Saturday, February 25, 2012

Will Silence Be Golden?


The Academy Awards ceremony will air tomorrow night,and one of the nominees for Best Original Screenplay is The Artist, a movie with no spoken dialogue. I have not seen the film,but the nomination gave me pause and spiked my curiosity regarding what a screenplay for a "silent" movie is like.

I found a copy here for those who are interested.

For me, to write a story with minimal dialogue seems a painful exercise, as my stories tend to be more dialogue driven. I applaud Mr. Hazanavicius for the accomplishment. The film has received many awards ahead of Oscar night, including Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTA's (the British Oscars).

My question is, does having minimal to no dialogue make it a loftier accomplishment than another story with plenty of dialogue? Is it a gimmick or a piece de resistance?

I have only seen two of the nominees for Best Original Screenplay - Midnight in Paris and Bridesmaids. I'd vote for Bridesmaids. It made me laugh (hard), made me cry, and had a great romantic subplot.

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