Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Following the financial failure of his Faust, Murnau came to Hollywood where he had been invited by William Fox to make an Expressionist style film in America. Murnau chose to collaborate with Carl Mayer, who had written The Last Laugh three years earlier, to create a humanist fable about a young couple from the country who lose each other in the confusion and sin of the big city, before coming back together again. Sunrise features cinematography from Karl Struss which not only utilizes Murnau's unchained cinema style, but also features gorgeous special effects shots using amazing sets built for the production. The poetic story garnered incredible praise at the time and won several awards at the very first Academy Awards including "Best Unique and Artistic Picture" and "Best Cinematography." Coming at the dawn of the sound era, the film features music and sound effects, but no dialogue and few title cards.

Written by Ben Rowe.