FAQ

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The film is dedicated to Kamel Ech-Cheik, a composer and boyhood friend of Michel Hazanavicius.

This is not explicitly answered in the movie. One popular answer is that it was because of his French accent (their accents did not affect the Hollywood careers of, for example, Charles Boyer or Maurice Chevalier); however, the filmmakers have stated that they never intended for this to be the reason. George represents the many silent film stars that could not make the transition to talking films. Some could not speak their lines correctly, while others had voices that were not suited to be recorded. Also, in silent films, the director often used a megaphone to call out directions to the actors as the scene was being filmed. When "talkies" arrived this was impossible. Actors had to memorize the scene "on their own", and some just couldn't do that.