The common English idiom, "A picture is worth a thousand words," can be further justified through silent movies, such as Le voyage dans la lune and The Great Train Robbery. For example, even without sound, Le voyage dans la lune demonstrates exhilaration and astonishment through the excitement of the astronomers as they intently listen to the prisoner and the creativity of the moon's landscape from director and screenplay writer, Georges Melies, along with Gaston Melies. Nevertheless, with the addition of playful, whimsical scoring and descriptive narration, the film becomes tied with a sense of nostalgia as it connects the importance of dreams and individuality. However, Edward S. Porter's film, The Great Train Robbery, did not include narration, but continued to portray senses of urgency of the antagonists and confusion of the civilians through bright, exhilarating music. As the robber shoots the viewer at the end of the film, it leaves the viewer to ponder about Porter's thoughts and wishes-- was he interested in showcasing that through hard work most anything can be achieved or did he mean to tell us that not all stories have happy endings.
As viewers, it is important for us to not only limit emotion with words of modern films, but also reflect on the art of silent films and acknowledge their ability to tell stories without audial effects.
"I get these flashes of brilliant clarity where for a second I stop and I think 'Wait, this is it, this is my life. I better slow down and enjoy it because one day we're going to end up in the ground and that'll be it, we'll be gone," Lily Collins as Samantha Borgens in Stuck in Love.
Since first viewing the film, directed and written by Josh Boone, these words from Samantha Borgens consistently resonate in my head. They unfold my story and advise my life to write itself rather than dwell on the past or look toward the future. In addition to the reminder to live in the moment, Stuck in Love gives rise to the classic "happily ever after ending" as the Borgens family learns to accept forgiveness, despite heartbreaks, and show compassion towards one another as they rebuild their family through determination and optimism. Although the ending may seem predictable or cliche, I was reminded that second chances are given and love is everlasting.
