sunrise: A song of two humans (1927)
Murnau's first Hollywood feature is a song toward humanity as told through a dazzling series of poetic visual progressions. Humanity in Murnau's eyes is a beauty beset by the power of outside forces, both elemental and manmade. A flame flickering in a wind storm is the life within a person, and the love between two, humanity is fragile and easily led astray from its own beauty. Intoxicating influence overcomes our senses, lust for a lover, the city lights and alcohol are all featured prominently to show us that neither man nor piglet can escape their effects.