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Murnau’s narrative approach also differs from that of his Hollywood contemporaries.
While Murnau was not the only director dealing in darker stories and themes, he was taking a far
less realistic approach to it. Whereas a director like D.W. Griffith was telling stories through
continuity editing and very much in a more traditional style, Murnau opted for stylistic flourishes
and variations. Murnau uses techniques such as continuity editing to create symbols in the film.
The scene in which the dog barks at The Man as he and his wife leave on the boat works both
within the continuity style and in the symbolic cutaways that are often used in German
Expressionism. Narratively, the dog sees The Man as a threat to The Wife. However,
symbolically, the dog reflects the anxieties of The Man as his sets off to drown his wife. The
scene dealing with the dog does not pull away from the story, but rather uses it in order to
express the emotions of a character. Murnau masterfully uses any visuals at his disposal to better
tell the story at the hand.

In the silent era, stories had to be told visually, as diagetic sound could not be recorded.
However, many films of the silent era used titled cards to fill in the blanks in the stories. In
Sunrise, Murnau chooses to use few title cards throughout the film. The film’s story is told
almost entirely through visuals with title cards becoming less and less frequent as the film
progresses. Long segments of action exist between the title cards, trusting the audience to pick
up on the story as it plays out. In addition to its long segments between the title cards, Sunrise is
also known for its use of long takes. Most notable is the tracking shot used when The Man is
going to meet The Woman from the City. It is slowly paced and the camera’s view of The Man is
often interrupted by the setting. The setting and sets overtaking the character is a visual that is
often associated with German Expressionism. Murnau’s use of visuals to describe characters and
emotions limits the need for the title cards throughout the film. The information that Murnau

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