There is big Oscar buzz for a silent movie that is making the festival rounds. It's called THE ARTIST and is actually set in Hollywood during the silent era, telling the story of two actors who are awfully similar to Greta Garbo and John Garfield. With the advent of sound, Garfield's career tanked due to his high voice and Garbo's career soared.
The film premiered at Cannes in May, was snatched up by the Weinstein's and recently play to strong audience response at Telluride. There's a big write-up on the Hollywood Reporter about the film today and whether it just might be the first silent movie to get an Oscar nomination since 1929. However, to be technical, there are apparently three instances in the film where sound is used to dramatic affect. The article talked about these but also gave a Spoiler Alert so I didn't read it all the way til the end.
But the film certainly looks promising in its stunningly beautiful trailer, which you can watch below. The big question is will audiences go to see a silent film? The Weinstein's have their work cut out for them but they've surprised us before.
