The Grand Illusion

One of the undisputed pinnacles of silent cinema, this lyrical masterpiece from legendary director F.W. Murnau is a study of betrayal, love and reconciliation. Seduced by a vamp from the city, a man from a small fishing village plans to murder his wife during a boat trip to town. However, both reach their destination unscathed and there, amid a dazzling panoply of urban attractions, the couple rediscover their love for each other.

Winner of the very first Academy Award for Best Cinematography and widely considered one of the greatest motion pictures ever made, we are proud to present this classic in celebration of National Silent Movie Day.

“F.W. Murnau’s career-peak nova, the crowning film from that sacred, edge-of-the-abyss year of 1927.” Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice

“Released in what Peter Bogdanovich calls the greatest year in Hollywood history, when silent films reached perfection and then disappeared, Sunrise was not a box-office success, but the industry knew it was looking at a masterpiece… [It] conquered time and gravity with a freedom that was startling to its first audiences. To see it today is to be astonished by the boldness of its visual experimentation.” Roger Ebert