Scene from "The Artist"
Hollywood is abuzz these days with the all-new, black-and-white, almost totally silent movie The Artist, which already has won its creator, Michel Hazanavicius, acclaim and numerous awards and may yet walk away with an Oscar nod as well. Before I go on, I would like to highly recommend this excellent and enjoyable film for its superb acting, its humor, its wonderful period feel, and for its marvelous score by Ludovic Bource.
Set in the late 1920s/early 1930s and focusing on the momentous change in filmmaking from silents to talkies and the ensuing rise of new stars vs. the fall from public favor of old stars, the movie lovingly captures the essence of the era.
I was pleased to see a familiar portrait photograph of Calvin Coolidge featured in the film, albeit a bit incongruously – it is placed on the wall of the reception area of a clinic, in a scene near the end of the movie that is set in 1931, a time when Coolidge was long gone from the White House. Or maybe I was mistaken? I’d be grateful if any readers of this blog were to confirm my “sighting.”
Yes I saw it also. I wondered if they did that on purpose as it seems to obvious of a mistake.
Coolidge was taciturn, and was popularly called “Silent Cal.” Now you get it. Coolidge was approached once by a staffer who told him that he’d bet a friend that he could get the president to say more than a couple of words. Coolidge replied, “You lose.”
Yes, that is Mr. Coolidge in the reception area of the clinic seen behind Peppy as she walks through the door of George’s hospital room. Though no longer in office, Coolidge was sorely missed from public life even then.
Reblogged this on shaynroby and commented:
Calvin Coolidge was indeed, one of America’ s most fascinating conservative Presidents.