City Girl [DVD] [1930]

City Girl, a film often overshadowed by F.W. Murnau's earlier silent masterpiece, 'Sunrise', is a brilliant film and really deserves a full re-evaluation. Happily, this stunning transfer by the Masters of Cinema series, allows just that.

City Girl was released in 1930, just as the silent film began to fall into rapid decline with the advent of the 'talkies'. However, by this time Murnau really was a master of his craft, having cut his teeth with 1922's eerie 'Nosferatu', by the time he released 'Sunrise' six years later he had cemented his position as one of the world's most important (not to mention successful) filmakers. It was also, tragically, his penultimate film, as he was to die in a car crash the following year. Comparisons with 'Sunrise', then, are unfair, as Murnau wanted to create a different kind of film here.

The story is a simple one. A farmer's son, Lem, is sent to the city to sell the families' harvest of wheat. Whilst on his eye-opening business trip, he meets Kate, a cafe worker. A wonderful sequence ensures, resulting in the girl being taken back to the farm with Lem as his wife. However, Lem's uncompromising father is deeply suspicious of this city girl, and the film follows Kate's attempts to become accepted by the father. The early interchanges between Kate and Lem are beautiful, and the scene with them playfully running through the wheatfields ahead of meeting Lem's family is one of the purest, happiest scenes ever committed to film.

This film is a great starting point for anyone interested in silent cinema - there are title cards throughout, and with a fantastic soundtrack recorded in 2008, it is easy to forget you are watching a film 80 years old. The 1080p transfer by Masters of Cinema is truly breathtaking, I guarantee that only a few years ago no one would have ever imagined a film of this vintage could look so good. The image is clear and vivid, and really does give the impression of playing the original nitrate film through a projector, so stunningly sharp is the picture. Words can't do it justice - this really should be seen to be believed. It's no wonder Eureka Entertainment decided not to release this on DVD, the Blu-ray is that good. The menus continue the theme of quality, depicting a number of stills from the film. As far as extras go, there is a fantastic commentary by David Kalat, who obviously knows the subject inside out. Though I thought this would be a very dry commentary, I was pleasantly surprised - this interesting and informative commentary provides detail on everything you would want to know about the film. There is also a booklet inside, containing essays and some stills from the film.

If you are already a fan of silent film, you will undoubtedly know of Murnau, and the quality of both the film and the transfer are both high enough for me to unreservedly recommend this title. If, however, you are new to silent cinema, this is an excellent place to start, and this release really does breath new life into this vintage classic.

F.W. Murnau is one of my favourite filmmakers, and due to his undisputed status as a German pioneer alongside the likes of Fritz Lang, it's doubftful this will ever change as can any contemporary director do anything other than simply retread the territory these men have traversed before? From his films for UFA, such as "Phantom", "Faust" and "Der Letze Mann" and his later American works such as the masterful "Sunrise" he continuously pushed the envelope, making films with little spoken narrative ("Der Letze Mann") and pioneering use of special effects and camera angles ("Faust", "Sunrise"). Only Lang's Dr. Mabuse stirs the same nostalgia within us.

So what of "City Girl"? It's definately a step-back from Murnau's earlier extravagance, with little effect work and an almost pastoral feel, which is not surprising considering the film's rural Minnesota setting and attempt by Murnau himself to create "A Symphony of Wheat". The film details the story of Lem, a young farmer's son on his first outing to Chicago to sell their farm's wheat - There he meets Kate who is waitressing at a restaurant there, and ends up thrown headlong into a dream romance that ends within a few days with them being married... Oh, and he makes a loss on the wheat. Which was the lesser of the two evils, me wonders? Sorry, I'm not a fan of marriage. Anyway, Lem's Scottish father is not happy when Lem brings his new bride home, and as the typical fish-out-of-water Kate is subjected to trials-by-fire by the father, and the amorous advances of the workforce. Expect much tension within the new marriage that soon comes to a head as a massive hailstorm threatens to devastate the entire crop. Nothing too left-field for today's audiences, but we must remember that in 1930 such storylines were actually quite fresh so we must banish familiarity from our minds. Otherwise, the print itself is immaculate and sings on Blu-Ray, so naysayers who decry the point of silent films being transferred to 1080p Hi-Definition can shut up... and although the extras are unusually thin on the ground for Masters of Cinema, the booklet and it's accompanying essays makes up for it.

Murnau wouldn't let go of silent cinema - this film and "Tabu", his final film before his untimely death were devoid of speech long after Hollywood were scrambling for sound, and all we can say is, Thank God. The man was a master of silent cinema and following the consensus of his peers may just of robbed us of one of it's greatest voices. Congrats also to MOC for making this a Blu-Ray only release - Apparently their modus operandi from now on will be to either release films in DVD and Blu-Ray (and not both) depending on source materials. They're leaders of the pack and the films they release are in turn leaders in creativity. Bravo.

Although not generally held in the same esteem as "Sunrise", F.W. Murnau's "City Girl" is still a small, delightful film, worthy of re-discovery. Sadly, it has, until recently, only been available in shabby, dupey looking copies. This Blu-ray disc is astonishingly beautiful--I was actually taken aback by just how beautiful the film looks. THere are films of a more recent vintage that don't look half as good as this eighty-year old silent production. And, ironically, I found it cheaper to have it delivered directly to the US from Amazon UK than purchasing from a dealer here in the States!! I cannot recommend this too highly for fans of F.W. Murnau or lovers of silent cinema. It is a must!