"After successfully integrating the language of film - composition, lighting and editing - into a unique formal vision in CARRIAGE TRADE, in subsequent films Sonbert embedded these stylistic devices within a commentary on larger social issues. RUDE AWAKENING is 'about Western civilization and its work; activity ethic and the viability of performing functions and activities.' (Warren Sonbert lecture, San Francisco Art Institute, August 1979, published in Film Culture, no. 70-71, 1983)

"Sonbert's vivid color palette enhances the ritualistic nature of each action observed. Set against this lush panorama, Sonbert subverts the expectation of classic cinematography with a liberal sprinkling of avant-garde techniques. The incorporation of the materiality of film, the treatment of light, and the use of a hand-held camera, all suggest the influence of Stan Brakhage (Sonbert's 'hero'). Sonbert's use of the shot as the foundation of his silent montage works parallels the use of the frame as the basic filmmaking unit in the films of Gregory Markopoulos (Sonbert's 'mentor')." - Jon Gartenberg