City Girl

source: City Girl

Not as well known as "Sunrise" but in its own way just as fine, "City Girl" is another Murnau pastoral in which "City Girl" and waitress Mary Duncan moves to the wheatfields of Minnesota as the wife of farmer Charles Farrell, (one of the greatest and least appreciated of silent movie stars), only to find his father taking against her and life down on the farm not as ideal as she thought it would be. It's a film that is said to have influenced Terrence Malick and there are images here as eloquent as any in "Days of Heaven" and its one of the few really good parts Duncan ever had. Although she lived to be ninety-eight she only made 16 films and retired in 1932. If the plot is novelettish Murnau's handling of it is anything but. He takes melodramatic material and situations and imbues them with a realism that the American cinema never really seemed to develop for at least a decade or two, aided by the magnificent cinematography of Ernest Palmer and the wonderful performances of the leads. It also proved to be Murnau's penultimate film; he died in a car crash the following year leaving behind a body of work as fine as any in all of cinema.

F. W. Murnau's 'forgotten' film probably isn't as good as Sunrise – and in fact looks like a pale imitation of it at times – but it's still better than much of Hollywood's output at the end of the 1920s. Big Charles Farrell plays Lem, an innocent country bumpkin whose lack of assertiveness threatens his still-to-be consummated marriage to city girl Mary Duncan. Lem's curmudgeonly father takes an instant dislike to his son's new bride, whom Lem impulsively wed while on a trip to sell Pop's harvest, believing she is a gold digger – which is a bit odd given that Lem failed to sell his harvest at the minimum price necessary to make ends meet. Despite the whirlwind nature of their romance, Kate really does love Lem even though he stands by and does nothing when his father knocks her about a bit While the characters and their motives are strictly ordinary, it's Murnau's skill as a director that lifts City Girl above the ordinary. The juxtaposition between the stifling confines of the dirty city and the wide open spaces of Lem's homestead is subtly created, as is the change of emphasis from the depressing impact of technology on city dwellers to the equally distressing influence of personal relationships in the countryside. Murnau also creates enormous sympathy for the plight of Kate in spite of the relatively clichéd situation she finds herself in. She's no Lillian Gish type, dependent on a broad-shouldered hero to save her from her plight, but a spirited independent heroine in her own right who pretty much forces Farrell's insipid Lem to face up to – and eventually overcome – his glaring shortcomings.

I liked the acting, the cinematography, you could tell the director knew what he was doing. I just didn't like the story, too many clichés, no twist was unpredictable, If someone gave you just the premise (boy marries girl in the city and move to the country to help his father on the farm) you could probably guess every major plot point of the entire film. Maybe the things in this movie weren't as well-known tropes like they are now, but it kind of made me dislike the movie just seeing how overdone everything in the movie was. Would have given it a higher score otherwise, the story just brought it down.

City Girl is another gem from the German master film maker F.W.Murnau, who directed the masterpiece, Sunrise. City Girl is similar to Sunrise in it's comparison of urban versus rural life and a conflicted relationship between a man and a woman. The couple, Kate and Lem meet in the crowded, gritty city of Chicago where Kate is living an uninspired existence as a waitress and an immediate attraction takes place. Lem is lonely too we gather and under the autocratic thumb of his father. He seems to be independent for the first time in his life, ( he's there to sell the wheat crop.) and makes the decision to marry Kate without asking his fathers approval. After they return to the farm, the conflicts between Lem and Kate and his father and the lead farmhand take place. This movie doesn't have the dream states, camera moves or super-impositions of the earlier film, but there are several good scenes, notably when the camera follows Lem and Kate as they run through the wheat fields, and the scenes of the wheat harvest which have such a real to life feel to them you almost feel that you're there as the work is going on! As human drama, a study of complicated interpersonal relationships, and the conflict between man and nature, I highly recommend this film! Murnau's masterful use of lighting is also present in this film, with the last scenes occurring at night with shadows so dark only lanterns can penetrate them, casting moody shadows and intensifying the action.

When it comes to silent film directors, FW Murnau is absolutely one of the best and most influential. His lesser work, such as 'The Haunted Castle', is still watchable, and his best work such as 'Faust', 'The Last Laugh' and 'Sunrise' is masterpiece level. He was a truly brilliant director (whose premature tragic death was a big loss) and very interesting and quite consistent, with his films being visually stunning and full of interesting themes and great atmosphere. His penultimate film 'City Girl' is not among Murnau's best or one of his milestones, other films of his have a bigger influence in cinema (i.e. 'Sunrise', which this film has been compared to on occasions). It is still a very, very good, and often great, film with so many brilliant things and is a visual and directorial triumph. If the story was stronger as that does bring the film down somewhat (not massively though), 'City Girl' would have been even better as it had all the makings of being a cinematic classic. As said, 'City Girl's' weak link is the story, which is very simple, at times barely existent, and some plot points have been used such a lot in film that it felt narratively on the predictable side due to not having many surprises or much new. The ending especially can be seen from quite some distance off and seemed a little neat. On the other hand, the story is also very charming and elegant and really liked its restraint. Some of it is very moving too. The characters are interesting and don't come over as caricatures and the conflict has tension, they are also acted with intensity and sincerity without being histrionic. Mary Duncan gives her role a lot of life and pathos in a beautifully understated way and Charles Farrell does show that while slightly too innocent (which is more to do with the role in a way) that he could do good performances outside of his pairings with Janet Gaynor. My favourite performance of the film came from David Torrence, giving his meaty father figure plenty of stern intensity that is smouldering at its best while not overacting. The music has a lot of charm and poignancy to it too which was perfect for 'City Girl's' tone. The biggest stars though are the visuals and the direction. Murnau's direction is nothing short of exemplary, Murnau's direction is some of his most accomplished, keeping things moving in a way that is never dull, maintaining a grippingly poignant and restrained atmosphere throughout. Even better is the way 'City Girl' looks. Simply put, the film looks amazing still, the use of light and shadow is quite masterful and the settings are sumptuous and not too stagy. Best of all is the cinematography, which is so gorgeously expressive and some of the absolute best of any recent first time viewing. Concluding, very, very good indeed. 8.5/10

Excellent actors, good music, NO STUPID DIALOGUE and a story I was really interested in. The supporting actors had personality, the bad guy was realistic, for a long time the first movie I really had to see all the way to know the ending (happy end? No? Yes? No?). Perhaps a bit too much "Pathos" in the end, but I didn´t care...

Was Murnau the greatest director ever? His life was cut short by a car accident in 1931, when he was 42 years old. What magical films he would have made had he lived. "City Girl" is a fairly conventional story of a young man from the country who falls in love with a waitress on his first trip to the city. He marries her and brings her home to a hostile father. But Murnau takes this material and turns it into an expressionist exploration of sexuality, powering it with a theme of "it's not where we live but how we live". Within a world of hostile shadows and menacing crowds real people live and breathe in brilliant naturalistic performances. Farrell and Duncan are amazingly good. And even the smallest part is played with vivid life. But the real star is Murnau's startling direction. Tracking shots years ahead of their time - watch the scene where the couple run through a field of wheat - extraordinary point of view shots, and remarkable shots of and in fast moving wagons. The frightening city seen in "Sunrise" is here again - with trains and crowds obscuring vision and soot on the pot plants. And then there is the beauty of the countryside and the harvesting of wheat. Murnau made what I believe to be the best silent film ever with "Sunrise" in 1927. With "City Girl" he comes close to matching it. A must. I saw the original silent version which runs at 90 minutes. Apparently a shorter talkie version also exists.

Fairly familiar story, but told with real intimacy, restrained acting, and Murnau's always sensitive and virtuoso direction. Murnau has been compared to Welles, since both directors have cultured, poetic sensibilities, work brilliantly with actors, and constantly experiment, testing and expanding the expressive possibilities of the film medium, but here is the difference: Welles was an extrovert, a showman, parading his brilliance. Murnau, no less brilliant, is more subtle. His SUNRISE is to the silent era what CITIZEN KANE is to the sound era, but even in that film his innovations are "the art that conceals art". A casual viewer will see nothing in CITY GIRL but a nice story, well-executed. But the film is full of technical bravura for cinema fans: notice the perfection of the process shots in the opening train sequence. You didn't see this done as well in many major Hollywood films made even in the 1950s. Notice the farmhouse scenes where both the interiors and the brightly sunlit exteriors, visible through windows and doors, are PERFECTLY exposed. Even today, in the 21st century, we see films in which this isn't handled as well as Murnau & Co. do it here in 1928. I saw the 90 minute silent version, which is the one to seek out -- not the shortened, half-talkie version. Murnau's combination of technical brilliance, bold experimentation, superb direction of actors, and deep emotional sensitivity is practically unique in film history. He did EVERYTHING well. And if you have a chance to see his much earlier DER BRENNENDE ACKER (THE BURNING EARTH) see how much of this he was already achieving even with the primitive techniques and equipment of 1922. What a tragedy such a genius had to die in a car accident at the youthful age of 42.

FW Murnau returns to his urban evil versus rural good theme in this visually striking but lean story involving a Minnesota farmer, a Chicago waitress and the external conflict created by their union. Hayseed Lem Tustine (Charles Farrell) is sent by his dad (David Torrence) to Chicago to sell his wheat crop at a set price. Fending off flirtation on the train he meets kate a waitress in a chaotic restaurant while the wheat price dips. After a whirlwind courtship they marry and he returns home with the a wife and bad news about the wheat. Seeing his son as a rube who lost money and now being exploited by a city girl he explodes chides and emasculates the son. When the help shows up to harvest the wheat they get an eyeful of Lem's wife and like what they see. Things really take a turn for the worse when the crop is threatened and the bunk house boys rebel. Given their similar theme and settings City Girl cannot avoid comparison to Murnau's classic Sunrise and while it does not rise to its stature, it retains his outstanding use of film language. Once again we have one of cinema's great visual storytellers unfold in image after image scenes of magnificent panorama and intense emotional close-up conveyed without utterance of a word. Scenes such as the camera riding on the wagon with the reapers and in a moment that teems with ironic beauty the arrival of the newlyweds in the wheat field at the farm glow with vitality and movement under the masterly hand of Murnau.. Mary Duncan as Kate is a restrained Swanson who has her best scenes with the stern, violent father played by David Torrence in a restrained version of his bro Ernest. Edith Yorke cowers and frets as ma while Richard Alexander as Mac excels as a harboring menace. Charles Farrell is mealy and spineless in a reprise of his Sunrise character in the throes of moral dilemma but without that dark side his performance annoys. Flaws exist with some slow moments midway, the improbable actions of the hired hands and the father's stifling character limits the stories growth but Murnau for the most part provides us with more than a few gripping moments while deepening the cynicism and lasciviousness of his cast with expressive and informative closeups with little reliance on title cards. It is a thin story lushly told by a master.