The Art of Silence

What do you hear right now?  This moment may be painted  with the noise of daily life;  the patter of a child's feet across the kitchen floor, the barking of a dog, the of song birds that welcome a new day breathe the harmony or discord of life.  The noise of modernity is also punctuated by the chatter of a keypad that types thoughts to be let loose into the virtual world, the ear buds of an iPod drilling personal sounds into a detached listener, or the notifications of text messages or "updates" to a life lived through virtual interactions.

The 1936 film Modern Times written and directed by Charles Chaplin shows the effect technology has on the factory worker clad in striped overalls, Chaplin's representation of the average citizen trying to fit into a world driven by mechanization.   The eye of the film maker sees what society could not yet fathom; technology is an advanced state of chaos meant to ease life for those who dare step into the future. 

The 2011 film The Artist directed byMichael Hazanavicius is not a true "silent picture" in the classic representation of the genre.  What I find ironic is the enormous crescendo each film makes in different spaces in time.  The Artist tells the tale of an actor from an era of silent films who looses his voice as a representation of a time gone by.  Has that time gone by, or is it now that is losing identity to the virtual world?  How is humanity represented ~ by the technology it is using or the past that it longs to feel again in its simplicity.I long for simpler times technology relied on thoughts spoken words written, and the beauty of art that conveys a message.  Did I agree or disagree, and was my opinion worthy of a voice.  

Watching the Golden Globe Award Ceremony I am reminded that there are dreamers in the modern world.  Filmmakers like  Michael Hazanavicius make noise without words, and scream within the silence of technology.  A dog barks, saves a life, and love triumphs against all odds.  Are we returning to Modern Times where happiness walks into the sunset?  Love triumphs in art, and The Artist  proves that in order to be heard sometimes the silence of classic cinematography, costumes, set design, lighting,  and expressive acting leads Peppy Miller from the jail of love into the light of hope with her leading man.  Life is a contrast of black and white, and it is the challenge of the audience to color their world.