The silent movie golden era of the 1920s will return to the big screen at the historic Tennessee Theatre on Sunday, June 10, at 3 p.m. The 1927 silent movie Sunrise will be shown with Wurlitzer organ accompaniment by Ron Carter.
The Tennessee Theatre is one of the few venues in the United States where silent films with organ accompaniment can be shown in a historic Movie Palace. Sunrise, subtitled A Song of Two Humans, has been described by some movie critics as “the best silent film ever made.” It is a love story involving three persons whose names are not revealed in the movie. They are known only as the Man (George O’Brien), the Wife (Janet Gaynor), and the seductress Woman from the City (Margaret Livingston).
The second subtitle shown on the screen says “for wherever the sun rises and sets in the turmoil of the city or under the open sky of the farm, life is much the same: sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet!” The experiences of the three main characters in the film are sometimes bitter and sometimes sweet!
The movie won an Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Production at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. In 1989 the film was designated by the U.S Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
This is the last of four silent films with Wurlitzer organ accompaniment shown at the Tennessee Theatre in 2011-2012. Planning is underway to show four silent films with Wurlitzer organ accompaniment in 2012-2013.The silent movie series at the Historic Tennessee Theatre is made possible by a grant from the Tennessee Arts commission.
Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children and seniors. Tickets are on sale at the Clinch Avenue ticket office. They may be ordered by phone by calling the ticket office at 684-1200.