I just watched Nosferatu, one of FW Murnau's other silent classics. Although most people would suggest Nosferatu is the superior film, I would have to argue that I think Sunrise is the better of the two. I think its vampiric lore and special effects have endeared Nosferatu into the hearts and minds of viewers. But I think the quality of acting and direction in Sunrise surpasses that of Nosferatu.
shareSunrise all the way. 81 years on and it presses buttons I never knew I had. Nosferatu is technically brilliant and I love that movie too, but Sunrise is one of a kind. It goes way deeper. It's also inventive and technically impressive but it has a big heart too. I think Sunrise is the most moving film I've ever seen.
share[deleted]
... what I find even more interesting is the similarities between the two. For starters, in each, it is the light of sunrise that sends the vampire packing, in Nosferatu the vampire quite literaly packs it in.
There are so many symbolic and thematic similarities.
"Progress may have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
[deleted]
I think the only reason why people say they like Nosferatu more is because it has more acclaim than Sunrise. Because Nosferatu has achieved cult status, it has reached a wider audience. Also, it is one of a handful of vampire movies that can actually be considered good.
Sunrise is by far the superior film--in acting, in direction, in set design, in budget. I guess the only thing that Nosferatu has over Sunrise is plot substance, but Murnau proves with this film that the plot need not be complicated to be good.
[deleted]
Actually I think most silent film fans would pick Sunrise...many even tag it as their No. 1 all-time silent film.
I think Sunrise is a more mature work -- not surprising, coming 5 years later and with much more money/studio backing as well as experience by Murnau.
That said, I think I will always enjoy Nosferatu more, due to personal taste.
While we're at it, I don't consider EITHER of them to be Murnau's best. I would give that honor to Faust. The Last Laugh is dedfinitely up there somwewhere also. (One can get a marvelous head start on naming an all-time top 10 silent film list by picking Murnau's top five films!)
The Last Laugh and Sunrise for me.
Seeing Sunrise again today---truly some tasty cinema.
Actually I think most silent film fans would pick Sunrise...many even tag it as their No. 1 all-time silent film.
Perhaps the better term to use is "accessible"--- SUNRISE is one of the most accessible silent films, even to modern viewers, because it does deal, in an easily-understandable manner, with serious relationship themes that many people encounter in the course of their lives. (though maybe not all at once, or as dramatically, as the story in the film!) Including infidelity, abuse both brutal and subtle, anger, submission, and the use of forgiveness.
"Shake me up, Judy!"
Well let's see
On IMDB Sunrise is rated 8.3 and is in the top 250 at number 170
On IMDB Nosferatu is rated 8.0 and while that is still a good rating it is not in the top 250 (although far more people have seen it)
On the AFI top 100 list (the revised 2007 list) Sunrise made it at Number 82. Nosferatu did not make the list.
On the They Shoot Pictures Don't They List Sunrise made it at Number 12 Nosferatu also made it but at number 105.
I think that sort of proves that it's not just Sunrise fans who think Sunrise is the superior film.
I've seen more than half of these films, and the only ones that come close are Un Chien Andalou and a few of the Chaplins...curious that you put The Gold Rush here and not The Circus, which I feel is a far better film. Battleship Potemkin is all about the staircase sequence, Metropolis has some awesome parts but also some boring parts, and Cabinet of Dr. Caligari? Have you actually seen that film or are you digging films off a list somewhere? Certain shots are absolutely gorgeous from that film in terms of its mise en scene, but as a film it's a total borefest. Passion of Joan of Arc is certainly not bad but overrated in my book. The Keaton films, which are also my two favorite Keaton films, are definitely solid films, I love Sherlock Jr., but they can't compete with Sunrise, and this is all opinion so it's really useless to argue, I'm just posting this because I like talking about old films.
I actually found out recently that Sunrise is my favorite film of all time of any era, silent or talking. #2? Un Chien Andalou...
Battleship Potemkin is definately the most acclaimed silent film. And thank you for mentioning dr. Mabuse! I assume that "Dr. Mabuses Testament" is a mistake, as that is the sequel, and a sound film.
black and white movies were better
I have seen Nosferatu, The Last Laugh and Sunrise and without doubt The Last Laugh is the best of the 3. I have read reviews which talk about the technical advancements demonstrated in Sunrise which was also the reason for its Oscar but The Last Laugh displays far more for me particularly as it was made 3 years earlier and probably with significantly less funds. But for the last 17 minutes of The Last Laugh it could be a serious contender for the best of all silent pictures.
share[deleted]
The Last Laugh.
share[deleted]
"Although most people would suggest Nosferatu is the superior film..."
Really? Most critics consider Sunrise and The Last Laugh as Murnau's best work and many have placed Sunrise in the ten greatest films of all time. Nosferatu may be the more popular film within the mainstream, but Sunrise has always been considered Murnau's masterwork. Sunrise is pure melodrama, maybe even banal, but its visual treatment is pure poetry. The film should be placed within the tradition of French Impressionism, with its more musical approach to cinematic rhythm with alternating rapid montage scenes and slower lyrical moments, and 'in-camera' effects such as superimpositions.
Nosferatu isn't all that great. It is entertaining, sure, and it's still one of the better vampire films, but Murnau would end up creating way superior achievements later - this, of course, and my favourite, The Last Laugh, are both superior films in their construction, the way they are filmed, and their emotional connection with the viewers.
We're the heirs to the glimmering world.
[deleted]
[deleted]