Blog 14 - Rough daft

Elene Toussaint
Dr. Robin
HUC 270.2633
April 22, 2010
“Sunrise” directed by F.W. Murnau
Sunrise is an American film directed by F.W. Murnau in 1927. In this paper, I will prove how lighting and special effects are portrayed connected to good and evil in the movie. In the being of the movie the people was with full life and happiness. However, it fades out to the sequence of the city woman in shot A, which was getting ready to go somewhere. The lighting was dark and mysterious. The city woman was smoking a cigarette, very pretty, slim and with short black hair. When the city woman was going to her secret rendez -vous, she pulls out a colorful dress but instead choose a black dress. The lighting was a little dark, which shows what the city woman is about to do is wrong. The director was showing to his viewers the dark and edgy look of the city woman. The city woman goes on her secret meeting at night, which appears to show her evil side that is waiting to happen. In shot B, When the city woman was getting closer to the house where the husband lives the lighting gets darker and cut to a (MLS) medium long shot inside the husband house. And then cut to a (CU) close up of the city woman calling her secret affaire.
The husband is in a chain between good and evil. In the sequence of the house whole of the husband, when he appears to look in the window his wife comes out the kitchen with (MLS). The lighting was a little dark because the mood, atmosphere, and reality of the husband wasn’t focus on his wife and child. The wife has a sweet and innocent look, hair pull back, blond hair, and covered up with clothing. The husband was tied between good and evil. The good woman is his wife and the evil woman is the mistress. While the city woman is waiting for her lover, the husband looks in the kitchen, then look down with shame and guilt. The lighting gets dark at that moment and show confusing on the husband face. The director was showing how the character, which is the husband is being seduced by his mistress. In that sequence the lighting on the husband face, one side was dark and the other had light. This also proves my good and evil in the husband. Cut to the outside where the city woman is standing in the dark for him. The husband appears to the window in a dark shadow, which the shadow pointed the direction to the swap to inform his mistress where to go. While she is leaving, the lighting bland in with the black dress and fair white skin as if the city woman is leaving her tracks for the husband. This is associated to how human can be possessed between good and evil without even knowing.
While the husband is walking into the swap and toward bushes, his body language was changing. The lighting was dark and mysterious. In the sequence of shot A in the swap, the husband really reaches to the city woman, they stared into each other eye and found with a passionate kiss. Then it cut to a shot B where the wife is home grieving of her husband leaving late at night, with a (CU) of her face showing tears that coming down her eye. The director was showing parallel editing. In my opinion F. W. Murnau was pointing out the good wife wanting for happy to be with her but he rather is inference by an evil spell from an evil woman. If he wasn’t passion by her sexual ways, he would be home with his wife being carefree and loving his wife instead of the city woman. However, It went back to shot A with the husband and the city woman. In the sequence of the shot, its shows the husband is in total control of the city woman. They are lying down in the swap, the husband is in bottom while the city woman is on up. In the lighting of the shot the face was dark and the city is pale which have an evil look in her eyes. The lighting shows the power she has over him. The director also uses a special effect when the city woman asks the husband to drown his wife, to be with her and move to the city. The director wanted to show his audience the illusion the husband is having killing his wife. The city woman wasn’t scared of the husband reaction toward her decision of killing his wife. The possession led him to put his hands around her throat, which he was attempting to strangle the city woman. The city woman wasn’t afraid of his deviances act because she was evil herself.
In addition, another special effort that acquire was associated with the city woman brainwashing the husband in how the city would appear when they are finally moved on together. She is convincing something from not real to reality, which the husband is being seduced by her evil doing. The way I would descried, the city woman as sexually aggressive and murderous. After having dirty sex with the city woman, when the husband is leaving the swap and heading home. The evilness just drowns the husband to be dark and sneaky.
After all of this negativity with the evil city woman, the wife was full of excitement in finally having the change to spend quality time with her husband because this feeling she hasn’t had it in a long time. The wife doesn’t realize her husband is not human. Her husband is being posses by a evil woman. The couples were “they used to be like children, carefree, always happy and laughing” but now he is under an evil spell by the city woman. When the wife is running to enjoy her evening with the husband the lighting appears to be full of love. There is something I notice when the couple’s dog was braking like crazy. The moment she was getting ready to leave with her husband to go on the trip. In my opinion, the dog scene something wrong is going to happen to the wife. The dog was chain but manage to break free when the boat moved.
Throughout the boat ride the husband didn’t have any eye connect with the wife. The lighting in the boast, the wife was full of brightness and the husband side was completely shown with rage of murdering his wife. When the husband brought back the dog to the house it the sequence cut and want to a (MCU) medium close up to the wife with a exposition of confusing in the way her husband is acting unusual toward the dog. Furthermore, the sequences cut to a (LS) long shot coming down the path to get on the boat. This sequence was so powerful and affecting. The way, the husband transforms into a dark brute when he rises in the boat while the wife remains a white light of virtue. The wife was looking for eye connect with her husband but the eye connect wasn’t there. When the husband stops the boat and finally made eye connect, around his was circle dark and blind by a spell. Having a (CU) of the husband face, it cut to the sequence when the husband is standing in the boat about to strangle his. In that sequence (FS), the language on the husband body told it all. He had a hash back as if he wanted to get rid of her as soon as he can. When he was about to approach his wife, the grief on her face, didn’t let the evil spell get the best of him. When it is true love, it is not easy broken by any negativity.
However, I want to point this out. The wife was afraid of her husband action but when he was in the rendez-vous with the city woman. His aggressiveness didn’t fair her at all. This show how good and evil can have clashing focuses, but in the other hand goodness would win the bottle. When he was release being under the city woman evil spell, he begins to stand up straight. Throughout the sequence in the restaurant, the husband is trying to get forgiveness from his wife. His head was down with shame and embarrassment.
What made a big turning point on the action the husband was about to attempt was in sequence of the church. It show the successive side of the husband which the goodness of his wife beings. There was a wedding going on so they decided to attended the wedding as well. When the priest “God is giving you in the holy bonds of matrimony a trust, she is young and inexperienced. Guide her and love her, keep and protect her from all harm. The sequence cut and want to a (CU) of the husband emotion. The husband broke down into tears and asks his wife for forgiveness. The wife does forgive him and was gazing into each other eye as if was a band new day of happiness and joy. When the good focuses can back to his scenes the husband get his can shave and was a totally different person. The bad negativity was gone away and back was his happiness. The lighting changes into brightness of love and protection. They had the time of their life. When the husband is transform from evil to good. He is more presentable and confident of himself. When the wife has her husband the way he uses to be. She started to open up and enjoy the coming back of her husband.
In conclusion, Sunrise was visually stunning, innovative, experimental, poetic, brilliant etc. Sunrise is not only the greatest silent film ever made, it's arguably the greatest film ever created on American soil and is undeniably amongst the greatest films ever made directed by one of the greatest and most influential directors to ever live, F.W. Murnau. I will never thought at the time the director mind would be so creative in this way in film. Good and evil are focuses are always among us. The director wanted to show when someone is surrounded by evil the focus would drive that person to be evil as well. When someone is surrounded by good that person would more joyful and carefree. This film shows it all in lighting and special effects.