Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

""An artistic masterpiece and also a joy to watch.""

1927 1h 34m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

🔥

98%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

8.1

IMDB

★7.8TMDB · 936🍅98%Rotten Tomatoes●95Metacritic★8.1IMDB · 55,712

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.

“"An artistic masterpiece and also a joy to watch."”

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Cast

George O'Brien
The Man (Anses)
Janet Gaynor
The Wife (Indre)
Margaret Livingston
The Woman from the City
Bodil Rosing
The Maid
J. Farrell MacDonald
The Photographer
Ralph Sipperly
The Barber
Jane Winton
The Manicure Girl
Arthur Housman
The Obtrusive Gentleman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: F. W. Murnau
Writers: Carl Mayer
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

99 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by F. W. Murnau, shot by Charles Rosher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hugo Riesenfeld. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Editor Harold D. Schuster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor and Margaret Livingston carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: ""An artistic masterpiece and also a joy to watch."".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0018455 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

F. W. Murnau directs. Charles Rosher behind the camera. Hugo Riesenfeld scores. Harold D. Schuster cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

199 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by F. W. Murnau, shot by Charles Rosher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Hugo Riesenfeld. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Harold D. Schuster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor and Margaret Livingston carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: ""An artistic masterpiece and also a joy to watch."".
7IMDB entry: tt0018455 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 15 themes, including "adultery", "lake", "love triangle", "pig".
9Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Charles Rosher
Original score: Hugo Riesenfeld
Editing: Harold D. Schuster
Makeup / hair: Charles Dudley
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $1,636,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 95/100
IMDB rating: 8.1/10 · 55,712 votes
MPAA: Passed

Awards

Won 3 Oscars. 9 wins & 2 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Cinematography

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

F. W. Murnau

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2014-05-17
★ 7/10
Interesting but much more for how the movies were done back in 1927 and how the relationships between men and women were understood.
CinemaSerf2022-03-27
★ 7/10
Wow! Friedrich Murnau really did pull out all of the stops for this gorgeously complex and beautiful story - that is entirely based on human character flaws that ordinarily might make one squirm... None of the characters actually have names, but George O'Brien is contentedly married to Janet Gaynor, living on their farm with their young child. One day, he happens upon the visiting Margaret Livingstone - an urban sophisticate with whom he is soon captivated. Conscious of his duty to his wife, he is reluctant to join her in the big city, so she rather malevolently suggests that he and his wife fake a boating accident in which she drowns and he survives... Disgracefully, he agrees and so the couple set out on their trip, but when he tries to push her overboard he bottles it and she flees in terror into the city where he finally catches up with her, and craves her forgiveness. Luckily for him, she agrees and the couple spend a charming day together experiencing all the luxuries the metropolis can offer before being caught in the mother of all storms as they head home at the end of their day. Try as he might, though, he cannot put the memory of the other woman behind him, and his thoughts take a much darker turn... The story is basically a tale of good vs. evil, temptation and sin - and not always presented in any clear cut scenario. Despite being a thoroughly odious and selfish man, I didn't hate O'Brien's character - weak and fickle is it was; and the temptress Livingstone isn't hateful either - it's all about human nature and what makes us tick - warts and all. The photography is super - especially in the salon where they are both pampered and seduced, and the storm sequence at the end is also very effective. By 1927, silent films had learned the art of condensing their stories - and this is done really well here, too. The film has a pace that doesn't linger long, and is really a joy to watch.