the year: 2011
the genre: silent
the cast: Jean Dujardin (George Valentin); Bérénice Bejo (Peppy Miller); John Goodman (Al Zimmer); James Cromwell (Clifton); Penelope Ann Miller (Doris); Missi Pyle (Constance); Uggie (The Dog)
the plot: Outside a movie premiere, enthusiastic fan Peppy Miller literally bumps into the swashbuckling hero of the silent film, George Valentin. The star reacts graciously and Peppy plants a kiss on his cheek as they are surrounded by photographers. The headlines demand: "Who's That Girl?" and Peppy is inspired to audition for a dancing bit-part at the studio. However as Peppy slowly rises through the industry, the introduction of talking-pictures turns Valentin's world upside-down.
don't miss: the retakes when George and Peppy are filming "A Russian Affair."
listen (er, look) for: "What I mean is, it's him AND me! Or it's neither of us!"
did you know: Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo rehearsed the climactic dance sequence for five months, practicing almost every day in the same studio that Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly used to rehearse for Singin' in the Rain.
did you also know: that there is not a single 'zoom shot' in the entire movie because Zoom technology did not exist in the movie's time period.
extra bonus points: if you know the last silent film to (and the year it did) win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
This has to be one of the most enjoyable movie watching experiences I've had in a while. I can absolutely see why it won Best Picture. Guess I need to track down some original silent movies and give them a go!
1 comment:
Answer: The film was Wings which was the very first film to win the award for Best Picture in the Oscar's inaugural year.
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