magical

Rating: 9/10 (15 February 2012)

well i was reluctant of seeing this movie although i knew the trio stars from the oss movies.with trio i mean the two stars jean and berenice and the director michel.i heard it was good but a silent AND black and white?..let me tell you from the very first seconds that you start watching it grabs you and actually after a couple of minutes that the movie has pulled you in its magic,you re glad it is without sound because it adds to the magic.it is basically a romance story,but has other themes playing on the side.themes like success does not last long,people or dogs..that are faithful no matter what,and maybe the biggest theme of them all possibly it explains the title of the movie also,that silent movies or silence in general has more power than anything,and the minute that sound comes in,or it can traslate this to dialogue,to people speaking with excuses ,lies,then the magic disappears.this has a very deep meaning that i do not wish to analyze in full but i think you got the general idea.all the cast is simply extraordinary.you have never seen a similar movie of this kind.well..maybe the old masterpieces with charles chaplin like "modern times".i have to say though that the director whether has thought about tit the way i did or not,had a brilliant idea that audiences think he has succeeded the impossible,making a silent movie so successful nowadays,and propably he did but one has to wonder if people are not used to watch images with music in our everyday entertainment life already.look at mtv videos or movies in general that you hear music in the background playing all the time through out the movie.yes..people today are more accustomed in the silent movie technique than they realise.having said that i still think this movie should not be missed by anyone.it is simply to good.the visual side of the movie is beautiful,the music is great,varying from romantic to tragic to funny back and forth.it is a movie watched from the heart.and to add one silly mistake i noticed.here comes the spoiler..after george is rescued and brought to peppy's house to get better we see him in pajamas and everything.we assume he stayed at least a day resting.but when he leaves the next day,for instance,his clothes are dirty.with the servants that we see in peppy's house,one would assume that they would have taken the clothes ,that got so dirty during the fire,and washed them.i think it is kind of a mistake.but this adds to the tragic when he wears these dirty clothes and goes back to his burned apartment.great great movie.don't be cynical and miss it.