Minnesota farm boy Lem (Charles Ferrell) travels to the big city of Chicago for the first time to sell his family's annual wheat harvest. He meets tough-cookie waitress Kate (Mary Duncan) who dreams of a simpler life. The two fall for each other and get married, but they receive a less-than-warm reception back home from Lem's angry, tyrannical father (David Torrence). Kate is disappointed when Lem won't stand up to his father's violent ways, and things get more complicated when a work team arrives for the harvest, and the men start making advances on Kate.

Although less artistically flashy than many of Murnau's films, this is stronger narratively. While Murnau was said to be disappointed that producer William Fox insisted on the casting of Duncan in the female lead (Murnau wanted to cast Janet Gaynor), I have to say that I was very impressed with Duncan's performance, and I consider it the highlight of the film. Torrence is also good as the mean father, and I like that he's given a nuanced background, showing that his ill-temper is a result of his worries over making ends meet and paying the bills, a source of stress for most farmers. The only drawback for me with this movie was that the end tied everything up a little too neatly to be believable. Recommended.

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.

While the ending of "City Girl" is rather poor, it still is a film well worth seeing, as it shows just how artful a silent film can be. While this was, for the most part, directed by the famous F.W. Murnau of "Nosferatu" fame, this film seems to have little in common with this early horror classic. Instead, it's one of Murnau's tales of the common man--something he excelled at in the late period of his too-short life.

The film begins with a young man, Lem, in the big city to sell his family's wheat crop. It's obvious that his very controlling father has very little confidence in the young guy and when he returns from the trip, the jerk of a father holds two things against him. First, the price of the wheat crop was very low and he blames Lem for this. Second, Lem returns with a new bride and while it's never certain why, the father instantly hates the lady--thinking she married him for his money. Considering that the family owns a large farm, this makes little sense as I'd think few city gals would want to move to the middle of no where! In fact, the father's character is THE problem with the film. While the film is breathtaking with its rich cinematography, the angry dad never made sense---especially since late in the film he miraculously changes--welcoming his new daughter-in-law into the family!! How much of this hole-ridden plot is the fault of Murnau, I have no idea as the studio substituted another man at the helm at the last moment--and the final product perhaps was NOT his vision. I do know that artistically, what I loved about the film was undoubtedly his vision--as it bears the marks of his style. The film is simple and gorgeous from start to finish--as Murnau had quite the eye for the craft.