The Kennington Bioscope is a regular cinema event featuring live accompaniment to silent films that takes place at the Cinema Museum.

Sunrise (US 1927) (digital). Directed by F.W. Murnau. With George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor.

Sub-headed A Song of Two Humans, Sunrise is the story of a farmer (George O’Brien) who, bored with his wife (Janet Gaynor), their baby and the dull routine of farm life, falls under the spell of a flirtatious city girl (Margaret Livingston) who convinces him to drown his wife so they can escape together. Sunrise was the first American film by noted German director F.W. Murnau, who brought to it the Expressionist techniques of his native country and created in Hollywood a series of locations that could easily be anywhere in Europe or America. It won an Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Picture at the first such ceremony in 1929. Janet Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in this and two other films, 7th Heaven and Street Angel, this being from a time before awards could be given only for a single performance. The original negative of Sunrise was destroyed in a vault fire only a decade after its completion. What has been generally seen since that time is material copied from a release print, with a consequent loss of image quality plus cropping to make room for an optical soundtrack. We will be screening a beautifully restored silent version in full frame – meaning an increase of 10% to the picture area – derived mostly from prime quality material discovered in the Czech Republic.

Live piano accompaniment.

Silent film with intertitles which may be suitable for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Tickets & Pricing

£8. Seats are limited, so please arrive early or request an invitation using the email kenbioscope@gmail.com.