This is how Hollywood created 'em! - A luscious, beautiful document and art piece of movie making history.

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2020)

I was speechless watching it, is such a pleasure-filled, opulent, beautiful, complex adaption of the end of the silent film era... both beautiful time document, remake and ART FILM in one.
I can't even name ALL the beautiful elements that played together so well: the art department for sure did a SPLENDID JOB. The sets, the costumes, the props, the VISUALS, the typography, the special effects (like analogue film stripe edges on screen)...
and the cinematography! Perfectly mimicking and interpreting the historical accurate shooting styles and film format. Also the blurred filters on the beautiful main actress as silent film diva, the angles, the overlays, the overall scene construction... the editing! Combining the pace, tone and scenes in a rich composition - it made it feel so VERY MUCH like an original from the old time, that's how accurate it is.
Also, the acting! A perfect cast, both skilled and visually fitting into the 20s preferred movie star types.
The thing, that finally blew my MIND was the sound: both the classic silent movie soundtrack composition AND how the film used sound in general. The nearly whole film uses music as backdrop, but there is a moment where it stops (and so powerful!): At some point the main actor experiences his life becoming a TONE film instead of the silent film, but HE can't create a sound with his voice when he tries to speak. Meanwhile we see and hear focussed noises of feathers, girl laughter - clearly metamorphing into the tone film era.... and then he WAKES UP from a nightmare. And there we are, back to the silent music, which follows him til the end of the film. This way, the theme of the story becomes part of the medium itself, a story within a story - a (for me) perfect combination.
There are clearly so many things that are well thought of, well composed and very well put together in this art piece. I am so happy I finally watched it and will watch it again and again a few times. A master piece of film making.