Chaplin family supports 'The Artist'

NEW YORK, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Charlie Chaplin's granddaughters say they are happy to serve as hosts of a special screening of "The Artist," a film that pays homage to Hollywood's silent era.

Carmen and Dolores Chaplin are to attend Monday's screening of the critically acclaimed movie at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif. Also expected to be there are "The Artist" writer/director Michel Hazanavicius and cast members Berenice Bejo, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller and Uggie the dog.

"'The Artist' holds a special importance for us because we had the privilege of intimately experiencing the culture of black-and-white silent films which forever left its mark upon us as artists," Carmen and Dolores Chaplin said in a statement. "The film has a universal dimension crossing boundaries of language, challenging our expectations, and breaking commercial convention by returning to the purest form of film-making."

Monday's screening is to be followed by a reception and question and answer session intended to offer insight into the production of the film as well discussion about the silent-film era, organizers said.

The movie is set for theatrical release Friday.

Charlie Chaplin was a British comic actor, director and composer. One of the best known stars of the silent film era, he died in 1977 at the age of 88.