Sunrise (Dual Format Blu-ray+DVD) [Masters of Cinema] [1927]

As a relatively new fan of Silent films, I had not yet seen the Murnau classic Sunrise.
I held off purchasing the DVD when I heard the news that Eureka were going to release the film on Blu-ray.
It was worth the wait.

Sunrise : A song of two humans comes in two flavours on this single blu-ray disc edition with the Movietone version and the Czech version both included. There are also several extras and a nice little booklet with some artwork and text pertaining to the restoration and other aspects of the effort to bring this seminal classic to the world once more in what certainly is the definitive release of this title.

F.W Murnau was a genius filmamker who incorporated incredible detail into all of his films. Favoured by William Fox, he was given alot of freedom to make movies as he wanted them to be. At this point in 1927, Silent films were a dying medium due to the introduction of talkies or sound films.
But one could also say that Sunrise is a good example of how far film had come after nearly 40 years of development, especially at a time when sound was set to further evolve the medium.

The plot is a simple story about love and betrayal. I won't spoil any of it.
But needless to say the performances are wonderful. Janet Gaynor puts in a bravura performance as the betrayed wife while George O' Brien plays his role as the husband with exceptional expressionism.
Though more typical of the late 20's productions, grand, vast locations are featured throughout such as in the city, at a fairground and in huge dinner dance halls filled with hundreds of people. So many people of the era are captured on film. The social history element here makes this an attractive purchase for researchers and historians.
All of the intricate details of the fashion trends, buildings and vehicles of the era are on display.

My main purpose for writing the review is to rave about the image quality.
Eureka have achieved a world's first here, this was the first silent available on blu-ray and one of the oldest films available in high definition.
I must reiterate, this is a genuine 1080p transfer of both versions of the film and the results are jaw dropping.
Never before have the 1920's been seen in such detail and clarity. It's a truly unique experience to watch this, it's like time travel.
For the first time a silent can be viewed in image quality that rates up there with very good 1960's prints and we can see this resolution at home now thanks to Blu-ray.
Shots taken at a fairground and in the cities radiate with defined lines.
The faces of the actors and people can be seen so clearly as to feel like you had seen them in person.
The studio say they have not used HD-DVNR and it shows. No softness, just beautiful black and white clarity.

Watching this 24fps AVC 1080p transfer is a treat and I will definitely put it on again and again.
If you have a blu ray player and love Cinema, buy this, you will not regret it.
Own a piece of Cinema history while also supporting this endeavour.
I hope to see many more BD releases focusing on the Silent Era.
Well done to Eureka entertainment for a fine job in getting this project together.

This movie is a masterpiece of late silent films made for Fox Film Company (later Twentieth-Century-Fox) by master filmmaker, F. W. Murnau.

This Blu-Ray is a revelation. I saw the "Movietone" version (included here) when it was released in Canada and the US as a standard DVD a couple of years ago. The recently discovered Czech print (also included in this package)is vastly superior. Because the original reel for this version did not include space for a soundtrack, the whole width is dedicated to a much wider picture.

I am not waiting for Twentieth Century-Fox video in North America to release this. This version plays perfectly well on my Blu-Ray player. This must be a region-free disk.

At certain times in Cinema's long and varied history, films have appeared that aren't just genius for their own sake, but also herald in a new epoch. Films like Jolson's "The Jazz Singer" heralded in the age of dialogue (and okay, it wasn't a very GOOD film as such), Darren Aronofsky's "Pi" introduced the use of the Snorricam, and so on. Less attention is given to those films that find themselves at the tail-end of such an era. F.W. Murnau's first Hollywood production, "Sunrise : A Song Of Two Humans" is one of those, and can almost be said to be the Swan-Song of epic Silent Cinema, along with films such as "Ashphalt" and "Pandora's Box". And wow, what a Swan-Song it is. Lush, abstract, stylised, a film that sees German Impressionism crash with the Hollywood machine in all it's mangled glory. It's no surprise that the film was nominated for a number of awards at the very first Oscars in 1928 - Hell, it should have swept the board.

Dealing in a story that shys away from specifics, "The Man" (George O'Brien) and "The Woman" (Janet Gaynor) are married, unhappily it seems as "The Man" wishes to elope with "The Woman From The City" (Margaret Livingston) and murder "The Woman" in the process. Attempting to do so whilst together on a boat, "The Man" cannot bring himself to do it after recollecting his once passionate Love for his wife... The rekindle their Love after a day in the eponymous city, and tragically his wife dies on the way back via the boat. Enraged with fury at his mistress (rather misguidedly I thought) he attempts to kill her, but stops short after news that his wife has been found alive quells his ire. All rather basic, but what sets! and what expressions O'Brien and Gaynor bring to a film minus dialogue! "Sunrise" displays exactly why Silent Film died a death at the end of the '20s... Technology aside, after this film it had reached it's apex, there was nowhere else to go but down. Murnau tried to keep his favoured medium going with the partially-silent "Tabu" for instance, but it was too late, audiences had moved on.

So masterful film aside, what you have your grubby mitts on when purchasing this is the World's first Blu-Ray Silent Film. Thanks to Masters of Cinema you have the fully-restored film in true 1080p glory - and that's not all, aside from the well-know Movietone version, a newly discovered print from the Czech Republic has been included here. Many shots are different (in the '20s directors tended to shoot scenes with multiple cameras to create multiple prints - hence the differing angles. MoC included two versions of Murnau's "Faust" in the same manner) and in some ways the Czech print is better preserved. "Sunrise" then - if you consider yourself a film buff, this is one film you have to book repeat viewings of.... No excuses.