Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) - 9/10 (Really loved it)
A farmer is persuaded by his new lover to kill his homely wife and run away to the city to live with her. Admittedly, I cracked jokes through the first half of the film, playfully having fun with the slight absurdity of the plot. I also thought "This is considered by some to be the greatest silent film ever made?" and "kihei is really out to lunch" (OK, not really on that last one, but I did wonder why he gave the film a 10). It slowly won me over, though, and I was hooked throughout the second half (and certainly was not making any jokes near the end). I was surprised by how emotional it turned out to be, especially for a silent picture. It's a roller coaster, from the darkest and saddest of moments to the happiest and funniest of them. I'm not sure if I've ever experienced such extremes in a film before, but it works. It's hard to believe that this love story is from the director of Nosferatu, the horror classic, but the same guy who made The Terminator eventually made Titanic, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. In fact, when it ended, I thought to myself that this felt a bit like the Titanic of the silent era: a Grade A love story that packs a punch and is supported by excellent overall production, including impressive technical innovation. Also like Titanic, the story might seem overly melodramatic and eye rolling at times, but it's largely excusable because the production and just the art of film making is at such a high level. Speaking of the technical innovation, several of the shots, like one on a boat and another in the middle of street traffic, are amazing for the era. The film also features recorded music and some sound effects, which help the dramatic effect and make the film slightly easier to get into than your average silent film. That said, it still is a silent film (well, more or less) and expectations need to be kept in check. It won me over to the "pinnacle of silent film" camp, though, and I wish that I had watched it a lot sooner.