The silent movie is an emotional cinema: it's sensory; the fact that you don't go through a text brings you back to a basic way of telling a story predicated on the feelings you have created.
In France, it's really different the way you live. It's a non-religious country. The public space is not religious; religion is a private thing.
Silence is a universal language. It's like music or painting.
Robert DeNiro, who may be the greatest living actor, usually acts in a way which is very stone-faced, like Steve McQueen.
I watched a lot of silent movies. It's a very specific way of writing, which is more of a challenge than the directing. You have to describe images. It's easier to shoot them.
When you speak of silent movies, everyone thinks of Charlie Chaplin first.