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opting for the emotional. Characters’ emotions and thoughts were reflected through evocative
and illlogical set design. This is true in Sunrise. The sets throughout often evoke a sense of fairy
tale. The cityscapes in particular are fantastical in design. This design emphasis represents The
Man’s desire to live in the city, and the feelings he has towards The Woman from the City. He
feels a lustful desire for this woman and the lifestyle she brings; therefore, the design of the city
must also reflect and symbolize those feelings. Realism never becomes the goal of the film.

At many turns throughout Sunrise, Murnau chooses fantasy over reality through a variety
of visual techniques. One technique that is featured often in the film is the use of
superimpositions. Characters’ desires and fears are expressed through superimpositions. When
The Man is struggling to sleep, water is superimposed over the image in order to show the
audience his qualms about the plan to drown his wife. The water could also be symbolic of his
own drowning in his desires. Murnau uses superimpositions many times in the film to help to
portray characters feelings. In a scene in which The Man is sitting on the bed, multiple
superimpositions of The Woman from the City are used over the image. The woman caresses and
holds the man. Multiple superimpositions are used, including two at the same time. They help to
portray the inner turmoil The Man feels as he desires this woman. He is torn between his desire
for this woman and his feelings towards his wife. He is unhappy in his marriage and this new life
is calling to him, even at home. The superimpositions work to show his two lives, or two sides,
invading each other, and the difficulty he has separating them. The Man is constantly being
pulled by both sides of his life. He knows that his lustful desires are wrong, but finds it hard to
fight off those feelings. However, he also feels guilt for what he is doing and what he is
considering doing to his wife. It is these negative emotions that define the first portion of the
film.

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