In an age of 3D movies, special effects and high definition, reverting to the 1920’s Hollywood era of the silent movie is a bold and risky move but one that has definitely paid off.
Although originally skeptical as to how this film could interest a modern audience I was immediately proven wrong by the captivating simplicity of a film that instantly draws you in and forces you to be completely invested in the characters as you relate and empathise with them.
Set between 1927 and 1933 the story powerfully tells of love, loss, tragedy, heartbreak, ambition and friendship as it depicts the transition from silent films to the modern, spoken films, showing the struggle the protagonist George Valentin faces with the change, losing his career and everything he has known. The depiction of his life as he loses all he has loved is deeply moving with no spoken words needed as you are made to feel every motion through a style that breaks convention and is refreshingly different from the other releases this week.
Both cheekily amusing and heartbreakingly sad, French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius has created a film that is more than an homage to a lost era but a beautiful film in its own right- well worth seeing.
4 STARS