A silent film is defined as ‘a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue’. The golden era of silent films lasted from approximately 1895 to 1929. The unique mode of art rose to prominence as the ultimate pastime of the American working class. Charlie Chaplin’s 1931 film City Lights is among the most notable works to emerge from the era. Alternately, Ron Fricke’s The Artist (2011) is not a film from the silent film era, but rather a modern film paying homage to the iconic era of cinema that defined a generation. Both films belong to the silent film genre, however they differ greatly in the cinematic style they employ in successfully conveying their story. Overall, The Artist is more effective at telling a story than City Lights due to its …show more content…
The Artist boasts a more vast and diverse film score than that of City Lights. Music can be heard in the background of a multitude of scenes in The Artist, such as suspenseful music during George’s ‘sound nightmare scene’. The emotion invoked in the viewers during this scene is used to complement their overall cinematic experience. The range of emotions that viewers experience whilst watching the film is an indication of its effective storytelling ability. The City Lights soundtrack is underwhelming in comparison , as the events of the film tend to range from silly to happy, but never anything that would grip viewers. While the lovely soundtrack enhances the heartfelt mood of the film, it isn’t as exciting as the soundtrack from The Artist. The practically-chosen songs in the soundtrack fail to take the viewer on as much of an emotional rollercoaster as The Artist’s. The music in the City Lights soundtrack simply doesn’t measure up to The Artist in terms of accompanying the cinematography to create the best viewing experience for the