SUNRISE CONTEXT FLASHCARDS
Conventions of silent cinema? – No synchronised recorded sounds, inter-titles, live music
accompaniment, black and white, exaggerated facial expressions
What were Murnau’s intentions? – Exploring human emotion and redemption, elevating film as
an art form, creating a universal story, merging German expressionism with Hollywood style,
experimenting with cinematic language
How did Murnau explore human emotion and redemption? – The man is torn between
temptation (The Woman from the City) and love (his Wife)
How did Murnau create a universal story? – He didn’t give the characters names, allowing the
story to be timeless and relatable to anyone
Link to Todorov’s theory? – 5-stage structure.
Link to Propp’s theory? – The man is the hero, on a journey of redemption. The wife is the
princess. The Woman from the City is the villain. Fate is the helper.
Link to Levi-Strauss’s theory? – City vs country, good vs evil, temptation vs redemption, man
vs nature, light vs darkness
Link to Neale’s theory? – Repetition in the romantic drama elements like love, conflict, and
forgiveness. Difference in the silent film format, expressionist visuals, and lack of named
characters challenge traditional genre conventions
Link to Bazin’s theory? – Murnau’s visual style is consistent with Bazin’s idea of directorial
signature. He uses visuals over dialogue to express emotion – classic auteur behaviour
Link to Tasker’s theory? – The wife is portrayed as gentle, nurturing, and passive. Her
forgiveness towards the man reinforces traditional gender roles of emotional labour and
maternal forgiveness
Link to Mulvey’s theory? – The Woman from the City is objectified through costuming and
framing. The film does not invite the audience to identify with her emotionally, she’s seen
through the male gaze. The wife, too, is seen in terms of how she serves the Man’s emotional
arc.
Link to Hypodermic Needle theory? – The film could be seen as a moral tale, warning about
urban corruption and adultery.
Link to Barthes’ hermeneutic codes? – Why is the Man so emotionally tormented? Will he
really kill his wife?
Link to Barthes’ proairetic codes? – The Woman from the City’s arrival, leads to the attempted
murder, which leads to the Man’s redemption
Link to Barthes’ semantic codes? – The swamp – moral decay, the city – temptation, the Wife’s
white dress – purity
Link to Barthes’ symbolic codes? – Light vs dark, rural vs urban
Link to Altman’s semantic approach? – Foggy swamps, glowing lights, expressionist shadows,
stylised sets
Link to Altman’s syntactic approach? – Thematically, it’s a love story of loss and renewal, it
uses genre conventions of moral conflict and redemption, but with unique emotional depth
Conventions of silent cinema? – No synchronised recorded sounds, inter-titles, live music
accompaniment, black and white, exaggerated facial expressions
What were Murnau’s intentions? – Exploring human emotion and redemption, elevating film as
an art form, creating a universal story, merging German expressionism with Hollywood style,
experimenting with cinematic language
How did Murnau explore human emotion and redemption? – The man is torn between
temptation (The Woman from the City) and love (his Wife)
How did Murnau create a universal story? – He didn’t give the characters names, allowing the
story to be timeless and relatable to anyone
Link to Todorov’s theory? – 5-stage structure.
Link to Propp’s theory? – The man is the hero, on a journey of redemption. The wife is the
princess. The Woman from the City is the villain. Fate is the helper.
Link to Levi-Strauss’s theory? – City vs country, good vs evil, temptation vs redemption, man
vs nature, light vs darkness
Link to Neale’s theory? – Repetition in the romantic drama elements like love, conflict, and
forgiveness. Difference in the silent film format, expressionist visuals, and lack of named
characters challenge traditional genre conventions
Link to Bazin’s theory? – Murnau’s visual style is consistent with Bazin’s idea of directorial
signature. He uses visuals over dialogue to express emotion – classic auteur behaviour
Link to Tasker’s theory? – The wife is portrayed as gentle, nurturing, and passive. Her
forgiveness towards the man reinforces traditional gender roles of emotional labour and
maternal forgiveness
Link to Mulvey’s theory? – The Woman from the City is objectified through costuming and
framing. The film does not invite the audience to identify with her emotionally, she’s seen
through the male gaze. The wife, too, is seen in terms of how she serves the Man’s emotional
arc.
Link to Hypodermic Needle theory? – The film could be seen as a moral tale, warning about
urban corruption and adultery.
Link to Barthes’ hermeneutic codes? – Why is the Man so emotionally tormented? Will he
really kill his wife?
Link to Barthes’ proairetic codes? – The Woman from the City’s arrival, leads to the attempted
murder, which leads to the Man’s redemption
Link to Barthes’ semantic codes? – The swamp – moral decay, the city – temptation, the Wife’s
white dress – purity
Link to Barthes’ symbolic codes? – Light vs dark, rural vs urban
Link to Altman’s semantic approach? – Foggy swamps, glowing lights, expressionist shadows,
stylised sets
Link to Altman’s syntactic approach? – Thematically, it’s a love story of loss and renewal, it
uses genre conventions of moral conflict and redemption, but with unique emotional depth
