Friday, April 24, 2015

A Memorable Scene: "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans"

Post your comment here by next Wednesday. Answers should be approximately 200 words, plus or minus 10%.

Here's a link to the film at YouTube: "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans"
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11 comments:

Brad said...

To help you with your paragraph, I will first describe my process and the note taking for the scene. You should not post your notes at the blog, only your completed paragraph.

My choice of scene is our introduction to the “woman from the city.” This scene is found at 4 minutes and 20 seconds into the film, just after the intertitle that introduces her to us as being unusual for “lingering” on her vacation. The scene is 34 seconds long. The next scene shows two peasants eating soup and then the woman appears again to have her shoes shined.

Notes for the scene:

Fades in from black to reveal a room. The room appears messy. No character is seen. Two objects are prominent in the scene: a burning candle near a mirror and makeup stand and in the background a pair of high heeled shoes. The woman runs (skips?) into the scene from the left (her hair swings as a result). She is dressed in a robe that is only loosely fastened (reveals her underwear/lingerie). Holds a cigarette in her mouth for the entire scene. First action is to light her cig on the candle. Second is combing her hair and checking herself in mirror. Third is the longest sequence: choosing the correct dress to wear. Goes back and forth to closet but finds what she wants in the dresser after all. Sequence ends with her taking off robe in preparation to dress. Not sure if this was scandalous in 1927 but pretty sure it was!

My paragraph answer (based on the notes above)

After watching “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” twice on Friday, the scene where F.W. Murnau introduces us to “the woman from the city” remains in my memory. Clearly, she is meant to be seen as a bit flighty and “loose” in her morals. Although most women will primp themselves before a date, she is doing so in a way that invites us to dislike her from the start. She has a cigarette in her mouth for the entire scene (34 seconds in total), with it clenched in her lips, lighting it from a candle and filling the room with smoke as she prepares to see “the man.” The robe she wears is loosely fastened and reveals her black lingerie to us. The colour choice is no accident as black has long been a “sexy” colour for women to wear. The most extended action shows her searching for her dress, again one that is black (to match her strikingly shiny and very high heeled shoes). The scene ends with her taking off her robe to reveal her undergarments briefly as she reaches back to put on her dress. Thus Murnau brings us her character in 30 seconds in a way both memorable and concise.—204 words

April 24, 2015 at 1:13 PM
Unknown said...

Watching “Sunrise: A song of Two Humans” in the class, I’m touched by the poignant scene where the unnamed couple witness the chapel’s wedding. Overcome by the emotion in a close-up, the husband bursts into tears with regret and remorse, then sobbingly in his wife’s lab. Perhaps this solemn moment of the wedding vows transits to his own wedding and strikes at his conscience about how he has broken the sanctity of marriage vows with infidelity and thought of violence. The wife lovingly embraces, kisses, and comforts her husband after he collapses into her arms and asks: “Forgive me!” Meanwhile, I feel my eyes are wet and pleased with their reconciliation. When the solemn sound¬--church bells ring (52 second with two times close-up)—another moment of catharsis in their own marriage ceremony, this is an important turning point which symbolizes their marital relationship from break up to make up-- they are reborn. Along with the ring, they emerge from the church with cling and gaze. Spiritual reunited and re-sanctified with them, their body are no longer hunched over; even they walk into the city’s dangerous traffic without fear and guilt. This touching scene leads us to cheer for the power of love conquers temptation—as sunrise bursts darkness.
--212 words

April 28, 2015 at 3:09 PM
Unknown said...

“Sunrise: A song of Two Humans” is an silent film that has published in 1927. It is possible the most age-old movie that I have seen.Since the whole scene of the film blurs, the story is still attractive and many scenes are very humorous.The scene of that the servant secretly drinks the rest of the wine is very vivid(This scene is found at 63 minutes and 40 seconds into the film.).The close-up is focus on the servant’s face. When he shakes the wine bottle he expects to find some pleasantly surprise,then he small it to feel the style of the wine. He is an wine-tasting expert for his long time working experience. His expression is so exaggerate that it is full of drama elements. His eyes and mouth are very expressive.Each detail on his face shows well.The actor shows an imagination of using the bartender job convenience to take petty gain. We can image that he often does this and enjoy of this. Even it is just some residue in the bottle, it can not influences his drinking feeling. A lovely image of funny clown fleshes out. Through the scene is not longer than 40 seconds, it still reveals the shrewd characteristic and optimistic life attitude of the servant.
--212 words

April 28, 2015 at 11:26 PM
Unknown said...

When I watched the film “A Song of two Human”, I found two worthy of notice from the scene( the couple on the boat) While the wife remained on the boat by herself, her face started fade excitement. It was an interested scene because it could be contrasted with her emotion.Before she gets on the boat, she was so excited about their trip across the water, but she felt uneasy on the boat. As soon as her husband return to the boat, the church bell was softly resounding-- It was like give a warning for her to aware something might happen to her.She secretly observed her husband’s facial expression and looked around suspiciously on the water. Finally, she stood the strain from her husband’s aggression (it aroused my sympathy on her) A remarkable bell ring drove out evil spirits form her husband. He crossed out with his arms on his face as an evil stand in front of the Cross. A peal of church bells in this scene, it could be foreshadow for the next scene in the city. This interesting scene (on the water) stimulated audience's curiosity for final ending.

April 29, 2015 at 2:54 AM
Unknown said...

After long time it was first time that I was watching a silent movie “ Sunrise: A Song of Two Human” at the first scene I thought the movie is a classic, the story of attempted murder, love, and emotions, but it wasn’t. The scene that makes me impress to describe, I absorbed the reality of marriage. F.W. Murnau tells us about the importance of marriage life. A swear that a husband is going to promise his wife, in front of the GOD in the wedding ceremony. “ God is giving you, in the holy bonds of matrimony, a trust… keep and protect her from all harm.” The man is crying after hearing those words. Marriage is not only stand with caprice; it needs honesty, trust and love too. A man and a woman become one soul when they married. God has joined them together! Marriage is a strong bond of matrimony. A man can be a capricious for some moment or some days, but he knows the value of an innocent woman and the other woman, the importance of marriage too. It was a heart touching scene that I have ever seen and cry.

196 words

April 29, 2015 at 10:25 AM
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
April 29, 2015 at 11:29 AM
Brad said...

From Walter:

A Dog and Bulrushes
walter

I watched the movie “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans”. The dog and rushes gave a deep impression. The family dog barked furiously when the boat left to the city. As if the dog knew that his hostess would meet a extremely dangerous condition. Although the dog was tied in front of the house by rope, he tried his best to get rid of the rope and ran to the boat. The dog swam to the hostess with completely wet body. He was took back home again, however, the woman was aware of something would happen to her. It reminded her by the royal dog. This was one of the reasons that the woman survived in the end. Another lucky item was the bulrushes which the woman from the city pulled out and prepared for the man. After a heavy storm, while a few bulrushes floated on the water, all audiences were very sad to worry about the fate of the woman. The bulrushes were scattered like a broken heart, but there was still a little hope because of bulrushes. The worse thing could become into the better, and it was the main reason to save the woman’s life.

April 29, 2015 at 12:33 PM
Homaira goljani said...

Homaira

A Memorable seen
Watching the sunrise “The Sung OF Two Human” at home was enjoyable. The movie was interesting and I love the part when the couple arrived to the city. She was really angry at him and he stared to following, begging her not to be afraid of him. Her fear and disappointment are overwhelming. He tries to make her happy by taking her to a restaurant, buying her flowers and finally she stops crying and accepts his gifts. It made me laugh when they stared to kiss each other in the middle of the street and made huge traffic on the road. On the street they are touched to see a bride enter a church, and they follow her inside to watch the wedding. The Man breaks down and asks her to forgive him. After a tearful reconciliation, they continue their adventure in the city, having their photograph taken together and visiting a funfair. The time went so fast that they had go back home happily.

April 29, 2015 at 1:10 PM
Unknown said...

Murder Attempt
After watching “Sunrise: A song of two human” by F.W Murnar for the first time in English class, about a country man who falls in love with a city woman and they both planned to murder his wife. The scene that remind with me clearly was when he tells his wife that they’re going on a rowboat ride to the middle of the lake; the wife is excited because she gets to spend time with her husband she thought was drifting away from her. When they got to the lake, the husband won’t smile at her, won’t even look up from his feet as he row the boat. Their dog kept barking as if it does not want them to leave. The wife slowly notices this sense of trepidation all around her. That trepidation comes to an end when the man stands up, slowly toward her side of the boat and reaches his arm toward her neck. As a result, Sunrise is a masterpiece; is one of the best silent films I have ever watched. (183 words)
Binta jawara
Students#66559
4/29/15

April 29, 2015 at 3:04 PM
Unknown said...

New Life

The movie “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” was the first silent movie I have ever watched. I really enjoyed the movie and the story. The strongest scene of the movie for me was where they renew their vows and after that the wife was very special to the husband and he became more caring loving towards his wife. This scene to the audience was very interesting suddenly he remembered that he promised his wife that he will protect her from anything bad in life. They spend some time at the city as their honeymoon and on their way home a storm came where he tied the bush bundles on to his wife and asked her to save her life. The husband was very terrified that his wife is dead now, after sometime of no hope, he get called to the shore that his wife is found , he becomes grateful that his wife is found and so all the village people. After, the couple lived happily together and most importantly the marriage is saved.
177 words

April 29, 2015 at 3:26 PM
Unknown said...

After watching the silent film, " Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans," I think of the violence and greed in man. The most Impressive scene that stays within my mind is the man's conflict mind and behavior. Deadly temtped by a lover, like the serpent seduced Eve, he try to kill his innocentand devoted wife. This scene is the most strong image to me because it un mask a man's greedy mind. the man looks like conflict between lover and wife. At first , he wouldn't listen to lover's dark designs. The lover is very dangerous and organized women, judging from the scene "After the boat has capsized, save yourself with these bulrushes". But he surrender to the lover's tenacity and it is irony that bulrushes save his wife's life. Actually, The last scene I want to see is murder cut in the boat. Fortunatly, when the man try to strangle his wife, at the same time he also listen to church bell tolls and he renounces murder. That gives an important message, I think, the author want to tell Man cannot change his evil mind for himself. It was God's will because if there was no bell tolled, may be, he strangle his wife to daeth. the bible said greedy mind is worship of idolathy, Even though the man has a beautiful spouse , he want another women, too . But Bible warn : It is a crime and idolworship. It is very difficult for me to follow the word of wisdom, I still think the more the better. During the movie running , I was very worried about his murder but I heave a sigh of relief now. It is happy ending anyway! In the meantime, I feel very uneasy about the man's wrong doing reveal my guilty mind. Honestly speaking, I am another same character. (220 word)

May 6, 2015 at 10:16 AM

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