Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

In Brief: The Asheville Film Society continues a month-long tribute to its founder, the incomparable Ken Hanke, with another of his favorites, a picture he called "the greatest silent film ever made" — F.W. Murnau's 1927 classic, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. It's easy to see why Ken held this film in such high regard, and he's not alone in his glowing appraisal. Sunrise has topped many a best-of list over the years, due not only to the heart-wrenching psychological impact of its humanist melodrama, but also to the technical virtuosity Murnau displays. Transitioning from the German cinema to Hollywood, Murnau was at the height of his directorial prowess, and the resources afforded him by the backing of studio mogul William Fox allowed him to create a work so groundbreaking that its innovations would come to define the next century of film form. The term "must see" is bandied about often and carelessly, but if any movie has ever deserved such a designation, this is it.