Page 90 - Knighted_2018

unmistakably being human. With Sunrise, Murnau tells a story that feels universal, but tells it in
such a way that makes it feel dark and fantastical. It draws attention to the darkness and macabre
nature of the real world. In many ways, Sunrise is Murnau’ expressionistic take on realism. It is
also worth noting that Murnau does not only tell the story visually.

In the silent era prior to this film, music was used, but could not be used to tell the story
the way it is here. Sunrise is one of the first films of the silent era to use a recorded score that
could travel with the film itself. Prior to this time, live music was required and could change
from place to place. Murnau takes advantage of this change, using faux diagetic sound and shifts
in music to help accentuate the story. There are a couple of things that stand out in this regard.
When talking solely of the score itself, late in the film when The Man is searching for his wife,
his voice and the voices of others are mimicked by the score. It is a sound of pure emotion rather
than dialogue. It evokes a feeling without the use of dialogue or a title card. It does not matter
what the character is saying, and in the instances used it is obvious anyway, but only the emotion
and tone behind the words. In many ways, this film breaks things down to minimalistic parts to
evoke feeling, and this scene is a great example of that.

The score is not the only use of sound that is unique in the film. There are sounds that
mimic that of the diagesis. Most notably, there are instances throughout the film where a bell can
be heard in the background. It often places an emphasis on the things transpiring, and serves as a
constant reminder of time passing. The sound, while recorded, is obviously meant to be diagetic.
However, it does not necessarily create a sense of realism. The sound itself often feels more
symbolic than realistic. It breaks up the score of the film, overshadowing it completely, in much
the same way that sets can overshadow the characters from time. It is arguable that the score acts
as a sort of character in the film, or at least an abstract representation of character, and the bells

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