But in 100 minutes, will you feel a little, just a little bit, a dull feeling? Will you start to miss the intense verbal exchanges, the lifelike sound effects, the shrieks, the low voices?
While The Artist describes the decline of silent films during the transition period of film technology, it also shows the advantages of sound technology in form. There are three voices in the film that leave the confines of silent films. The first is the hero's dream, the world is full of hustle and bustle, but he is the only one who can't make a sound or open his mouth. Does that repression, that naked lack of presence make you breathless? The third place is at the end, when we come to the world of sound films. The breaths of the hero and heroine are clearly discernible. Do you immediately feel that they are more flesh-and-blood and much closer than the silhouettes singing and dancing on the black and white screen?
Of course the most memorable is the second, Rose Murphy's playful singing, Pennies from heaven, jumpy and narrow. Compared with the orchestra in other parts of the film, this vocal immediately flew lightly like wings, turning the boundaries of the screen.
This year's two great films, The Artist and Hugo, are paying homage to old movies. While reminiscing about history, they are paying tribute to the technologies and people who have led us forward.
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