Sound may be such a crucial part of films today that it wins Oscars, but that wasn't always the case. Unlike today, when films contain spoken dialogue and sound synchronised to the action, films produced during the 'silent era' were, well, pretty much silent. But that's not entirely accurate - most films of the period, recorded without sound, had it added during the screening in the form of live musical accompaniment. That music became a crucial element, as it could create a mood for a scene. But filmmakers were still limited to telling stories without spoken dialogue. Intertitles - text displayed on the screen between shots - were used to present crucial bits of information, to summarise complex scenes and for limited dialogue. Viewers relied heavily on visual cues - facial expressions, body movements and gestures - for meaning. That's why - from our viewpoint today - acting in silent movies often looks stylised and exaggerated. But at the time, that was the norm, and it came out of necessity more than anything. All that came to a crashing halt, though, with the advent of the 'talkies'. Many silent actors stubbornly refused to adapt to the new technology, and their careers came to a tragic end. The Artist caps director Michel Hazanavicius' love affair with the silent era. The film is shot in black and white with sped-up motion - and is (almost) entirely silent. Set in Hollywood in 1927, the movie opens as megastar George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) attends the premiere of his latest movie. After the screening, with paparazzi snapping away, a young admirer named Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) bumps into George. Given that any publicity is good, George smiles and plays up the incident for the cameras. The pair are plastered on the pages of newspapers the next day. That incident helps launch Peppy's acting career, as George gets her a role in a film, and takes her under his wing as bigger roles come knocking on her door. Yet when the talkies arrive, George, who believes the sound-enhanced films are a fad, is left behind as Peppy's star rises … The unexpected star of the Baftas and Golden Globes has proven that sometimes special effects, fancy trickery and big-name stars aren't necessary to make a good film. Sometimes, the story itself is the thing. The Artist opens on Thursday
