Sunrise Flashcards
(4 cards)
Expressionism vs realism
⚖️ Expressionism vs Realism in Sunrise
🎭 Expressionism
• Heavily influenced by German Expressionism (Murnau’s background).
• Uses distorted mise-en-scène, exaggerated lighting, superimpositions, and symbolic spaces to reflect internal emotions.
• Dreamlike transitions between shots and non-naturalistic set design (especially in early countryside scenes).
• Characters’ emotions are externalised — e.g., the struggle between desire (the Woman from the City) and redemption (the Wife).
🎞️ Realism
• In contrast, much of the city section embraces realism:
• Realistic set design, crowd scenes, and location shooting.
• Focus on human emotion, redemption, and relationships.
• Use of natural gestures and body language for performance — necessary in silent film.
• Soft lighting and long takes in the city sequences allow space for emotional nuance.
Expressionism vs realism during the city visit scene
🎭 Expressionism
• Emotional distortion still lingers: early city moments have a surreal, alienating feel.
• The Man is awkward, haunted, uncomfortable — body language remains tight and uncertain.
• Use of superimposed images and dreamlike transitions as the trauma of his earlier attempt continues to haunt him.
• The chaotic city noise (conveyed visually) reflects his inner anxiety.
⸻
🎞️ Realism
• Gradually, the city shifts to realism as the couple reconnects.
• Realistic set design: shops, crowds, trams, café scenes → creates a recognisable, grounded world.
• Camera movement: fluid tracking shots follow their walk through streets, mimicking natural eye-level movement.
• Moments of intimacy (e.g., laughing at a piglet in the café) are shot with long takes, showing real-time emotional development.
• Performance becomes more nuanced — smiles, eye contact, tender gestures.
Film form of the scene
Film Technique
How It’s Used
Cinematography
Mobile tracking shots create realism and emotional immersion.
Mise-en-scène
Brightly lit shop windows and reflective glass surfaces create contrast to the foggy countryside.
Performance
Gradual shift from tension (tight posture, shame) to openness (hand-holding, smiling).
Editing
Begins disjointed and dreamlike → transitions into smooth continuity editing.
Symbolism
The city as a space of healing rather than alienation — a modern twist on urban representation.
Why the scene matters
• Symbolises a psychological transformation from guilt to forgiveness.
• Shows Murnau’s skill in blending emotional expressionism with naturalistic storytelling.
• The urban environment doesn’t overwhelm the characters but allows for connection and rebirth — challenging typical Weimar views of the modern city as corrupt or chaotic.
• Stylistic transition mirrors narrative arc: darkness (swamp) → light (city) → peace.
What is expressionism vs realism
🧠 Context + Definitions
🎬 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927, dir. F.W. Murnau)
• Murnau was a German filmmaker from the Expressionist movement (e.g. Nosferatu).
• Sunrise was his first Hollywood film, blending European style with American storytelling.
• Produced during the late silent era — often regarded as a technical and artistic masterpiece.
🖼️ German Expressionism
• A 1920s cinematic style that externalised emotion through stylised visuals.
• Common features:
• Distorted sets and shadows
• Exaggerated acting
• Dreamlike, unnatural settings
• Goal: reflect internal psychological states, not realism.
🪞 Realism
• A cinematic approach aiming to recreate life as it is.
• Key features:
• Location shooting
• Naturalistic performances
• Continuity editing and causal narratives
• Realism focuses on emotional truth and believability.
⚖️ Sunrise Hybrid Style
• Murnau fuses Expressionism’s emotional abstraction with Realism’s human depth.
• Visually poetic but grounded in a universal love/redemption story.
• Sunrise is a transitional text: it merges avant-garde techniques with mainstream cinematic storytelling.
