Ludovic Bource (AFP/Getty Images)  Ludovic Bource | "The Artist"
There was, of course, a bit of a history lesson that French
composer Ludovic Bource embarked upon while working on "The
Artist." Some of the touchstones for director Michel
Hazanavicius' silent film about the end of the silent film era
were clear, such as "Sunset Boulevard" and the music of the late
film composer Franz Waxman. Yet Bource also immersed himself in
the work of early Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein and
classical masters such as Johannes Brahms.  Next, he had to get
that all out of his head, to compose a score that would pay
tribute to Hollywood's musically flamboyant and often playful
beginnings yet still capture the starkness of the dying pride of
silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). "With all
these music references, I had to start, first and foremost, on
my own music, my own main theme for 'The Artist,'" said Bource,
who speaks limited English. "I started with six principal themes
for George."  In the 100 minutes