The Artist

I've talked here before about how fun it can be to see a silent movie.  But normally a silent film is something that's released prior to the invention of talkies. However, this year is the year where it seems everything old is new again, as there's a new silent movie out, called "The Artist".  It's also shot in black and white, and in the pre-1950's square screen ratio format.  

The girls and I went to see this the other night, and I just have to say, what a treat.  The movie takes place in Hollywood, around the time of the transition from Silents to Talkies. I stars French Actor Jean duJardin as a big-time silent movie star who pridefully refuses to make the transition, and then has to live with the consequences of that decision.  And Berenice Bejo is the former protege who makes the transition and ends up becoming a huge star.  It also has a host of well-known character actors in supporting roles.  Part "Singin in the Rain", and part "A Star is Born", it's clever, it's funny, it's sweet - it's everything a movie-going experience should be.  I highly recommend it.

(Something else I noticed while I was sitting there - with no dialog, and limited music, I could actually hear the sound of the film rolling upstairs in the booth. I honestly can't remember the last time I heard that sound at a movie, but it was so refreshing - movie's today are so stinking loud.)

Westward the Women

Denise Darcel died today.  She was a popular French actress from the early 50's. She appeared mostly in B pictures, but there were a few gems among them - for example "Battleground", "Veracruz", and one of my all-time favorites, "Westward the Women".  Starring Robert Taylor and John McEntire, "Westward the Women" is a terrific picture about a wagon train of women, headed for California to become brides.  

Taylor and McEntire are the men guiding them in their journey, and both of them, particularly Taylor, were big stars at the time.  But the real stars of the movie are the women themselves, Denise Darcel among them.  Along the way they learn to shoot, handle mule teams, and face different hardships, such as untimely death, assaults from bad men and unfriendly Indians, and even childbirth.  It also shows how physically demanding such a journey would have been (and let's just say, that after my first viewing, I was mighty glad I was never a pioneer).  Just when you think they're never going to make it, the train pulls through, and everyone lives happily ever after.  The movie's tagline says it all - "Never underestimate the will of a woman when there's a wedding ring in sight!"