Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

A 1927 American synchronized sound romantic drama directed by German director F.W. Murnau in his American film debut, starring George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, and Margaret Livingston. The film follows a married farmer who falls under the spell of a woman vacationing from the city, who tries to convince him to murder his wife. Released with a synchronized musical score and sound effects using the Movietone sound-on-film process, the film has no audible dialogue. At the first Academy Awards ceremony, Sunrise won a unique award for "Unique and Artistic Picture," and Janet Gaynor won the first Best Actress award (for this film plus 7th Heaven and Street Angel). The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, named the eleventh-best film in history by the Sight & Sound critics' poll, and selected for the National Film Registry.