Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans + introduction

Sunday 31 July, 2022, 2 p.m.
Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB
This screening will be introduced by Mark Cosgrove, Cinema Rediscovered Founder and curator of the When Europe Made Hollywood season. Mark will give an illustrated talk (approx 20 minutes) on the themes, connections and ideas that led him to bring together the eight films showing as part of this season.
German filmmaker FW Murnau was one of the leading figures in the early years of European cinema. Between 1919 and 1926, he made 18 films which established him as a leading figure of German Expressionism and technological pioneer in Germany’s UFA studio. The most well-known today is probably Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror which established a striking visual aesthetic for horror films in general and vampire films in particular.
With many of his early films lost, the true scale of Murnau’s achievement is difficult to fully articulate but there is no doubt that Hollywood was watching the success of this European filmmaker. In 1926, William Fox, the Hungarian born owner of the young Fox Studio, invited Murnau to Hollywood. The first result was Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans which is now widely recognised as a one of the pinnacles of a new artform and revolutionised the way American filmmaking would be approached. Made in the twilight of the silent era Sunrise is a milestone of film expressionism and one of the few films to instantly achieve legendary status.
Part of theme: When Europe Made Hollywood from Sunrise to High Noon
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