The silent film which makes the most almighty noise
Director & Screenwriter: Michel
Hazanavicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin (George
Valentin), Bérénice Bejo (Peppy Miller), John Goodman (Al Zimmer), James
Cromwell (Clifton), Uggie (The Dog)
Plot: George Valentin is the
biggest silent movie star in 1927, but the advent of sound sees his downfall
and the rise of Peppy Miller.
Running Time: 100m 23s
Certificate: PG – Contains scene of mild threat
Without a doubt, Michel
Hazanavicius’ black and white, silent film has to be one of the most unlikely
awards season frontrunners ever. This is a film whose basic content is so
anathema to the conventions and expectations of the mainstream that one cinema
in Liverpool has seen fit to refund customers who were bemused to discover that
the film has no dialogue (almost), is in black-and-white (which we all know is
obsolete and of absolutely no worth) and only uses a portion of the screen made
available to it (the film was shot in the classic Academy ratio to cement its
nostalgic feel).
Certainly, its wider success has
shown that large audiences are attracted to its deliberately anachronistic
charms. This does not show a reawakening of a forgotten love for silent film. It
shows that there can be great results, both critical and commercial, when
someone has the courage, as Hazanavicius did, to use old techniques, which seemingly
have long since lost their commercial appeal, to tell a story in the best way
possible.
