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Sunrise

Original title: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans · Turkish title: Şafak

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

1927 · 1 h 34 min
Directed by F.W. Murnau
DramaRomance

Cast

George O'Brien Janet Gaynor Margaret Livingston

Credits

Written by: Carl Mayer

Plot

A farmer, tempted by a woman from the city, plans to drown his wife on a boat trip across a lake. At the last moment he cannot do it, and the frightened wife runs from him. Together in the city they rediscover their love through a day of small joys: a barber's shop, a photographer's studio, a fairground. On the trip home a storm rises on the lake. F.W. Murnau's first American film, made in 1927, is admired for its fluid camera and expressionist sets, and it won an award at the first Academy Awards.

Sinekatalog’s take

Murnau's silent drama about a farmer tempted to kill his wife is a dreamlike mix of expressionism and romance. Its moving camera and double exposures are astonishing for 1927.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 8.1 / 10 (57,227 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset; Rotten Tomatoes snapshot from October 2026. Scores change over time.

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