COMP 2C: Sunrise overview Flashcards
What technique does the opening vacation montage in “Sunrise” use to convey summertime?
Multiple exposures and super-impositions.
How is lighting used metaphorically when the Man and the Wife renew their love in the church?
They move from shadow into light, symbolizing the renewal of their marriage vows.
What visual oppositions are present in “Sunrise”?
Day vs. night, the city vs. the country, the dangerous Woman from the City vs. the innocent Wife.
What does the mud the Man and the Woman from the City wade through symbolize?
Their relationship.
What editing technique is used in the film’s opening montage?
Rapid editing to give a graphic representation of the summer holidays in the city.
What is notable about the editing in the scene where the Man and Wife walk through the city?
A dissolve shot is used to merge the city and the country together.
What motif is used in “Sunrise” to signal the Man’s change and renewal of love for his wife?
The sound of bells.
What does the Woman from the City represent in “Sunrise”?
The ‘flapper’ figure, representing a threat to the stability of marriage.
How are the characters in “Sunrise” named and why?
They are universal types, hence their titles like the Man, the Wife, etc.
What is Murnau’s view on the camera’s role in filmmaking?
He believed the camera should have the greatest possible mobility to record the most fleeting harmony of atmosphere.
What does “Sunrise” exemplify about the late silent period?
It exemplifies the artistic peak of filmmaking during the late silent period.
Why was “Sunrise” significant for Fox Studios?
It was Fox’s most expensive silent film, intended as a ‘prestige picture’ to demonstrate their capability in high cinematic art.
How does “Sunrise” challenge Bazin’s notion about realist and expressionist devices?
It employs both montage and deep-focus, long takes, merging fantasy and reality through a subjective camera.
What is typical of the late silent period in terms of lighting in “Sunrise”?
The use of single light sources, such as a candle on the table and light through a window.
What expressionist device does Murnau employ in “Sunrise” to make the background recede?
Forced perspective.
How does Murnau’s use of long takes affect the film “Sunrise”?
It gives the film a lyrical and poetic quality.
How is the sound of bells used in “Sunrise”?
As a motif at various points, signaling significant moments such as the Man’s decision to spare his wife and the renewal of their love.
How is the city represented in “Sunrise”?
As a place of decadence and fascination, merging European and American city elements.
When does the camera become subjective in “Sunrise”?
When the Man meets the Woman from the City, the tracking shot becomes subjective.
What was the financial outcome of “Sunrise” despite its critical acclaim?
The film failed to recoup costs at the Box Office.
