Eureka Entertainment is bringing to Blu-ray one of the undisputed
masterpieces of silent cinema: F.W. Murnau's '
Sunrise', which will hit British
store shelves on September 21. Part of the studio's Masters of Cinema line, this
release will include restored high-definition transfers of two different versions:
the U.S. Movietone version and an alternate silent Czech version, recently
discovered. The disc is reported to be region-free.
The Movietone version will feature the original English intertitles, whereas the
silent Czech version will have optional English subtitles. Audio will consist the
original Movietone score (in mono) and an alternate score by the Olympic
Chamber Orchestra (in stereo)
Special features include:
- Full-length audio commentary by ASC cinematographer John Bailey on the
Movietone version
- Outtakes with either John Bailey commentary or intertitles
- Murnau's 4 Devils: Traces of a Lost Film: Janet Bergstrom's
updated 40-minute documentary about the lost Murnau film
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original 'photoplay' script by Carl Mayer with Murnau's handwritten
annotations (150 pages in pdf format)
- 68-page illustrated booklet with numerous essays including a new reprint
of a piece by Dudley Andrew
The culmination of one of the greatest careers in film history, F. W. Murnau's
'Sunrise' blends a story of fable-like simplicity with unparalled visual
imagination and technical ingenuity. Invited to Hollywood by William Fox and
given total artistic freedom on any project he wished, Murnau's tale of the
idyllic marriage of a peasant couple (George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor)
threatened by a Machiavellian seductress from the city (Margaret Livingston)
created a milestone of film expressionism.