors every intention without the use of sound or speech, I would recommend this film to others who want to fully engage and immerse in the film through use of sound effects and visualisation.
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