Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		5.0

Sunrise Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 21, 2009

The first silent film to be released on Blu-ray, F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" (1927) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The disc contains the film's Movietone version as well as the recently discovered Czech version. The special features include an audio commentary by ASC cinematographer John Bailey, a documentary about the history of F.W. Murnau's lost film "4-Devils" and more. With optional English subtitles for the Czech version. Region-Free.

Shine my shoes!

Based on Herman Sudermann's A Trip To Tilsit, F.W Murnau's Sunrise is one of the most lavish silent films Fox produced. It was also the studio's first ever film to have a recorded score. Nowadays, it is consistently referred to as one of the greatest films of all time.

The story of Sunrise revolves around a married farmer (George O'Brien) who falls for a sophisticated beauty (Margaret Livingston) from the Big City. The two decide to get rid of his wife (Janet Gaynor) and begin a new life together. When the crucial moment arrives, however, the farmer suddenly changes his mind - he spares his wife's life and ends up going to the Big City with her. There, wandering the brightly lit streets, the farmer begins to make amends with his emotionally devastated wife.

I will spare you all the colorful stories most film critics end up discussing when they write about Sunrise. Instead, I would like to point out a few facts about the film, which I believe you should be aware of before you see it, and then clarify why it is held in such high regard.

Sunrise was not a commercial success. In fact, many who saw the film when it was first screened were genuinely unimpressed with its visual style. Even after the film won the three Oscars awards in 1929 - Best Actress in a Leading Role (Janet Gaynor), Best Cinematography (Charles Rosher and Karl Struss) and the one-off Unique and Artistic Production - a lot of people ignored it.

Sunrise was released at a time when silent films were losing popularity. This was one of the key reasons why Fox commissioned a score for it - Sunrise became the studio's first film to feature a recorded score.

The Movietone negative was destroyed during the famous fire at Fox in 1937, and to this day, no one has been able to track down the second negative used for the different cuts of the film that were dispatched to different European countries. This is one of the primary reasons why there are substantial differences - not only individual scenes but entire sections from the film are missing - between the Movietone version and the recently discovered Czech version of Sunrise. Furthermore, no one has been able to confirm what music scores were used when the film was screened throughout Europe.

All of these missing bits of information pertaining to the history of Sunrise certainly make it impossible to determine what the final cut of the film that F.W Murnau preferred was. Still, film scholars tend to agree that there must have been at least two (listen to the audio commentary by ASC cinematographer John Bailey for more on the subject).

The Movietone version and the recently discovered Czech version of Sunrise, however, both make one thing perfectly clear - regardless of what the preferred cut of Sunrise was, the film truly is one of a kind. It is incredibly well constructed, brilliantly photographed (by the legendary Charles Rosher and Karl Struss), mixing a variety of different genres, and speaking to the audience through images that are impossible to forget.

Sunrise Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

F. W. Murnau's Sunrise arrives on Blu-ray, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The disc contains the film's Movietone version, in an aspect ratio of 1.20:1, and an alternate silent version recently discovered in the Czech Republic, in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

The following text is supplied in the booklet complimenting the Blu-ray disc:

"The 2003 film restoration was used as the basis for the 2003 FOX DVD in the U.S. and our 2005 Masters of Cinema Series DVD in the U.K. The telecine used for these editions was standard definition (SD). In 2008, Fox oversaw a new high definition (HD) telecine of both the 2003 film- restored Movietone version and the Czech version. This was the first time the Czech version has ever been telecined for commercial release, and its visual quality far surpasses the Movietone version.

For the 2009 Masters of Cinema Series Blu-ray edition we encoded both HD masters in 1080p AVC format on a BD50. Heartened by Fox's U.S. release of these masters without any heavy- handed digital restoration, we decided against HD-DVNR, MTI, other forms of digital restoration, or grain removal, after tests revealed noticeable disruption of the film's "sfumato" qualities in many scenes. We used the same hands-off approach with our release of Carl Th. Dreyer's Vampyr, and we feel it is more respectful to the filmmakers and the patina of the image. The level of damage still present is exactly what you would see if you were to project this same 35mm film restoration theatrically."

I decided to include the text above in this review so that it is perfectly clear to everyone reading it that Eureka Entertainment have done absolutely everything right for this historic Blu-ray release of F.W. Murnau's Sunrise. I truly feel that what their Blu-ray disc contains is as close to the restored HD elements as possible.

The image: in one word, stunning! I feel fairly confident stating that even if you have never before seen a silent film, you would be enormously impressed with how Sunrise looks in high definition. I know I am.

Indeed, clarity, depth and contrast are remarkable for a film that is over 80 years old. Last night, after I finished watching the Blu-ray release of Sunrise, I decided to compare the U.S. Fox DVD release - with the Movietone version of the film - to the Blu-ray release, and specifically the Czech version, and was simply overwhelmed by the difference in quality. I then did a direct comparison between the Movietone version from the DVD and the Movietone version from the Blu-ray release, and, once again, I could not contain my excitement. It was very obvious that every single aspect we typically look at when we compare different releases was superior on the Blu-ray disc.

As noted in the quoted text above, there is still plenty of damage throughout the print, but given the nature of the source, I think that Sunrise undoubtedly looks the best it ever has. In fact, I would go on to state that if all future silent films that receive a Blu-ray treatment look this good, film aficionados would be able to experience many timeless classics in a way they never dared dream of - the degree of image improvement over anything we have seen before is unparalleled!

(Note: Screencaptures 1-15 are from the Czech version of Sunrise, and 16-19 from the Movietone version. Additionally, the Blu-ray disc herein reviewed is Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. Also, the disc does not contain any PAL or 1080i/50-encoded data).

Sunrise Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Movietone version of Sunrise arrives with two different audio tracks: the film's original score (Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Mono) and Timothy Brock's score (Dolby TrueHD 2.0). Both are quite different in character - I share the opinion that the original score is actually slightly darker than Brock's score. I personally prefer listening to the original score when viewing Sunrise, though I certainly appreciate the completely different flavor Brock's score adds to the film.

The quality of the original score is certainly quite good. Obviously, the Dolby TrueHD 2.0 retains plenty of the audio noise that every release of Sunrise thus far has had. However, given the source limitations, I feel comfortable stating that the audio treatment is as good as it could possibly be.

To me, Brock's score, recorded in Stereo by the Olympic Chamber Orchestra, has a better variety of dynamics. The strings in particular are a lot more vibrant. The occasional clarinet, flute, and bassoon solos also have a lot more character. As far as the quality of the actual Dolby TrueHD 2.0 track is concerned, again, I think that considering the source limitations, the audio quality is as strong as it could be .

The Czech version - due to the fact there was no surviving soundtrack for the Czech version, in 2008 Fox approximated the original Movietone score. The Dolby TrueHD 2.0 track on the Czech version reveals more depth and stronger dynamics - obviously, however, there is still plenty of inherited noise.

For the record, the Czech version of Sunrise contains Czech intertitles, for which Eureka Entertainment have provided optional white English subtitles.

Sunrise Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commentary - the Movietone version of Sunrise could be seen with a commentary by ASC cinematographer John Bailey. I listened to the entire commentary and found it to be quite informative. At times, Mr. Bailey tends to spend a bit too much time commenting on certain technical issues that some viewers may find rather dry, but I personally believe that his analysis is very helpful in understanding the true nature of the film.

Sunrise outtakes - a selection of outtakes from the film. The images derive from a 35mm nitrate workprint which was kept as a souvenir by its editor, Harold Shuster. With optional commentary by John Bailey. (10 min).

Trailer - a silent trailer for the film. (2 min).

4-Devils - a documentary discussing the history of F.W. Murnau's lost film. (41 min).

Booklet - a 20-page booklet containing the following: "The Film Restoration", "The Movietone and Czech Versions" and "The Blu-ray".

Sunrise Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What a remarkable release! I truly believe that we are entering a brand new era, one that would bring new life to timeless classics and forgotten films. The technology for it is finally here, and with true enthusiasts, such as those at Eureka Entertainment, taking advantage of it, I feel confident stating that there has never been a better time to be a film collector. Bravo Eureka Entertainment! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.