Chip Kaufmann’s Pick:
Sunrise (1927)
Is Sunrise the greatest silent movie ever made? Who can say? What is without question is that Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (to give the film its full title) IS one of the greatest films ever made, sound or silent. The fact that we still have it is something of a miracle as the original negative was destroyed in a fire in 1937. Fortunately there were copies in England and Europe which were recently discovered.
What is basically a simple story of love, betrayal, and redemption is transformed and elevated into a work of art by legendary German director F. W. Murnau. There are just so many things to savor in this film, from the beautiful cinematography in the village scenes, which is reminiscent of Rembrandt or the Bauhaus influenced designs of the city, to the performances of George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor, who won the first Best Actress Oscar in 1928.
The brand new Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack from 20th Century Fox is a cause for celebration as it provides us with the best surviving American version (94 min.) and a shorter European version (74 min.) that was found in the Czech Republic. The original 1927 Fox Movietone score has been digitally remastered and sounds fabulous (Sunrise was the first film to be released with a soundtrack) although there is also a recent recording of the score as well.
In addition to the above there are outtakes, an excellent optional audio commentary, a digital version of the original script, and copies of original promotional materials. If you are truly a lover of cinema then you need to see Sunrise and decide its status for yourself. Like all truly great films, it’s one that you can watch over and over again, and that is the highest compliment I can bestow.
Michelle Keenan’s Pick:
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
After raving this month about Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, I had to pick my favorite Anderson film, Moonrise Kingdom. It was also my hands-down favorite film of 2012.
Moonrise Kingdom takes place the summer of 1965 on an island off the coast of New England. Two twelve year olds fall in love, become pen pals, and hatch a plan to run away together. Sam (Jared Gilman) is an orphan and the least liked member of the ‘Khaki Scouts’. Suzy (Kara Hayward) is the brooding, troubled daughter of two lawyers (Frances McDormand and Bill Murray). Both are misfits who identify with each other the moment they set eyes on each other.
They run away armed with a camp set, his Khaki Scout wilderness skills, a suitcase full of fantasy books, a plastic portable record player (with Francoise Hardy 45’s and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra), a kitten in a fishing creel and a pair of binoculars.
In hot pursuit of our underage love birds are her parents, Scoutmaster Ward (Edward Norton), the local sheriff, Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), a social services agent (Tilda Swinton) and a bunch of khaki scouts. We are aware of an approaching storm, so we know the storm will of course hit the island in the climatic moments of the story.
Moonrise Kingdom is part offbeat kitsch and part fractured fairy tale, the combination of which is affected and precious but also somehow rather charming. Anderson’s attention to detail is brilliant and serves the story well. He has also created characters that we actually like; from Sam and Suzy to Scoutmaster Ward and Captain Sharp. In the end we are all misfits in one way or another looking for love.
The narrative by Bob Balaban rounds out our fractured fairy tale and they all live happily ever after. The End.
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and smoking.
