“Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” starring George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) is an American silent romantic drama directed by F.W. Murnau and starring George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor. This was German director Murnau’s first American film.

A farmer (O’Brien) and his wife (Gaynor) with their child on their farm. The farm isn’t doing well and when a woman from the city (Margaret Livingston) gets his attention. They begin an affair and the city woman suggests he kill his wife. At first, he is enraged by this suggestion but he goes along with her suggestion to drown his wife. But can he really go through with it?

F. W. Murnau (1988 – 1930) was a German film director, producer, and screenwriter. Murnau was educated in his native Germany and was a successful filmmaker there. He directed Nosferatu (1922), an early adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Last Laugh (1924), and Faust (1926). Murnau immigrated to the United States in 1926. He signed a contract with Fox Studio and made three films there before his untimely death at age 42. Sunrise is considered one of the best films ever made.

George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor

George O’Brien (1899 – 1985) was an American actor who was a popular leading man during the silent film era and into the early 1930s. He is best remembered for his leading role in Sunrise co-starring Janet Gaynor. O’Brien starred in John Ford’s The Iron Horse (1924). The film was a huge success and it helped boost the careers of both men. O’Brien made nine more films with Ford. He starred opposite all the popular actresses of the era. Later in his career, he played character roles.

Janet Gaynor (1906 – 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She is the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was one of the most popular actresses of the silent era where she was paired with Charles Farrell in 12 films, making them one of the most popular screen teams of all time. Gaynor made the transition to sound and was one of the top box-office draws in the early 1930s. During the sound era, some of Gaynor’s popular films include Daddy Long Legs (1931), Tess of the Storm Country (1932), State Fair (1933), and The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) which marked the film debut of Henry Fonda. When Fox Films merged with Twentieth Century Pictures to form 20^th Century-Fox, the studio lost interest in her. She left Fox and had a big success with the original version of A Star is Born (1937) which earned her a second Best Actress Academy Award nomination. Unhappy with the roles she was being offered, she retired in 1939 at the age of 33.

Sunrise trivia

• The director hated using title cards and they are almost nonexistent toward the end of the film.
• It won the first Best Picture Academy Award.
• The city scenes were filmed on a back lot, not on location.
• The main characters' names are never mentioned. 
• Voted as the 5th greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound's 2012 critic's poll. 

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

Discussion questions

1. Many critics consider this one of the greatest movies ever made. What is your opinion on this claim?
2. Did you think it was odd that we didn't know the names of the main characters? Do you think this was on purpose?
3. What did you make of the performances? 
4. There were very few intertitles. Did it make it difficult for you to follow the story?
5. Did anything surprise you?
6. Janet Gaynor won the first Best Actress Award in part for her performance in this film; was it Oscar-worthy in your opinion?

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