F.W. Murnau’s Silent Classic ‘Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans’ Opens Italy’s Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival With Definitive Restoration and Live Orchestra
The definitive restoration of F.W. Murnau’s silent classic “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” opened the 40th edition of Italy’s Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival on Saturday, with some 7,000 spectators packing Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore square to catch the 1927 masterpiece accompanied by a new score performed live by the Teatro Comunale di Bologna orchestra.
The San Francisco Film Preserve initiated this 35mm restoration and undertook the 4K digital restoration that allows audiences to view “Sunrise” in a way that very closely resembles its original appearance, nearly a century after the movie became a multiple winner at the first-ever Academy Awards.
Related Stories
Tony Awards 2026 Takeaways: Queer Culture Gets Celebrated, the New Musicals Crisis and Nobody Wants to Publicly Thank Scott Rudin
Pink Teases Tony Awards Hosting Plans: ‘There Will Be Stunts, and Not Just for Me’
“The biggest challenge with [restoring] ‘Sunrise’ is there is no original material; you are working with later generation materials the whole way,” San Francisco Film Preserve president Robert Byrne told Variety.
Despite the loss of the “Sunrise” negatives in a Fox vault fire in the 1930s, they scoured archives around the world to identify the highest quality surviving materials.
“Sunrise” had previously been restored several times, the last one about 20 years ago. “But never with the options that we have now, in terms of actually cleaning the image, removing the dirt and going as far as we can to ethically perfectly restore the film,” Byrne added.
The final result is a transnational collaboration based on film materials preserved by the British Film Institute National Archive, Cinémathèque royale de Belgique, The Museum of Modern Art, Eye Filmmuseum, Národní Filmový Archiv (Prague) and George Eastman Museum. The restored film was graded at Bologna’s L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory. The screening will be accompanied by a new score, composed and conducted by Timothy Brock, among the world’s top experts in film music (see video above).
Isabella Rossellini, Marco Bellocchio, Wim Wenders, Irène Jacob, Amos Gitai, Pietro Marcello, Rosalie Varda, Nicolas Seydoux, Thierry Frémaux, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Arnaud Desplechin, Lav Diaz, Bill Morrison, Francesco Sossai and Alice Rohrwacher are among guests of this year’s 40th edition of Cinema Ritrovato, which will run through June 28.
“Alice Rohrwacher has told me she has seen this film eight times,” Cinema Ritrovato chief Gianluca Farinelli, who is also founder and chief of the Bologna Film Archives and its film restoration lab, told the cheering audience as he presented the opener with Rohrwacher in the crowd. The director recently announced that she is planning to make a silent film herself.
This year’s Il Cinema Ritrovato will feature 540 rediscovered “vintage” movies from all corners of the world. “Never so much as before, this year the festival comprises great classics, but also totally unknown works,” Farinelli told the audience. “Perhaps the most surprising thing about this year’s edition,” he added, “is the quantity of discoveries of works and directors that I had never heard of who made really extraordinary films.”
The festival will wrap on Sunday with the world premiere of recent MoMA restorations of two cornerstones of Charlie Chaplin‘s filmography: “A Dog’s Life” and “Shoulder Arms,” the first projects Chaplin shot at his Hollywood studios. They are being presented in their original 1918 versions, before Chaplin himself altered their editing, accompanied by a live performance by Orchestra Senzaspine of Timothy Brock‘s new, specially composed orchestral scores.
Jump to Comments-
LISTEN: Mike Hopkins on Prime Video’s Evolution, the Bundling Boom, How MGM Changed Amazon, the Future of Bond and No Regrets on ‘Melania’
-
Michael B. Jordan Unveils Amazon TV Slate, Including Muhammad Ali Series ‘The Greatest,’ ‘Creed’ Spinoff and Romantasy ‘Fourth Wing’
-
Amazon Posts $181.5 Billion in Revenue and Smashes Wall Street’s Q1 Earnings Expectations
-
LISTEN: Did OpenAI Kill What Disney’s ‘Super App’ Needs Most?
-
Associated Press, OpenAI Strike Deal for Election Data
-
Oprah Inks Amazon Deal for Her Podcast, Book Club and Original TV Show
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
