Silent Film 'The Artist' Outrages Moviegoers Who Didn't Know It Was Silent

It's wowed critics and awards juries worldwide, but to some filmgoers in the UK, "The Artist" was bad enough to warrant a refund. After all, where was all the dialogue?

According to the Telegraph of London, movie fans in Liverpool demanded their money back after sitting through the Michel Hazanavicius-directed Hollywood homage, claiming they had no idea that the Golden Globe-winner was a silent film.

"Odeon Liverpool One can confirm it has issued a small number of refunds to guests who were unaware that The Artist was a silent film," the film chain involved told the Telegraph in a statement. "The cinema is happy to offer guests a refund on their film choice if they raise concern with a member of staff within 10 minutes of the film starting."

"The Artist" tells the story of a silent film actor (Jean Dujardin) who resists the change to talking motion pictures and sees his personal prestige and fortune bottom out as a result. A classic love story and a triumphant hearkening back to the early days of cinema, the film has been well publicized as a silent film about the silent film era. The film won Best Picture -- Musical/Comedy at Sunday's Golden Globes, and is being received well in England, too, despite the cinema snafu. It paced the field with 12 BAFTA nominations on Monday.

This past fall, a woman sued Film District because she went to see their Ryan Gosling-starring modern LA noir film "Drive" and was disappointed that it was not at all like the Vin Diesel action film "Fast and Furious," as the "Drive" trailer led her to believe it would be.

For more on this cinema situation, click over to the Telegraph.

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Comments

[eburns24]

10:08 AM on 02/27/2012

For people to comment who haven't seen the movie, I'm sorry for your ignorance. If you had at least kept an open mind, you would have most likely enjoyed the film. How nice to be able to go to a film
that has no violence, sex and bad language and that your children AND parents can see. I saw an early screening and none of us knew what to expect. The movie got a standing ovation at the end!

[Bargefeet]

12:29 PM on 02/06/2012

Not a single example of "outrage" in the entire article. Journalism is dead.

[frodobird4me]

10:11 PM on 02/11/2012

Journalism has been dead for the past 4 or more years now...I agree, where was the outrage?

[FreelanceMinion]

01:50 AM on 02/06/2012

Who cares if there is no speaking in it, did it draw you in? And if you sat through the whole thing you got your money's worth, end of story. Its like eating a whole meal and telling the restaurant the meat was a bit undercooked, you have to complain up front or you have to go away.

[Howzat]

09:06 AM on 02/05/2012

Ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[harriettubman]

02:46 PM on 01/31/2012

I saw this advertised as a "silent' movie. I guess they didn't. Who wants to see a silent movie this day and age? I don't even understand the actual silent ones I've seen in the past so I know I wouldn't want to see this one. It is popular because the old members of the academy remember them. LOL..

[TRene11]

04:07 PM on 01/28/2012

My wife went to see this with a couple of her friends. They were not anticipating a silent film, so they got up and went to a different movie. They didn't come home "Outraged", but they did express that it wasn't the type of movie they expected.

[Mupaaat]

10:50 PM on 01/23/2012

Great film, old chap, but sorry that you do have to be able to read a few subtitles.

[coreins7]

07:58 PM on 01/23/2012

Went to see it because of the buzz surrounding it. It was a great movie. (Not a movie for those who can't wait to see "Rocky IX.)

[Jay Robert Harris]

01:36 AM on 01/22/2012

Were they angry that they couldn't listen to the film as they texted away on their Iphones?

[Lucy1886]

05:35 PM on 01/19/2012

Another non-story, like so many stories in the media, which are about a very few people very far away, and based on that, we are supposed to go "cluck, cluck, cluck -- my, my, how STUPID humanity is."

And if we all do that, then we all conclude that there is no hope for change and we continue to put up with the gradual, and not-so-gradual slide towards catastrophe.

"BUT GEE--everyone ELSE is so stupid so there is no hope for human kind."

Those who believe that are themselves acting out the attitudes they attribute to others.

Check the media -- observe HOW MANY stories there are about "stupid criminals" or "sex monsters" or "frivolous lawsuits" .... and then consider how those stories influence us into passivity.

[falstaff59]

03:54 PM on 01/19/2012

So glad that this story takes place in England rather than American. I'm so tired of us always being featured as the "dumb" country. Cheerio.....

[snark404]

04:56 PM on 01/20/2012

It's Liverpool. 'Nuff said.

[alex briggs]

12:00 AM on 02/06/2012

So is Liverpool England's America?

[GrownupStewie]

03:22 PM on 01/19/2012

i walked in expecting to not like it, and i walked out loving it, it was really well done, and the story was sincere and realistic. very good movie.

[jake192168]

03:05 PM on 01/19/2012

you know i dont want a color tv anymore or a cell phone, in fact break all the light bulbs lets go back to candles. and forget the car a horse is more fun. dumb movie idea. dont see it it sucks.

[caty306933]

03:03 PM on 01/19/2012

I couldn't believe this story was true. I have never went to a movie I didn't know something about and wanted to see. Interesting that people pay for a movie they know nothing about. Did they just look at the pictures?

[jmoderate99]

12:52 PM on 01/19/2012

I suppose they would have preferred it to be like the scratch poorly sounding movies of the early 30's, you know, where all the actors had this vaguely obnoxious pseudo-British accent ala Madonna (can you believe her accent at the G Globes?). The first time I saw the trailer I know it would be silent with only music for the most part. The critics are just not happy unless a movie is about evil villainous aliens, semi-naked co-eds or has The Rock or Will Smith in it.

[littlepuffycloud]

06:38 PM on 01/21/2012

Did Madorka LOATHE anything. On camera?