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When silence spoke louder than words

Last Updated 14 May 2012, 15:14 IST

Movie-buffs in the City, who had missed an opportunity to see the Oscar-winning movie ‘The Artist’ in the theatres, got an opportunity to enjoy the masterpiece recently.

More than a hundred of them turned up at the screening of the movie at the Alliance Francaise. Starring French actor Jean Dujardin, the movie is about a silent actor George Valentine, who is one of the most sought-after actors of his time. However, with the advancement of technology and the introduction of talkies, he loses his popularity. His refusal to act in the talkies leads to his doom and stock markets crash when he launches his first production.

The second half of the film shows how this successful actor is unable to handle failure and becomes self-destructive.

An upcoming actress Peppy Miller, who falls for George Valentine, becomes his guardian angel and tries to save him from bankruptcy. George sets his house on fire in an inebriated state only to be saved by his pet dog, which coincidentally stars in all his movies.

It is Peppy who nurses him and coaxes him to accept an offer of a talkie. The movie ends with a fabulous tap dance number by the lead pair.

The last scene of the movie is the first time that the audience can hear the dialogues.
The entire movie has no dialogues and has been made on the lines of a silent movie. But not once does one feel the need of dialogues in the film.

“I have read a lot of good things about the movie. French journalists are full of praises for this movie. So when Alliance announced that it was screening the film, I had to watch it,” says Elisa, who had come for the screening.

Anuradha, one of the organisers, informed that the French Embassy is organising a tour of the film in various cities across the country.

“It has mainly been organised to give an opportunity to those who could not see the movie in the theatre. We sent a mail to all those we knew from our database and they spread the word and that is how so many people came to watch the show,” explains Anuradha.

The audience had a combination of first-timers and those who had already watched the movie once. “The fact that it was an underdog movie and won so many Oscars attracted me to it.  The movie has made its way to the Oscars and I am very sure that it will be appreciated by the Indian audience,” says Rubia, a member of the audience.

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(Published 14 May 2012, 15:14 IST)

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