Movies to see After you die: Sunrise

Since there are thousands of lists of “Movies to see before you die,” you might not be able to fit in some other good, non-list-making, films until after you’ve died. But we’re here for you. Our team of movie investigators, here at The Non-Review, will uncover some worthwhile movies for you to watch on the Grim Reaper’s TV.

 

Movie to see after you die:

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

 

 

 

Don’t change the channel when you read the next sentence. This movie is a silent film. I know, this is a hard sell. But let me make my case, before you hit Ctrl+W. (What? You didn’t know that “Ctrl+W” will close a web page? Oh, well then forget I said anything.) The reason I’m recommending this movie is threefold:

• There are very few title cards (i.e. written dialogues), which is rare for silent films.
• The special effects are surprisingly good.
• The actors can act, and the director can direct.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, is the tale of a broken marriage where the husband is enamored by a beautiful young tramp from the city. She tries to persuade him to drown his wife, and the story unfolds from there. What’s unexpected is that the characters are able to draw you in, and you may be surprised when you find yourself fearful or even smiling at what is happening to them.

One strength of this particular silent film is that it has sound effects. Most musical scores in silent films do little more than add to the mood of a scene. In Sunrise, though, storms are accompanied with thunder-like sounds, trains with steam sounds, and even street scenes with crowd noises and car horns. Also, with so few title cards, the story relies much more on the actors. And other than a dramatic flourish now and then, they do very well.

One final point: The advantage to watching a silent film is that—now, don’t hit me for this—you can fast forward with very little risk of missing anything. I’m ashamed to admit I did so a little during this film. (For which I’m sure the Grim Reaper is sharpening his scythe right now.) But it really is a great film, and still impresses and captivates viewers to this day. You can find Sunrise on DVD, or you can stream it through YouTube. (If you're interested, here's the Link)

[Normal movie rating] - [Must-see movie quality] = [Scythe Score]

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Scythe score: 7.5 souls out of 10