I don't think Sunrise should ever be compared to The Cranes Are Flying, for technical aspects or otherwise. The Cranes is much too much a depressing and devastating film, with it's death, rape, destruction, etc. Sunrise is about sin, redemption, forgiveness, love.
The Cranes evoked too many emotions for my own good far too quickly. Sunrise on the other hand is completely different. It brings about just the right emotions at just the right times. The transitions between "moods" is gentle. Very easy to take in. It's perfect.
The way Boris and Veronika's "young love" was portrayed was absolutely beautiful! It brought a tear to my eye. Both because of it's beauty and because I knew what was coming. Or so I thought...
The scene of Veronika running up to the apartment was another long tracking shot. Unfortunately, (I think) it was ruined by the traumatizing site behind her apartment door. We see everything behind it obliterated, including her parents. It was too shocking for words.
One scene after another brought about too many negative emotions. Sadness, disbelief, anger, sadness again, etc. Too much of a bad thing way too soon. It was too harsh. As a result I've not been able to appreciate The Cranes for what it is. Technically speaking.
Film "buffs" and "geeks" often complain that Sunrise transitioned too fast, between seriousness, happiness, back to seriousness. "Hot, then cold, then hot again..." They think it's an "emotional roller coaster." They don't know what they're talking about.
They need to see The Cranes.
"God made man. Then he rested. And on the 8th day, God created George O'Brien."
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Filler_Killer
9 years ago
The confusion may have arised from my post, as I'm not a native English speaker. I didn't mean to actually compare them directly, I was actually highlighting both of them (together with Potemkin and Kane), as films that for me particularly standout within the time that were made, on a technical level. Obviously they are all quite different between in each other, both thematically, emotionally and on many other levels, however I feel that all of them possess true creative genius on their technical aspects that have made a deep impression (and therefore influenced movies made afterwards) on the history of Film. Hope I've made myself clearer with that. In any case, I agree with every single word you've devoted to Cranes, hence why it's one of my favourite movies of all time.
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-You won't forget me now?
-No. I've got nobody else to remember.
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jonhopper217
9 years ago
Thank you so much for mentioning The Cranes are Flying. The first 35-40 minutes are technically some of the best I've ever seen on film. The genius is seen throughout, but from the opening through Boris' leaving, the film is nearly perfect. Even the rough scenes, the painful ones are done beautifully. At times, one might say too much so, because they don't always capture the pain. One thing, which I did find interesting, was it didn't at all feel like a Russian film. Even Tarkovsky's later films feel Russian, where this almost felt French or Italian. The star, wow, a cross between Bardot and Audrey Hepburn and I'm embarrassed I didn't know of her on sight.
I will admit, I did find myself, as someone else suggested, stopping and replaying scenes. Honestly, the amount of planning for these shots must have taken days. It actually took my over 2 hours to watch the film. Fantastic piece of art.
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Filler_Killer
9 years ago
No worries mate, glad you've enjoyed it, it is indeed breathtaking. Try to get the other two films I mentioned, Letter Never Sent and I Am Cuba. The Kalatozov/Urusevsky partnership never fails to deliver.
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-You won't forget me now?
-No. I've got nobody else to remember.
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jonhopper217
9 years ago
I've actually been seeing a lot about I Am Cuba lately. Hopefully I can get that one soon.
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